The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1875-10-03
THE HAYDEN SURVEY.
THE CAVES OF THE RIO DE cHELLY-FUNNY
EXPERIENCES WITH INDIANS.

we had previously dug. This we found TO be OF such
disagreeabe that could not drink i,
although the was cool and inviting parched
Threats The cottonwood bark with which the spring
had been lined had partially decomposed and imp rted
TO the water which Il encirced fetid odor which
II was impossible to lessen by balng AS we
rested beneath the shade OF the solitary tree
where had been camp the Indians soon discovered
and came down from the corn fields in numbers to
trade moro corn to This was just what we had
been wishing, as our last had disappeared couple
OF days before We traded some tobacco for severa
lots, but as each new invoice arrived IL seemed more
inviting and tender than the last that accumulated
into several bushels and we had no means OF carrying
than one sackful, which we tied on top Of one
OF the packs Presently one OF the old squaws more
considerable and motherly than the rest brought
A BLAHKErFUL or HOT, CORN,
boiled in the husk, which took without hesitation
and disposed OF the spot. Hungry as we were II
was the acceptable thing we had seen for long
time and 1--WE dozen ears disappeared before the
ravages OF three OF us. We camped ten
miles beyond this and the next evening rode
into camp on tho Rio do Chiefly just
before sunset having ridden 100 miles in three days.
making total distance Of 200 miles which
pshed during the week Returning north by the way
we had come, we next camped at spring near the
extensive ruins Of the Rio de Chiefly, previously
toned and here we took time to make thorough
examination Of them These ruins are located in three
shallow caves few hundred feet above the river bed
The largest contains line of buildings which
comprises seventy-six rooms the ground floor, and
in many places three stories still standing We
unearthed seven large, burnt earhen pots jars per-
fectly whole and lying side by side. They all of
the same shape, about fifteen inches high and wide
Here they had probably been buried for hundreds
ltna
hard cement, below which few fragments of
pottery, charcoal and cacined corn-cobs Among
the debris was picked up small, neatly moulded Jug
painted symmetrically on the exterior surface which
was perfectly whole with the exception Of the handle,
which wanting. 1t resembed closely in shape some
of the ancient pottery dsinerred at Pompe such
has been taken from the mounds of the mound builders
Among the ruins about fifty of the most exqustely
shaped and colored arrow heads found by our
party, and this had undoubtedly been the of a
great Tight From the fact that most of these were
picked up the base of the walls nearly all with
their points toward the buildings, it may be
inferred that they the weapons of the
enemy which had been shot toward the walls In fact
it is matter of considerable doubt whether the ancient
Moquis used weapons of any Sort especially of defence
for find traces of any among their posterity at
the present day, although implements of labor, which
n
tions, still quite common in the Moqui towns On
a little knoll a couple of hundred yards below the
ruins, is extensive burial ground, over which we
also picked up a few of the larger stone heads Scat
tered all through the crumbled masses OF walls found
pieces of stone mortars foot in diameter, and
several pieces of mill and grinding stones, such the
modern Moquis use in making their ngoon-nee or
-four
CAVE,
almost inaccessible of its smooth, Steep
rocky entrance, stood lot of ruined houses, one of
which still showed vestiges of roof where the cedar
poles remained in perfect preservation in the walls
This whole collection of ruins the extensive
and among the most complete of any had seen dur
ing our entire trip Those in the first cave reached
length of $50 feet This, it will be remembered was
but eight miles beyond the San Juan If we could have
spared the time to the Rio de Chiefly from its
mouth TO its source in the Tunecha Mountains the
LII ka- chGkas as the Indians call them would with
out doubt have made many very interesting dis
coveres although the upper part Of this stream known
the Canyon de Chelly has been explored by other
parties TO some extent
At camp near the spring one Of the boys brought
in a huge hairy tarantula which was as large any
to be in tropical climates This incident made US
somewhat wary to where spread our BEDS espe
ciay several scorpions had recently been found in
some of our blankets.
The next day we returned to our last camp the
San Juan where we had cached whatever articles we
did require journey through Arizona These
we dug up out Of the sand and found just we had
left Taking old trail from the San Juan up the bed
OF EPSON Creek, we followed the course of the
stream for fifteen mncs before camping On our right
a long line of high perpendicular bluffs reared them
selves aloft, and we soon found that 1t would
thnpn up1oc
could find an opening. Ahead of and
a little to the east lay the Sierra Abajo
or Blue Mountains, for which bound and find
ing water some fifteen miles above the San Juan we
made camp In the canyons west Of this spent day
hunting ruins which abounded through that section
One in the cliff ola canyon, although notvery large
remarkable account Of the perfect preservation OF
its walls the plasterng Of which, both internally and
externally smooth and uninjured as whom occu
pied by the builders. The upper half was painted
white and the lower dark red. Above the walls,
the back Of the cave impressions of hands
in pairs, made by laying the hands on the wall and
scattering white paint around them, like those pre-
viously described occurring in the Casa del Eco
the San Juan. We were now in Utah once
more and as we approached the isolated Blue
Mountains, Sierra Abajo we were aware
of perceptible difference in the temperature
OF the atmosphere buIluB the neHb ssolh SdHc w,
and the raindrops large and heavy that each
one as descended seemed to penetrate beds and
the skin; but could only pull our blankets
up heads and feel grateful for such boon.
The only at this of the year in the creek
came from alkaline spring in one of the side can
yons The stream is very appropriately named, this
water both in and effect strongly resembles
EPSON salts One night, while camping at this place,
we had all turned in, and were just falling into
first Sleep when Harry was reused by some
animal lesurely promenading on his nude
breast Giving IL ding with his hand, it
was sent over to Bob and alghted on his
head From lizard II awakened Bob kangaroo
mouse, and passing over him. ran across Jackson who
supposed him to be a rabbit Proceeding on its bew-
derng way 1t scrambled the shoulders Of another
peacefully sumberng member Of the party, who was
terrified by supposing that large sized coyote had
mounted his head and then perched upon his right