Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-01-22


~ and made him discharge The burden of
his prosecuting rhymes into the eager ears
OF the poor, unthinking students. How is IL
WITH mem; now? The re- ult is too sad to tell.
Why did / write this article? 1t was for q
worthy, even Q noble, purpose. 1t was to
warn you, re ader, IL you should come across
those merciless rhymes, TO avoid them
avoid them as you would a pestilence.
~
fkEHisIohiC cASr .DWELLINes.
fau &c. e,fni Of Ns,c Discoveries The
sw'fs ~ DR.. Hdyden's Survey 1nsemg
Wtstern Prehistoric Ruins.
Especial Correspondence Of Csncinndti Gozettel
WASHINGTON, january
The following article, prepared for the
Gazette, contains full and interesting &C
count of new discoveries made by DIR. Hay
den,s last survey of extensive cliE villages
In southern and western Colorado:
The Rio De Chelly for distance of about
thirty-five miles above its mouth Is SO cam
oned, and the wash--for the bed of the stream
Is perfectly dry the greater portion of the
year-cuts from wall rock To wall rock SO
frequently, that ii is impossible To travel up
1t except in the bed, aud that il so tortuous
and rocky in places that II would be difficult
IL not impossible. Making a detour 10 the
right, the first opening into the canon was
reached ten miles above. In here an inter.
est1ng and extensive ruin was found, which
was SO well preserved that it seemed to have
been vacated less than q score of years, and
SO ike the workmanship and manner of
building OF the present Moquis that IL would
not be difficult to imagine them lurkfng
among the deserted rooms. This ruin was
situated in long cave like bench or mesa,
running along the face of a perpendicular
bluff, some fifty feet above its base, and a
total length of nearly 300 yards. The town
was irregularly but cOmpactly built, con-
forming to the rock on which 1t was placed
the rooms arranged In single row most OF
the way, but at either end punching up to
two or three deep. ground plan shows IS
rooms, with many little irregular "cubby
holes ;" with total length of 5iS feet A few
yards further to the right are half dozen de-
tached buildings. Cisterns and reservoirs yet
remain perfect enough TO show their pur-
pose. In the cen ter Of the mass was a we'll
preserved circular apartment a little below
the general leyel of the Others, that was
probably an estlgd The goat corrals
were inside, between the houses and the bluff
Digging beneath the debris several pieces of
timely preserved pottery were found, the
same finely ornamented, and glazed ware of
which the fragments are so universally scat
tered over the whole country. Beneath the
center of the town there was found In one
group some whole jars OF about two gallons
capacity each. of the gray indented ware,
but they were too fragile to transport upon
pack mules. Besides the pottery, many
stone implements and arrow points were I'M
eartheu Another detour TO the right, this
tlme over an elevated plateau of white sand
stone, across which were drifted great dunes
OF white sand, brought the party to the ia
nous so-called diamond fields of Arizona,
about which there was such an excitement
In 1872 Lingering on it's bare red plain
upon which the sun beat with redoubled in
tensity, only long enough to gather about a
pint OF garneis, which were of excellent
quail ty and very abundant, camp was made
at the foot of side canon which came in
from the west and was known IA the canon
Bomto Chiquito. Another group of ruins
Occurred here. not in a large town but in
scattered houses up and down the De Chelly
and Bonito. A marked feature was great
reservoirs In which there was, even now,
abundant and excellent water. Two or three
IN les below In the canon of the main stream
was well preserved two story house, stand
ing uron bench elevated fifty feet above
the valley, and overhung by great roof
OF rock that effectually shielded 1t from the
storms. Near by was great natural reser-
VolT filled with good water. Another five or
SIX miles and the canon of the De Chelly
opened out into great valley, from one TO
three miles in width, and extending up to
the loot OF the great canon near Fort Def
ance. twenty five to thirty-hve miles
above the BOnitO are some peculiar table
rocks and monuments that form notable
landmarks. Tue ruins are now scarce, only
Few being met with in the caves at the
side of the valley. The bottom lands bears
the in press of very numerous ruins, adobe
very likely, that are now almost entirely CO.
n'erated, ana would hardly be noticed were
IL not Tor the broken pottery.
AT me mead OF the valley OF the De Chiefly,
the trail turned off to the southwest Just
above The upper edge of the great white
mesa, Taking only two others, Mr.. Barber,
ana Lee the guide, aud sending the remain
der OF the train back some fifty miles where
dnere was suitable grazing, Mr.. Jackson
continued over TO the Moquis Pueblos sew
ehty,nVe miles distant, with only the photo
graphic ap0 ratus and supplies for i've DAYS.
Jequa was reached by noon OF the following
DAY. AS these Pueblos have been so FREE
quently described and illustrated the party
spent only two days and half among the
SIX most easierly towns, viz: Tequa, Sc
chum-e-way, Moqui, Moo shar neh, Shoug-
a-pab-wee and She-panl-a wee. Photo
graphs OF each of these were made and nu-
merous sketches, illustrating their habits,
m fiEr nT.lln nff -
and ancient pottery and tools, aud other OBJ
1ects OF interest, were made. The cOmpari-
son between the workmanship of the north
ern town buil and these Moquis was
very much In favor of the former. The high
est perfection was reached in the cliff houses
OF the Rio Maucos, where some of the houses
then, travelling toward the Moquis, there is
gradual merging of one style into the
other, from the neatly rock and correct
angle to the comparatively crude buildings
Retracing their steps to the San Juan, at
The mouth of the De Chelly, the party now
Travelled toward the Sierra Abajo, up a
stream known as EPSON creek, from the
water, which is found near it's head, tasting
and operating like that of salt. The usual
lndehnlte ruins which occur on low lands,
continued up this valley over thirty miles.
To the west was labyrinth of canons rum
ming of into those OF the Great Colorado, au
examination of some of which discovered
many cave aud cliff houses and towns all of
the same general type as the others. The
ruins gradually diminished as they APP
proachcd the Sierra Abajo, and several days
spent III the examination of the caDon and
plateaus about it and the Sierra Ia Sal, failed
10 bring to light any more evidence of their
occupation.
Nearly opposite the Sierra Abajo or Blue
Noun tains, as they are locally known, heads
the great canOns and valleys OF the Monte
yuma which empties into the San Juan.
Here the bottoms of the canons have once
supported very thickly-settled communi-
". There is almost a continuous series of
ruins for distance OF twenty-five miles.
This, In one canon only; and ell the others
contain numerous remains, chiefly In cliff
houses and towns. In the main canon, first
spoken OF, are two ruins notable for the size
of the stones employed In their construction.
IN one, built upon a small isolated table
land ia the middle OF the valley, are stones
set upon end, six feet in length by eighteen
inches square, and ranged along the walls a
distance of twenty-five or thirty yards. An
other case Is, where stones seven feet in
height above ground) and twenty inches
square. are standing perpendicularly, about
five feet apart, and from one side of q wall
inclosing the ruins of large, important
building. Throughout the canon every
available defensive point has been utilized.
and is now covered with the remains OF
heavy walls and large blocks OF houses. An
other singular feature was the number O