Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1877-08-03


the circular rooms or the "Estufas," theii
council halls or secret places for the prac.
| tice of their religion. The number of these
In each pueblo varied from a single one ur
TO as many as twenty-five. Their average
size was twenty-five feet in diameter, the
largest being trine over sixty feet, and
the smallest fifteen feet in diameter. In
| two pueblos these Estufas had been divided
| into two or more floors, the beams still pro-
truding from the walls the interior walls
were of The most perfect masonry and per-
fectly circular. In all the mined pueblos
the most remarkable feature was the skill
with which the stone walls were built aud
which has enabled them TO withstand for
hundreds of years the ravages OF human
hands and the slower work of The elements.
Commencing al the foundation, with a
width of thrty-two inches, each succeeding
story was built a little less in thickness
until the walls Of the fourth floor are but
eighteen inches through, giving them a
pyramidal shape, and of such soldity that
iu some cases, although the floor has been
crushed down and the crossAwalls fallen,
yet they remain firm and plumb nearly
forty feet in height They had their
methods of laying the stone-by regular
sandstone blocks of the size of two bricks,
cut and ground TO uniformity, by alter
nate layers of these blocks with layers OF
very small aud thin pieces of sandstone,
generally three courses of the thin TO one
of the thick, and last by laying the entire
wall Of these excessively small pieces of
thin sandstone. As an example of this last
kind, l measured off square yard on the
northern wall of the Pueblo of Ghetto
Kethe and counted the number Of stones
forming the surface. There were $50, each
laid so close together that a knife. blade
could not be pushed between them, and
not particle OF mortar Of any kind appear
ing at the surface. This entire wall was
400 feet long and originally fully forty feet
high, and averaged twenty-'our inches
thick. Imagine the industry and patience
of such builders. The interior of these
walls were laid in with tougher stone and
with abundant clay mortar. Binding
courses of pine sticks were laid in the wall
both transversely and lon9itudinally.
Every doorway and window was framed
with scrupulous eXactness, and It would
appear as if the plumb square had been
faithfully used in all their work. Many
Photographic examples of these unique and
remarkable features were secured and will
tell far more than my pen possibly can.
To them and the detailed drawings and
measurements l made of each pueblo, 1
must refer for more detailed particulars.
There are many other things of which
would like TO speak-ofthe starways hewu
in the rock of the great wafer pockets and
cisterns-Of the human skull and bones
found buried fourteen feet beneath the lev
el of the valley and exposed only by the
encroaching arroyo, as well as other sub
terranean developments made, but the linn
its of this letter forbid. Returning 10 Junez,
] discharged my assistants aud drove across
the country 10 the Pueblo of Laguua, be-
tween which and the ancient Pueblo of
Acona spent three days. In the first Sc
cured very many interesting groups of the
Indians in various occupations and of their
religious masked dances. At Acoma, q
pueblo built high up on an isolated rock,
secured many photographs and complete
lts ullu
enable me to model il with exsctness. With
Acoma done l considered my work as fin
ished and am now on my way hack. stop
ping in Santa Fe only long enough to make
a few views and 10 pack my collections.
The trip as a whole has been very success
ful despite the inclement weather expert
enced at first. My special application OF
the "dry process" in photography has prov
ed eminently successful thus far. Carry
ing with me the material for 500 pictures,
have made upwards OF 800, the whole ma
terial and apparatus for which l have been
enabled 10 carry upon my saddle animal
without any material Inconvenience. l am
under many obligations to General Hatch
and other officers at Santa Fe and to the Of
ficers at Fort Wingate for many courtesies
and iavors received from them. Trusting
that this brief account of the closing up OF
my work will meet your appreciation, re-
main very respectfully,
w. II. JACKSON.