The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1879-12-04
q =. THE CLIFF DWELAERs.-
A Race Lost to Memory Centuries
Ago. t.5is z

survey was detailed under Mr.. W. I'll
Jackson, who returned with the firsi
authentic reports. According to Mr.
Ingersoll most of the ruins are found
around the edge of the desert track
formed by the triangulation of the
rivers Rio Mancos, La Plata and Rio
San Juan. The San Juan and LaPla
have width of bottom land between
their banks, but the Rio Nance runs
like brooklet along its narrow path,
shut in by walls thousands of feet
high. On the terraces OF the more
open canons are multitudes of pictur-
esque ruins .; in the bottom lands are
the remains of towns: in the wilder
canons the houses are perched upon
the face of the chasm. In an encamp-
ment one thousand feet above the VAL
ley of the Rio Mancos are single
houses, in groups of two or three mud
villages, according to the width of the
shelf which they occupy. They are SO
high that the naked eye can distin-
guith them merely as specks. There
is no access to them from above on ac-
count of the rocks that project over
head, and no present way of reaching
them from below, although doubling
paths and footheles in the rocks show
where the way was trodden of old by
human feet. If the reader will imag-
inc the Palisades three times higher
than they are, with midway shelves
between the bottom and top eaten out
by the wssther, on which are erected
stone huts, to and from which the
owners found their way by paths
scarcely foot wide, he will haYe some
idea of these ancient abodes, whose
counterparts in miniature can now be
seen at the museum.
The cliffs in some part are limestone
but most frequently sandstone, with
alternating strata of shall es of clay.
The softer layers are followed out,
leaving caves, whose solid stone ledg-
es serve as the floors and roofs of the
cliff dwellings. A few houses have
two stories. and one shows four stories
but generally they are not higher than
mans head. Division walls are
built from the rear of the opening and
running outward to the front of the
cave, which is SO neatly walled by
masonry of the prevailing stone that
the artificial work is scarcely noticea-
bic by casual observer. Upon the
SUBMITS of the loftier battlements are
placed at irregular intervals round
stone towers. The curve of the abo-
riginal masonry is perfect. AS to the
habits of these dwellers we know al
most nothing. Near the ruin called
Hovensweep castle Ghe castle of the
deserted valley) no bones or signs of
graves have been found; only heaps
of ashes are left, mingled with charred
wood, which tell the story of crema-
ton, and probably of fire worship 1t
is assumed that the present Pueblo
Indians are the descendants of these
people, from the fact that their huts
to day resemble the ancient cave
houses. The absence of implements
of warfare, either completed or un-
finished, gives rise to the opinion that
they were peaceful race. Near some
of the cities thousands of flint arrow
heads were found sticking in the cliff
all pointing towards the city-show-
ing that some strong invader had at
tackled them.
According to Mr.. Jackson the most
remains are those found
in New Mexico, and some of the
buildings equal any in the United
States, if we except the capitol. One
of theae (shown in the cast by Hey
den) the Pueblo del Arroya,' has
wings 130 feet long, and the western
wall of the court is 26S feet. Facing
the center of the court are three sto-
ries in height. Another, the Pueblo
Chettro Kettle,' is 40 feet long and
25O feet wide, and presents the re-
mains of four stories the logs form
Ing the second floor extend through
the walls distance of feet, and
probably at one time supported bal
cony on the shady side of the house.
Mr.. Jackson estimates that the wall
running around three sides of the
building, 925 feet in length and 40 feet
in height, there were more than 2,OOO,-
600 pieces of stone for the outer sur
face of the outer wall alone. This
surface multiplied by the stones of the
surface,and also by the stones
of the interior and transverse lines of
would give total of 30,OOO,-
600 pieces in 315,O 900 cubic feet of wall.
These millions of pieces had to be
quarried and put in position the tim
bers were brought from a great dis
t. ice, and considering the yastness of
the work and the amount of labor and
time that must have been expended
these buildings may we'll be compared
with the most famous works of what
is so wrongly called the old world.
Among the caves of the Rio de
Chelley were found some of the
most beautifully tinted arrow-heads
ever discovered; also, numbers of
large earthen jars of oval design.
In a large thrce-story house were
found many implements of domestic
use representing the stone age
Among them were large grindstones
and hammers. The walls, says Mr..
were plastered with cement
of stucco-like finish. That it was
spread on the walls by human hands
ia evident from the marks of the pores