The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1882-07-28
THE PHANTOM CITY.
WHAT AN EXPLORER HAS DISCOVERED II
CENTRAL AMERICA.

! Some weeks ago the news came from Cen
/ tral America that NJ Desire Charnay the
! explorer, sent thither by Mr. Lorillard, Of
I New York, had discovered the ''Phantom
! City," of which Stephens heard, and which
| one Of his informants claimed to see from a
! lofty mountain top. 1t was hoped that the
| discovery might establish the existence Of a
settlement Of the ancient race Of the country
far in the wilderness, and throw much new
lignt on prehistoric America. In the North
american ReUiel0 NJ. Charnay tells what he
saw. BE was In the country Of the Lacan-
dones near the Guatemala border, and was
making his way with difficulty. The natur-
al obstacles of ,he wild country were great
and besides he was suffering from an attack
of fever. To his surprise, on reaching the
city, hefCund an EDglshman, Alfred Mauds-
ley, was ahead of him. He was only an am
steur, however, and bade NJ. Charnay re-
gard the conquest as his own.
Lorillsrd City, as NJ. Charnay calls the
place, consists of palaces, temples and pa la
ces resembling those of Palenque, erected on
the top Of natural elevations which the build
ers rendered accessible by esplanades and
flights of steps. There are the same hero
Rlyph characters in the Inscriptions, and the
same personages and facial types on bas re-
liefs. 1t was Toltec settlement. The
buildings have been greatly disfgurod by
time, the plaster and the interior decorations
having fallen away. The vaults are convex,
concave and plain, while at Comalcalco and
Kaboh cocave ones are in the ascendant -
Two walls in one of the two palaces come
together without any keystone, while each
palace has a massive wall rising above the
roof, with OblOng openings like windows.
The great temple is still standing. 1t is
built on the summit of a pyramid 125 feet in
height, and faces toward the river. The
wall above the roof reminds one of the edif-
ces in Yucstan described by Stephens. In
the middle of the wall one stood an enor-
nous statue, only fragments of which re-
main. Among the bas Teliefs of its three
portals was one which exhibits two human
beings of the Palenque type, each holding
in the hand a regular Latin cross with flow
cred arms. The interior Of the temple con
sists of long, narrow corridor with open
ing in the rear wall into four oratories OF lit
tie chapels. There Is a similar chapel at the
right hand end OF the corridor and at the
left hand end IS a little dwelling room, pro-
baby intended for the use Of the seTvitOr Of
the temple. In the little chapel in the mid
die is a platform about two feet high, on
which once stood a large idol. finely sculp-
tured It's ragments now lie on the floor.
The natives offered incense to It until it fell,
since when they have ceased to frequent the
city. To the LEFT of the temple is a palace
with sleeping places of cement, doubtless
3 For rFr,u tHa
teocaH, OF perhaps the fortress, stands IN the
rear Of the temple. It is a pyramid 200 feet
high, and on the esplanade at its top six
/ palaces formerly stood. of which the ruins Of
/ one remain. NJ. Charnay hardly thinks he
! has reached Stephens Phantom City,
/ The name probably belongs to one discover
! ed in Chiapas on the other side of the noun
taIns. This he was unable to reach, through
sickness and fatigue. He therefore went to
the city of Mexico, there to make castings
! for the Loriliard museum. he has reached
| the opinion, after repeated examinations Of
the forests, that no argument for the age of
/ tho ruins can be based on the age Of the
! trees. The concentric rings grow very fast
I in the hot and humid climate, and the hard
I est wooded trees rarely live more than 200
years Monuments whose age is certainly
| known, and which cannot date from peri
I cd anterior to 1890 OF 144O, and were des-
/ troved or abandoned in 1897, are iu the same
/ condition as those of Palenque or Lorillard
/ City, and the forest that surrounds and is
( preyiug upon them is of the same age. The
/ same conclusions have been set forth more
| in detail in some Of the authors earliest ar
! ticIes, and they refute, on apparently good
! grounds, the prevalent theory of the vast an
/ tiluity of Central American civilization
/ The sculptures also show relationship be-
/ tween American and Asiatic-perhaps the
! Buddhist-faiths. and incline one to repose
some confidence in the Chinese story Of the
( Euh Slang voyage to the unknown west In
the fourth century Of the Christian era
/ Altogether Mr. ChaTnay has made a rich
find" and can afford to leave the Chiapas
ruins for some other explorer, since. as he
says 1.-The question for the determination
of which 1 undertook this expedition is set
tied. A city more or less cannot affect the
results obtained"