Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-01-18
AN ANCIENT CITY DIsCOvERED.
More Relies OF an Extinct Race of Men
Found i'm an Arizona Canyon.

round fn an Arizona Canyon.
James Stevenson OF the United States
geological survey has reported to Major
Powell, as one of the results of his last sea-
sons field operations, the discovery of sever
al more ruined cave and cliff cities, differing
in some respects from any he had before ex-
amined. The most remarkable was village
of G5 underground dwellings situated near
the summit Of one of the volcanic foothills
of the San Francisco mountains, in the San
Juan region of Arizona. The surface stratum
OF the hill had by exposure, become hard
ened, and formed the common roof for the
entire community. The dwellings were ex-
cavated after a common pattern, and de-
scription of one gives an idea of the whole.
They had no ntercommunication be-
meath the surface, and were only accessible
| by means of square holes leading from the
surface by vertical shaft to the
door OF the main room of the dwelling. Holes
cut at convenient distances along the sides Of
the shaft served the purpose of stairway.
Descending the shaft, the explorers found
themselves at the side of an oval-shaped,
arched rooted room, about 30 feet in its
smallest diameter. At the ends and on the
side opposite the entrance low doorways
connected the main room with smaller
rooms the whole suite consisting of four
apartments.
A groove Is inches deep by Is in width, ,ex-
tending from the floor OF the main room up
one side of the shaft to the surface of the
hill, its bottom filled with ashes, and its sides
blackeDed with smoke formed the fire place
and chimney of the establishment. Around
the mouth of the shaft a stone wall enclosed
a kind of door yard. The wall seems to have
served the double purpose of guarding
against snow slides aud preventing the ac-
cidental fall Of an inhabitant into his own or
his neighbor's dwelling.
| Considerable debris was found in these an
cient dwellings, an examination of which led
to the discovery OF many curios, illustrating
some of the social and domestic customs of
the extinct race. Stone maus and axes the
implements used in excavatihg the dwellings,
pottery bearing great variety Of ornamen-
tation, bone avis and needles of delicate
workmanship, the family grinding stone for
grain, its well-worn surface indicating long
use, shell and obsidian ornaments and imple-
ments of wood, the uses of which are undis-
coverable, were among the trophies of the ex-
ploration.
| Search was made for u water course OF
spring, but no appearance Of the existence Of
water in the region in recent centuries was
discovered.
There were signs of intercoGmuuicatior
between this village and cliff city )me X
miles distant, which is also new discovery
This city, or, rather, cluster of villages, occu
pied the sides of canon, which has recently
been chrlstened Walnut canon. 1t is an i'm
mcnse fissure in the earth, with nothing above
the general level of the country to indicate it
los TO tha llar hao oto do
its brink. The sides have been quilted by
storms and torrents, leaving shallow cave lik,
places of great length at different heights
along the bottoms of which, wherever thu
ledge furnished sufficient area, dwellings il
groups or singly were built. The season wa
, well advanced when the place was reached
|, and only little time was spent in its explora
tiOn. All the ancient methods of approach
had been long before worn away, an
access to the nearest Of the groups of houses
was work of difficulty. The group or vii
lage which was most narrowly examine
was about three.quarters of mile in lengl
and consisted Of single row of houses, til
| common rear wall being the lining rock
while the sides and fronts were made OF larg
squared stones laid in clay. A narrow stree
, or pathway extended along the entire front
Other and similar villages could be see
, along the canon for a distance of five miles
. Among the rehcs found here was a woode
spindle whirl similar to those in use by th
Pueblos of the present time, but unlike theI
in the apparent manner of its mauufaC
ture.
: Nothing indicating the use of metallic too
4 of any description was discovered. The su
! face Of the wood of which the whir We
e formed had apparently been charred an
then ground down TO the required size an
n shape by rubbing it upon sandstone. A sha
e OF reed similar 10 bamboo, a species entircl
n unknown in that region at this time, sti
remained in the whlrl. 1t had been broke
. by the ancient workman, and neatly mende
a by winding about it a piece of fine twin
# The ends of this twiuc, being examined III
, der the microscope, disclosed the fact th
. its fibre was of very fine human hair.
y Articles of wood, corn cobs and even pc
q feet grams of corn, walnuts, bones of Il
il elk, antelope and wolf, portions OF wearir
a apparel of fabric resembling the mumn
cloth of Egypt, and other articles we
;, found in abundance buried in the piles
- debris which partially filled these desert
homes.
;, There were no weapons of war or wor
~ ~ OF defence, no temples or idols, and no hier
~ y. glyphics or pictures.