Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1884-11-23
Reading the Vague Story Told In the
Traces Lsftby a Vanished Race.
Ruins of Once Large and Populous Cities
Scattered Over a Wide Extent Of
Countrywide Evident High
Civilization Of the
Builders.
Nsc iork sur.

remains Of the remarkable race of cliff
jewellers. The very name applied to this
people is suggestive of romance and lost
history. Whence came they? How did
they liver Where did they go to'
The area occupied by the cliff jewellers
comprising six or nine thousand square
miles, is a part of the desert land OF the
Southwest, q country in general, though
not entirely, arid, unprOductys, almost
gameless, sparsely wstered, and in altitude
from 5000 to 10000 feet above the sea.
Their descendants are .ound in the Moquis
and other Indians Of the mesas Of northern
Arizona.
The remains o.
The CliR Dweliers
are pueblos, or villa. es on the low lands,
caves in the higher land near by, cliff
houses midway up the walls Of preciPices,
high towers of stone, pottery, and ornaments.
Few weapons of any kind appear among
the ruins. This fact may be due to the
sudden migration of the inhabitants, and
not their supposed peaceable disposition.
The ruins Of cities and villages are Of fire.
.oueIt occurrence. 1t is said that in every
one OF six thousand square miles more or
less Of these ruins occur. Some Of the
cities were built by the side of a stream in
some narrow valley, and others high on a
table land, far removed from any traces OF
running water. In the latter cases the
water must have been brought in jars from
long distances on the heads of women, Il
practice still prevailing among the South
western tribes. The villages were often a
mass of hewn stone, the houses nearly all
Joined together, with no other exit than By
ladder from the roof. The architecture
displays
A Civilization and knowledge
not far removed from that of the ancient
Egyptians. The building stones were vel,
aeNn. The squares and circles were a.
perfect of we know how to make them to
dav. Wells and reservoirs are found in
various places, in fine state of preserva-
lion, containing pure, delicious water. Some
of the cities are laid out In semicircles.
The United States Geological Survey has
restored the Pueblo Bonilo of Chaco Canon,
New Mexico. Here we have perfect
senicircle, the circular part comprising a
high, thick wall OF masonry, and the diane
tered side not quite so high. From cen
trail court the apartment rise in tiers, one
above the other The enclosure embraces
10000 square feet. Within are numerous
estuias, or council chambers, portions OF
which were used for worship The great
pueblo OF Chettro Kettle had defensive
wall 935 feet long and 40 feet high. Mr..
W. H. Jackson estimates that its $4,000
cubic feet of masonry embraces 10000 600
pieces of stone, which had to be quarried,
collected, dressed, and put in place.
The MASH, Timbers
had to be brought from a considerable dis
'ance, cut and fitted to their places in the
wall, and covered with other courses. There
were details of window and roof making
and plastering, which must have employed
u large body of intelligent, wellorganized
people under thorough discipline for long
lime. The details of these vast pueblos
would fill volumes. They show that the
cliff dwellers intellectually, thought not
artis;ically, were among the most superior
races of the entire continent.
The cave dwellings, or places of refuge,
are usually found in some bluff, not more
than fifty feet high, bordering mesa or
river valley. These bluffs have the appear
ance of magnifed swallows bank. The
caves are mere holes dug in the bluff,
plastered on the inside, and containing
small apertures, 1t is supposed on account
of the latter fact that they were used to hide
women and children dnring an attack,
since a large man could not gain admit
lance easily. On the banks above are the
watch towers. These towers are also found
all through the region of ruins. They ore
cylindrical structures, often. protected by
lower outside enclosures. They are built OF
heavy stone work, and in some cases DIR. j.
5. Newberry found them larger at the top
than at the bottom. They were made to
serve a variety of purposes, not only for
watching the approach OF an enemy, but for
retreat, worship and council. In many
river canons these towers were erected
on the top of projecting rocks many hun.
bred feet high and almost impossible OF
access. About the towers are usually
found specimens OF flint and pottery, show
ing that the watchmen were busy making
variouf objects while on guard.
The Most Remarkable Dwellings
of those people are those from which their
names are derived, located midway up IN
the inches OF canon walls often 1000 feet
high. Whether nature formed the crevlced
tables for the houses, or whether the excava-
tons were made oy the people, is unknown.
These crevices are walled up with dressed
stones, which were either hoisted or hewn
from the canon walls in some remarkable
way, and contain living apartments. Some
canon walls exhibit tier after tier Of these
almost inaccessible dwellings. Hidden in
some out of the way nook, shielded from the
suns rays, the explorer finds wells OF clear,
cold water, still deiciously pure and re-
ceiving the dippings OF some minute spring
in the perpendicular walls. No soil or
organic matter can possibly contamlnate
the water, lying in the huge basin cut in
the rock Equally hard to find are the
iadder-like stairs, often 800 feet long, cut in
the rock walls leading to the cliff houses.
It cannot be supposed that the cliff dwellers
lived in these houses for long periods OF
time. Possibly they were occupied only in
case Of siege. Be it as it may, they could
be taken by no savage enemy unless the
inhabitants were
Starved Into Submission.
The primitive artists among the clif
builders left their efforts principally upon
the lightcolored sandstones OF the high
bluffs. Here are representations OF the
birds, mammals, and objects known to the
artists, carved in fantastic style. From
these it appears doubtful whether the PEG.
pie had any domestic animals. Certainly,
# they had, evidences would be found on
the rocks or pottery. The designs in pot,
terry show range from a very low state OF
mind to one Of some mathematical capa-
city.
The cliff dwellers were beyond doubt
MIGRANTS from further south, as may be
=. H. ssr,;Ior,rv nf architecture and re-