Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1884-02-14

surface of the hill, its bottom filed with
ashes and its sides blackened with smoke,
formed the fireplace and chimney of the
establishment Around the mouth of the
shaft stone wall inclosed kind of door
way. The wall seems to have served the
double purpose of guarding against snow
slides and preventing the accidental fall of
an inhabitant into his own or his neigh
boris dwelling.
Considerable debris was found in these
ancient dwellings an examination of
which led to the discovery of many curios,
illustrating some of the social and do
nestle customs of the extinctrace. Stone
mauls and axes, the implements used in
excavating the dwellings, pottery bear
ing a great variety of Ornamentations,
bone avis and needles of delicate work
manship, the family grinding stone for
grain, its well-worn surface indicating
long use, shell and obsidian ornarents
and implements of wood, the uses of
which were undiscoverable were among
the trophies of the exploration.
Search was made for a Watercourse or
! spring, but no appearance of the exist
ence of water In the region in recent
centuries was discovered. There were
| signs of INSTRUMENTATION between
this village and cliff city some fifteen
miles distant, which is also new dis
cOVery. This city, or, rather, cluster of
villages, occupied the sides of a canyon,
which has recently been christened
Walnut Canyon. 1t is an immense assure
in the earth, with nothing above the
general level of the country to indicate
it's existence to the traveller until he
stands upon its brink. The sides have
been quilted by storms and torrents, leav-
ing shallow, cave-like places of great
length at diffelen heights, along the
bottoms of which, wherever the ledge
furnished sufficient area, dwellings In
groups or singly were built The season
was we'll advanced when the place was
reached, and only little time was spent
in its exploration. All the ancient
methods of approach had been long be-
fore worn away, and access to the near
est of the group of houses was a,work of
difficulty. The group or village which
was most narrowly examined was about
three-quarters of mile in length, and
consisted of single row of houses, the
common rear wall being the lining rock,
while the sides and fronts were made of
large squared stones, laid in clay. A
narrow street or pathway extended a.
long the entire front. Others and SINH
lar villages could be seen along the can
yon for distance of five miles. Among
the relics found here was wooden spin
Pueblos Of the present time, but unlike
them in the apparent manner of its
manufacture.
Nothing indicating the use of metallic
tools of any description was discovered.
The surface of the wood of which the
whirl was formed had apparently been
charred and then ground down to the re-
quired size and shape by rubbing it upon
sandstone. A shaft of reed similar to
bamboo, a species entirely unknown in
that region at this time, still remained in
the whirl It had been broken by the
ancient workman, and neatly mended by
winding about it piece of fine Irvine.
i The ends of the twine, being examined
under the microscope, disclose the fact
that it's fibre was of very fine human,
hair.
Articles of wood, corn cobs and even
perfect grains of corn, walnuts, bones of
the elk, antelope, and wolf, portions of
wearing apparel of a fabric resembling
the mummy cloth of Egypt, and other
articles were found in abundance buried
in the piles of debris which partially
filled these deserted homes. There were
no weapons of war or works of defense,
no temples or idols, aud no hieroglyphics
or pictures.