The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1884-01-30

ley wouldn't listen to me.
Alice started.
"Oh, Mr.. Barthorne," she said,
"was that your errand?"
Some Buried Cities.
Mr.. James Stevenson, of the geo.
logical survey, reports the discovery
of several more ruined cave and
cliff cities, differing from any before
examined. The most remarkable
was a village of sixty-five under
ground dwellings, situated near the
summit of one of the volcanic foot
hills of the San Francisco Mount
aims, in the San Juan region of Ari-
IONA. The surface stratum of the
hill had, by exposure, become har-
dsned, and formed the common roof
for the entire community. The
dwellings were excayated after a
common pattern. They had no in
ter-communication beneath the sur
face, and were only accessible by
square holes leading from the sur
face by vertical shaft to the floor
of the main room of the dwelling.
Foot rests-holes at convenient dis
tances-along the sides of the shaft
served the purpose of stairway.
At its base Was an oval shaped, arch
rosfed room, about twenty feet in Its
smallest diameter. At the ends and
in in the side opposite the entrance,
lew doorways connected the main
room with smaller rooms, the whole
suite or dwelling consisting of four
apartments.
A groove, eighteen inches deep by
fifteen in width, extending from the
floor of the main room up one side
of the shaft to the surface of the hill
its bottom filled with ashe. and its
sides blackened by smoke formed
the fire place and chimney of the
establishment.
Many curiosities illustrating the
social and domestic customs OF the
extinct race were found, such as
stone mauls and axes, the imple-
ments used in excavating the dwell
ings, pottery bearing great variety
of ornamentation, bones, nails and
needles of delicate workmanship,
the metate or family grinding stone
for grain, shell and obsidian orna-
ments, and implements of wood.
There were signs of inter-comnu-
nication between this village and a
cliff city, some fifteen miles distant,
also indications of the contempora-
neous inhabitancy of the two. This
city or rather cluster of villages, oc-
cupied the sides of a canyon, which
has recently been christened Walnut
Canyon, an immense fssure in the
earth, with nothing above the gen.
eral level of the country to indicate
its existence to the traveller until he
steps upon the edge of its precipi-
tous brink. The sides have been
quilted by storms and torrents, leav-
ing shallow. cave-like places of great
length at different heights, along the
bottom of which, wherever the ledge
furnishes sufficient area, dwellings,
in groupes or singly, were built.
Other villages, like the one exam
ined, could be seen along the can
yon for a distance of five miles.
Among the relics found was a wood
en- spindle wheel, similar to those in
use by the Pueblos of the present
time.
Nothing indicating the use of me-
tallic 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 required size
and shape by rubbing it upon sand
stone. A shaft of reed similar to
bamboo, a species entirely unknown
in that region at this time, still re-
mained in the whIrl 1t had been
broken bv the ancient workman,
and neatly mended by winding
about it piece Of fine twine. The
end of this twine being examined
under The microscope disclosed the
fact that its fibre was of very fine
human hair.
Articles of wood, corn cobs and
even the perfect grains of corn, wal
nuts, bones of elk, antelope and wolf,
portions of wearing apparel of a fab
ric resembling the mummy cloth Of
Egypt, but made from material un-
familiar to the explorers, and other
perishable articles were found in
abundance. The preservative quail
tiles of the atmosphere of this region
are remarkable. and it seems that
centuries have elapsed since the last
of the race or races occupied these
cities and villages.
The absence of weapons of war, of
works of defense other than such as
are constituted by the selection of
almost inaccessible localities, of tenn
pies, Of idols, of hieroglyphics or
pictures, together with the durabili-
ty and solidity of the dwellings, so
different from anything to be found
of the handiwork of existing unciv-
ilized races of that region, and the
wide extent Of these ruins indicate
the existence of allied races covering
large portions of the present terrific
r;as of A,;1ona New Mexico and