The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1885-07-29

1since in the moist country every
sthing but stone and pottery decays.
'nWe find among all prehistoric re-
Hmains ornaments and implements
sof shell and stone, with neatly drill
Ned holes. The question is often
Hasked, how could they drill them
4so correctly !"
n At Acoma ] saw the process. An
lIndian was making shell beads
HHe first broke the shell into rough
3pieces of small size. The drill was
ga piece of hard wood formed like an
Harrow, straight and smooth, about
Mffteen inches long by half an inch
Hin diameter. A bit of hard stone
z Twas fastened liz one end. Two
Hstrings, about ten inches long, were
Hattached to the other end of the
zdrill. They are tied to each end of
"a stick an inch wide and eight inch
ses long, in the centre OF which is q
ihole large enough TO receive the
Bdrill. Through this hole the drill is
Hput. Then being held in an up
snght position and revolved by the
Efingers, the strings are wound around
Ethe drill and the crossbar raised to-
klward the top of the drill shaft. The
smachine is now ready for use. Set
Sting the drill securely upon the
'piece of shell, and holding the drill
Rsteady at the top, the operator seiz-
Hes the crossbar IN his fingers, press
Aing il quickly downward. The
ssstrings on the shaft unwind, causing
5the drill to reYolve rapidly. Then,
sloosing the crossbar the strings re-
3wind upon the shaft, and another
1downward motion causes 1t to re-
Evolve rapidly in the opposite direc7
Stion. in this way constant rapid
arevolving Of the drill soon makes a
Ground, smooth hole. This is evil
Ndently one OF the ways in which
Ethe prehistoric people drilled
Elstones. fE tA
Passing west from Acomf and Nc
dCarty's Station, we left Mt. Taylor
aon the north. 1t is snow-capped
sand 1900 feet high. The strange
theological formation of the country
Fexcites wonder and admiration.
SNear Grants Station the road winds
&among lava beds, walled in by black
sand ragged ridges of lava. Lonely
zherders, with few cattle, are seen
9near the watercourses. A stray
awolf, or an antelope, reminded us
Jthat animal life is rot extinct on
y This lonely plain. As we approach
s3the continental divide the valley,
southwark into elevated plains
ycOvered with stunted but sparse
agrowth of cedar rs far as the eye
sscould see. The road runs along the
ksnorthern side of this plain. A con-
ssstant succession of red and grayl
Ebuttes or palisades were on the
Fright. They had green caps, and
s.white ribbons marked their faces
@Here and there isolated masses
astood alone on the plain, with huge,
q Eboulders posted on their tops.
8 From the summit of the divide we
Stocked over the Pacific slope The
xtrain rushed down the slope at the
Srate of fifty miles an hour. At
ECooledge we stopped for dinner. Ten.
Rmiles further on we left the train at
EWingate and, taking seat in the
SGovernment { mail wagon soon reach
he'd the fort, three miles from the sta
xtion. This post is upon a noun
ntain slope which overlooks a wide
fexpanse ofbroken country. A tow
8ering rock known as "The Ma
: valo Church, is its prominent fea-
Eture.
4 At Gallop station we were sur
Eprised 10 see lines of cars loaded
Ewith coal, mined here at the rate OF
S200 tons per day. At Holbrook a
Sposter marked the progress of civili-
zzation. thread:
b "All persons arriving in this town
Smust Immediately diyest themselves
n of all weapons, or subject themselves
ITO arrest or punishment according to
,sslaw."
q Sixty miles further west we dash
led over the Canon Diablo, fearful
zchasm in the level plain, 222 feet
Adeep and $40 feet wide, spanned by
Ean iron bridge. The remorseless ad-
averiiser has already disfigured the
4walls of this canon with his paint
&brush.
3 Thirty miles further on we came
Ito Flagstaff, a brisk little village
! Enestled under the shadow of the San
tSFrancisco Mountains. 1t takes its
\ |name from a pole which a pioneer
Mas set near his cabin. We were
! then in delightful country, about
j lEthe same altitude as the city of Mex
iHico. Snow-covered mountains, 49,.
10000 feet high, cooled the heated at
atmosphere below. Beautiful natural
81 Sparks, covered with rich growth
Uof gramma grass, were skirted by q
5 Handsome growth of heavy yellon
Npine timber. An eastern firm ha:
y3built a saw-mill here and is ship
-Sping lumber to Los Angeles and to
d Mexico. A drive of eight mile:
southeast to Flagstaff brought u:
San enormous cannon into which W.
Edescended by a rough pathway. w,
eTreached ledge about half way t.
lSthe bottom. Turning to the left we
IEsaw the famous cliff dwellings
* Across the deep chasm, up and
Edown the canon on either side, and
% las far as the windings Of the canor
eE viii permit, We saw these queer hu
hE man habitations. After looking a
o8the walls we dug with shovel anG
ek trowel in the earihen floors, hopin.
to find something. 4 lower ledg
styaries in width from three to twen
lEty-five feet, and upon the wider spa
y ces the dwellings are located. !
"a rough wall of clay, extending to tn,
"A ledge above, forms the front and twi
1 ends of the primitive dwellings,
id doorway being left in the front wal
,rs The rocky ceilings are blackened b,
l. smoke and the crevices in the VI
K per part of the walls are filled Will
/; pitch condensed from the smok,
'e| which must have filled the room, a
s there was no chimney to facilitat
q. its escape The fires were hull
81.