Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1885-06-29
A CITY IN tn Z. AIR.

Ninety miles west of Albuquerque,
New Mexico, is perhaps the most re-
markable town in the United States. l
1t 10 the pueblo of Acomas, placed on |
butte four feet above the valley. In
inaccesibility it has for three centuries
been o Gibraltar of safety to the AcOmas.
A correspondent OF the Lawrence
" Journal" thus describes the ascent:
There are two meana OF ascent, one by
"a flight of steps cut into the wall, and
rising at q angle of forty. five degrees,
and the other by a fissure in the rocks,
leading up into the mountain.
Both ways have been trodden by hun.
dred Of feet until the steps arc bollo "
troughs. Either one Ia exceedingly
difficult, and neither Is tolerable safe.
With all the danger and fatigue, ir is .
llaughab 10 sight TO see a person-some
other person-make the ascent. One
has to stride over the fssure, one foot
on the right hand side, and the other on
the left, and at the same time press the
hands alternately against the rocks for
support. An Indian will throw live
sheep around his neck, and 60 up quite
rapidly without touching either hand to
the. rocks; but l am satisfied l never
could do 1t.
They told us Of a pathetic incident
that occurred on the outer stairway
several generations ago. Several men
started up, each with sheep on his
} back. When nearly to the top, the
, sheep carried by the foremost man be
came restless, and tho shepherd In try.
ling to hold 1t fast lost his footing, and
in falling swept his companions over
the precipice, and they fell on the
!, rocks at the foot in lifeless heap. The
+ Indians have carved q representation
? of the accident on rock near where II
) Occurred, which scarcely serves &c
steady the nerves Of those who 60 by
1 that route.
IL The top of the elevation is level. and
contains an area of sixty Or seventy
D acres. At one side stands the pueblo,
Q blunt pyramid of adobe and ston'
!. honey combed with rooms; at the othe
, the church and graveyard, and neal
Q feet in depth, and sev eral yards In ex
9 tent.
t The priest was male acquainted with
r the object of our visit, and the ringing
8 of the church bell soon brought thu
= Inhabitants of the village around us
: When they understood that the title to
= their lands was in question, and We
o had come to take testimony, they
n showed great interest, and discussed
I'll the various points involved with re
s lmarkable intelligence, considering
their limited opportunities for {
A knowledge of law. As nightfall cam'
"a lon number of themen who had beef
r at work in the valley came up, bring
a ling delicious peaches and grapes, whicl
II we were glad to hctept, in view OF tn
IN meagre preparations for supper. w
N sleptin the church, wrapped up in on
a Navajo blankets, and never felt NOR
~ secure or happier in our lives.
,el When the gray dawn peered throug
J. the little mica window. paIes it rovea
IA ed great roof beams more than foot
or d lam eter, and thirty or forty feet Ion Z
4, and through the open tower bell tina
m was cast in 17lO How these immens
!. timbers and this bell were brought u
IN to the top of this cliff no one Twin
Se knows. The Indisns shake their head
rel and the priest shakes his, but no or
m ventures an opinion. The timbers NJ
he there, however, as Witnesses, and NOR
bt ing and night, as the seasons come an
Mt 90, and generations pass away, the be
ar speaks for itself in the silvery tom
or that pleased its founder in far of Spai
ho when King George was on the thron
N. The adobes-or ths earth of which the
"a were made-were brought up from Il
hy valley also, for tho butte was q ba
-. rock in the beginning. And the ear
n for the graves came the same wa
in requiring forty years, the priest said,
,er com plete the graveyard. 1t is the on
as completed graveyard have ever see
he The old prizes: seemed very happy In Il
- charge of his flock, and his tio'
IT. seemed happy in possession of him.