Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-06-07

prehistoric remains ornaments and i'm
plements OF shell and stone, with neatly
drilledholes. Thequestioni ofsenAsked,
How would they drill them So correct
lyf At Acoma saw the process. An
Indian was making shell. beads. Hetirst
broke the shell in rough pieces Of small
size. The drill was piece OF hard
wood formed like an arrow. straight and
smooth, about fifteen inches long by
half an inch In diameter. A bit Of hard
stone was fastened in one end. Two
strings, about ten inches long. were at
tached TO the outer end Of the drill. They
are tied 10 each end Of a stick an inch
wide and eight inches long, in the centre
OF which is q hole large enough TO re-
ceive the drill. Through this hole the
drill Is put. Then being held in an
upright position and revolved by the
fingers, the strings are wound around
the drill and the crossbar raised toward
The top Of the drill-shaft. The machine
is now ready for use.> Setting the
drill securely npon the piece Of shell
and holding the drill steady at
the top, the operator seiass the
crossbar in his fingers, pressing 1t
quickly downward. The strings on the
shaft unwind, causing the drill TO re-
volvc rapidly. Then, loosing the Cross
bar, the strings rewind upon the shaft,
and another downward motion causes
it to revolve rapidly in the opposite
direction. In this way rapid re-
volving Of the drill soon makes round,
smooth hole. This is evidently one Of
the ways in which the prehistoric peo-
pie drilled stones.
Passing westward from Acoma and
McCarty's station, we left Mount Tay-
lor on the north. II is snow-capped
and $4,000 feet high. The strange
geological formation of the country ex-
cites wonder and admiration. Near
Grants station the road winds among
lava-beds, walled in by black and
ragged ridges of lava. Lonely herders,
with few cattle, are seen near the
water-courses. A stray wolf or an an
telope reminds us that animal life is not
extinct on this lonely plain. As weap-
preached the continental divide the val
ley opened southwark into elevated
plains, covered with a stunted but
sparse growth Of cedar as far as the eye
could see. The road runs along the
northern side Of this plain. A constant
succession Of red and gray buttes or
palisades were on the right. They had
green caps, and white ribbons marked
their faces. Here and there isolated
masses stood alone on the plain, with
huge powders poised on their tops.
From the summit Of the divide we
looked over the Pacific slope. The
train rushed down the slope at the rate
Of fifty miles an hour. At Coolidge
we stopped for dinner. Ten miles far
Their on we left the train at Wingate,
and taking a seat in the Government
mail-wagon, soon reached the fort,
three miles from the station. This
post is upon a mountain slope which
oyerlooks a wide expanse Of broken
country. A towering rock, known as
" The Navajo Church." is its promi-
nent feature.
At Gallop station we were surprised
to see lines of cars loaded with coal,
mined here at the rate of 200 tons per
day. At Holbrook a poster marked
the progress Of civilization. 1t read !:
"All persons arriving in this town
must Immediately divest themselves Of
all weapons or subject themselves to
arrest and punishment according to
law"
Sixty miles farther west we dashed
over the Canyon Diablo, a fearful
chasm in the level plain, 222 feet deep
and $40 feet wide, spanned by an iron
bridge. The remorseless advertiser
has already disfgured the walls Of this
canyon with his paint-brush.
Thirty miles farther on we came to
Flagstaff, brisk little village nestled
under the shadow of the San Francisco
mountain. 1t takes its name from a
pole which a pioneer has set near his
cabin. We were then in delightful
country, about the same altitude as the
City of Mexico. Snow-covered noun
tains, $4,000 feet high, cooled the
heated atmosphere below. Beautiful
natural parks, covered with rich
growth Of gramma grass, were
skirted by a handsome growth
of heavy yellow pine timber.
An eastern firm has built saw-mill
here, and is shipping lumber to Los
Angeles and to Mexico. A drive OF
eight miles southeast from Flagstaff
brought us to an enormous canyon, into
which we descended by a rough path
way. We reached ledge about half
way to the bottom. Turning to the
left we saw the famous cliff dwellings.
Across the deep chasm, up and down
the canyon on either side, and AS far as
the windings of the canyon will per-
nit, we saw these queer human
habitations. After looking at the
walls, we dug with shovel and trowel
in the earthen floors, hoping to find
something. A lower ledge varies
in width from three to twenty-five
feet, and upon the wider spaces the
dwellings are located. A rough wall
Of clay, extending to the ledge above,
forms the front and two ends Of the
primitive dwellings, q doorway being
left in the front wall. The rocky CELL
ings are blackened by smoke, and the
crevices in the upper part Of the
walls are filled with pitch condensed
from the smoke, which must have
filed the room, as there was no
chimney to facilitate its escape.
The fires were built against the
rear walls. The most noticeable
articles found in digging were a few
implements, fragments of pottery,
fabrics woven Of cotton and wool, o
spindle-wheel Of wood, sandal Of the
fibre Of the yucca, cushion used upon
the head for the carrying ofburdens, and
a small wooden bench fashioned with q
stone ak. All the articles found are now
in daily use among the Pueblo Indians.
On the plains in the vicinity are remains
Of stone walls, probably dwellings,
about which We find grindstones and
broken pottery in abundance, which
corresponds exactly TO those found in