Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-11-26


OLDEST HABITATIoNs IN AMERICA
Mai. Powell, chief of the geological survey
who has been about month in the field, has
discovered in New Mexico, near California
mountain, what he pronounces to be the
oldest human habitation upon the Ameri-
can continent The mountains in this vi.
cinity are covered with huge beds of lava
in which the prehistoric man and his com.
rades eXcavated square rooms, which were
lined with species of plaster made from
the lava, and in these rooms were found va
rious evidences Of quite an advanced civil
ZatiOn, among them species of cloth made
of woven hair and a large number Of pieces
of pottery. In the sides of the rooms cup
boards and shelves were eXcavated. In one
room, sticking out of the bare face of the
wall, was small branch of tree. Wher
this was pulled out it was found that there
was hollow space behind the wall. Col
J. H. Stephenson, Maj. Powell's assistant
broke this with pick and found little
concealed niche, in which was a small
carved figure representing a man, done uE
in a closely woven fabric, which with the
blackened and crisp, like the mummy
clothes Of Egypt. In all, some 60 groups
of these lava villages were found, there
being 90 houses in each group: The evi
dences of civilization were similar, but re-
moved by their crudity and evident want o.
skill, a good deal from the articles found in
the cliff houses, which have been SO fully
written up the reports of the geological sur
veys.-,Stnta Fe Nev Mexican.
A NOTABLE SCENE IN THE HIMALAYAS
Mr.. Adolphus Schilaginweit, the immortal
though unpronounceable explorer of Centra
Asia, calls the highland of Pamir Idle Welt
Znne"-the roof of the world. On the road
be crossed that are higher than one hun.
dred and seventy-five feet, and for dis
tance of two hundred and eighty miles the
halting ground is not below the height o
Pixies Peak. On the eastern plateau Of
Beloor Dagh there is a shelter house near a
cliff from whose summit the main chain O
the Himalayas with all its giant peaks and
immesurable ice fields is in full view from
the highlands of Lassa to the sources of the
Indus, while in the west the head waters
of the Oxus and JaXartes may be traced tC
the borders of Cabool, where the peaks OF
Hindoo-KOoh lift their crestS of everlasting
snow. In spring the echo of the avalancheS
resembles the boom OF continuous thunder
and in midwinter, when the storm wind
sweeps the tableland, Whirling pillars OF
snow, scud along the ridges and often seem
to dance together like spectres in their tiut-
tering winding sheet Our LAND of the
sky" in the Southern Alleghanies, must be
a mere piazza compared with the top roof
of the earth.-,Science Monthly.
"BLUESKY SOMEWHERE" ."-Chidren are
eloquent teachers. Many lesson which
has done our hearts good have we learned
from their lisping lips. 1t was but the 9th
er day another took root in memory. We
were going to a picnic, and, of course, the
little ones had been in ecstacies for several
days. But the appointed morning broke
forth with no glad sunshine, nosong of birds
and no peal Of mirth.
There was every prospect of rain-even
Hope hid her face and wept.
"Shan't we 90, mother ?". exclaimed a
child of five, with passionate emphasis.
"If it clears off,"
"Oh look out for the blue sky"
And so he did, poor little fellow, but
never bit of blue Sky gaddened his eyes.
"Well, l don't care, mother" he said,
when the tedious day had numbered all its
hours. eff haven't seen it know there
is blue sky somewhere"
The next morning there was blue sky,
such as only greets us after storm.
"There, mother, didn't l tell you so?"
cried joyous voice; "there is blue sky ~
Then the little head bowed for moment in
silent thought.
"Nlother," exclaimed the child when he
again looked up, "there must have been
blue sky all day yesterday, though l never
saw bit Of it, cause you see there amt no
place where it could have gone to. God
only covered it up with clouds, didn't he?'
Christian World.