Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-01-02
THE OLIFRb bWELLERs
READING THE VAGUE sony TOLD IN THE IRA
CEs LEFT BY ANNIsHED PEOPLE.

READING THE VAGUE sroRY TOLD IN THE IRA.
cEs LEFT by AvNIsHED PEOPLE.
A radius 800 miles bng, with centre at
the point Of contaoof Utah, Colorado, All
zona and New MexRe, will describe cncle
in which are enclosd the remains Of the re-
markable race of JG dwelers. The very
name applied 10 th4 people is suggestive Of
romance and lost history. Whence came
they2 How did lty liver Where did they
go tor
The area occupied by the cliff dwellers
comprising GOOO ID 5000 square miles, il Il
part Of the desert land Of the southwest--a
country ia genenl though not entirely, arid,
unproductive AMIDST gameless, sparsely WA
tered, and in alttdde from 5000 to II, 600 feet
above the sea. uhpir descendants are found
10 the Moquis and other Indians Of the mesas
of Northern Arabna.
The remains u the cliff dwellers are pu5-
bios, or villages lon the low lands, caves in
the higher land hear by, cliG houses midway
up the walls Il precipices, high towers OF
stone, pottery and ornaments, Few weapons
of any kind appear among the ruins This
may be due to Inc sudden migration of the
inhabitants and not their supposed peaceable
disposition The rujus Of cities and villages
are of frequent occurrence. 1t Is said that IN
every one Of GOO0 square miles more or less
Of these ruins occur. Some of the cities were
built by the side Of stream IN a some mar
row valley, aud others high ON "A table land,
far removed from any traces of running wa
ter In the latter cases the water must have
| been broughl ia irs from long distances on
| the heads Of women, practice still prevail
| ing among The southwe western tribes. The viii
lagos were often a mass Of hewn stone, the
houses nearly all joined together with no
! other exit lhan by Il ladder from the roof
! The Architecture displays civilization and
| nOwltdgs not far removed FROM that of tue
ancient Egyptians The building stones were
| well hew1. The squares and circles were aS
perfect ts We know how to make them to-
| day. W D. aud reservoirs are found ia yari-
GUS places, in fine state Of prestryation
containing pure, delicious water. Some OF
! the cite, are laid out IN sem-circles.
The United States geological survey has re-
stored the Pueblo Bonito OF Chaco canon,
New NJ Ico. Here We have perfect semi.
circle the circular part comprising high,
thick wall Of masonry, aud the drametlTed
eide no, qute so high. From a central court
the apertnents r'se IN tiers, one above the
other. The enclosure embraces 15O. 900
square feet. Within are numt rous estuias or
council chambers, portions of which were
uced tor worship. The great pueblo Of Chtt
tro Kettle had II def usive wall 93j feet long
anu ~ Ittl nlkn. w II. bhEhnOu tHllulhAt7
that It's $4,000 cubic feet OF masonry em.
braced 30, 600, 600 pieces of stone which had
to be auarried, coll,cte dressed and put in
place The massive timbers had to be brought
| from considerable distance, cut aud htted to
| their places in the wall, aud covered with
| other courses. There were details Of win
dow and roof making and Ilastering which
mus, have employed large body OF intelh
gent, well organized people, under thorough
discipline, for long time. The details ot
these vast pueblos would fill volumes. They
show that the cliff dSellors architecturally,
though not artistically, were among the most
superior races of the entire continent.
The cave DWELLING, or places of refuge, are
usually found in some bluff, not more than 80
feet high, bordering mesa or river valley.
These bluffs have the appearance OF mag
nitied swallows bauk. The caves are mere
holes dug in the bluff, plastered on the inside,
aud containing small apertures. Il is sup
posed on account Of the latter fact, that they
we're used to hide women and children during
an attack, since r large man could not gam
admitlauce easily. On the banks above are
the wAtch.towets. These towers are also
found all through the region Of ruins. They
are cylindrical structures, often protected 10y
lower outside enclosures. They are built OF
heavy stone work, and in some cases DIR. j 5
New berry found them larger at the top thar
at the bottom. They were made to serve
variety of purposes not only for watching
the approach of an enemy, but for retreat
worsL ip and council Ia many river c4fion
these towers were erected on the top Of pro
ipcting rocks, many hundred feet high an'
almost impossible of access. About the TOW
ers are usually found specimens OF flint ant
pottery, showing that the eatchmen were bus.
| making various objects while on guard.
| ifp Huellinus Of thps
people are those from which their names ar
derived, located midway up in the pi,h = o.
canon walls often 2OOO feet high WUethe
nature formed the creyiced tables for IL
houses, or whether the excavations were mad
by the people, is unknown. Taese crtVlce
are vailed up with dressed stones, which ar
either hoisted or hewn from the o6hln wall
in some remarkable way, and contain hvin
apartments. Some canon walls exhibit H.
after tier Of these almost inaccessible dwel
ings. Hidden in some out-of-the-way nool
shielded from the suns rays, the explore
finds wells of clear, cold water, still delciou
y pure and receiving the drippings Of SON
minute sprisgs in the perpendicular wall
No soil or organic matter can possibly col
taminate the water, lying in huge basin CT
IN the rock Equally hard to mud are Ill
ladder like stairs, often 500 feet long, cut
the rock walls leading to the clid houses.
cannot be supposed that the chf d|el.e
lived IN these houses for long periods of tius
possibly they were occupied only in case
siege. Be that as it may, they could be tax,
by no savage enemy unless tue people wei
starved into submission.
The primitive artists among the cld bull
ers lelt their Efforts principally upon the high
coored sandstones OF the high bluffs. lie
are representations of the birds, mammal
and Objects known TO the artists, carved
fantastic style. From these it appears dout
full whether the people had any domestic al
mails. Certainly, it they had, evidenc
would be found on the rocks or pottery. Tt
designs in pottery show range from We
low state of mind TO one of some malhema
cal capacity,
The cllf dwellers were beyond doubt IL
grants from farther south, as may be seen
the similarity of architecture and rehgo
customs. Not knowing of the vast fert
plains beyond, they settled in the small b
rich valleys of the Rio MancOs and other ri
ers Here they cultivated Indian corn al
beans, as bins are occasionally unearthed GO
# tanning them. They caught fish in the rive
and hunted tue wild deer and birds in the fc
esis While some titled the scanty vail
3 fields or hunted, others were engaged in bull
10 ing defenses ON the cliffs watch towers, pu
bios aud water reservoirs. There we're Gem
teries for the burial of the dead headstOn
are still found to mark the burial places. Il
craniums discovered, and which have be
examined, show good intellectual capacity Al
or very little evidence Of the artificial fl hAttenil
st in use by more modern Indian nations. II
o cliff dwellers were a very industrious peop
They may have fed from their quarters
10 account of a more superior race, as Is gen
-. - rally held but, in the absence of facts,
~ seems more easy to believe that tn y MGR,
I'd ed as soon as they discovered arabic lame
nj It cannot be possible that people viii
as erected the most remarkable defenseB of "A
race, ancient or modern, should not be al
-. to use them against savage forces of any 81
d. or power. No enemy had missiles viii
op could reach their fortTesses, and certainly
I'd enemy could withstand the avalanche of roc
Sc which the cliff dwellers had power TO hl
down, fairly deluging the narrow bottoms
es the caions.-N. y. Sun.
w. A PETROLEUM PIcNIC is u somewhat no'
idea, but at BAku on the Caspian Sea q
"a new oil city of southeastern Rlssia), su
-" iaunts ara of daily or rather nightly, OcCI