Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-06-30

habitants Of the salt River Valley
AN INTERVIEW WITH DIR. JACOB l. woRrxAS-rHx
HOUSES AND CANALS CONSTRUCTED By THE PEOPLE
| CURIOUS BURIAL CUsToNs-A POSSIBLE RELATION
SHIP WITH TIE DcAs AND AzrEcs
| DR.. Jacob L. Workman, OF the Army Medical
| Museum, sketched with a pencil on a sheet
| Of paper a rough map OF the wide valley OF
plain at the confluence Of the salt and CHA Rivers
| Arizona, as he patiently tried to give a STAR
| reporter an understanding OF the appearance and
| topography OF the region where Mr. Frank III.
Cushing and the expedition In his charge are
excavating the ruins OF cities built by the pre-
historic people who dwelt In that region Dr. Wort
man has recently returned from the scene of these
wonderful discoveries. He spent the winter and
| spring there attached to the Hemenway expedi-
tlcn, OF which Mr.. Gushing Is the head. DR.. Wort
man mission there was chiefly that Of an anato-
mist In connection with the meteorological work.
| The Medical Museum was anxious 70 secure a Sc
| res OF skeletons for purposes OF comparison. The
explorations have been conducted in the ella and
| Salt River valleys. situated In southwestern Ar-
ZOna- To-day railroads cross the valley and much
OF II has been reclaimed by irrigation from the
| ueSeit Condltlon into which IL relapsed when the
| ancient Inhabitants disappeared. still wide ex-
panse OF the plain, which is Al miles across, Is des
| ert covered with sage brush, cactus and mesquite
There Is slope or fall from the salt to the ella
rlSer, ana advantage was taken OF this by the an.
cleht people In constructing canals so as TO frri:
| gate the whole plain. In some places these old
| canals have been opened again by the modern
| farmers and restored to their original use. On
| THIS Wide plain are many groups OF mounds. and
| In excavating them Mr.. Gushing has discovered
| the ancient cities, to which he has given the
| names OF Los Muertos, Los Hornos, Los Guanacas,
j Los Pueblitas, Los Acequias, &C. Los Muertos the
city OF the dead has been traced for three or four
miles, and includes forty or fifty huge structures
| 'The expedition is supported by Mrs. Hemen-
! way, OF Boston, said DR.. Workman, sand is un-
| der the direction OF Mr.. Frank ii. Gushing, who
found he had reached point in his studies OF the
Zuni5 where IL was necessary to trace their his
tory back TO their beginning. Through Mrs. Hem
enways liberality the expedition is well equipped.
Mr.. Cushing has been successful In finding extens-
| i've ruins in the Salt River Valley. 1t mas been
known for many years that there were ruins there
their presence being Indicated by the large num-
Der OF fragments OF pottery found the surface.
These surface indications Were especially numer-
Gus about the mounds, which are truncated and
twenty or twenty-five feet high. 1t was
In these mounds the excavations were be-
gun and In them Mt. Gushing found the founda-
lions OF buildings the remains OF towns cities,
quilt along lrrgating canals. These cities are r-
regular groups OF houses, situated on the canals
TIE HUGE HOUSES ExCAvATED.
"In the ruins OF these structures" Dr. workman
went on, 'the principal part of the specimens OBJ
tanned have been found. The houses are rather
large-300 or 400 feet long by 200 feet wide posi-
Oily larger Iney were built generally OF adobe
bricks, sun dried, without straw or admixture OF
cement or any Kind. In some instances, Mr.. Cush-
Ing believes, these structures were four five sto-
ries high. No. said the doctor in response to
question by The STAR reporter "these ruins are
not four or five stories high Their original height
Is estimated by the size OF the mounds the thick
ness OF the walls, and the quantity of the debris.
The mounds 1t Is supposed, were formed by the
crumOhng In OF the buildings. Upon the heap thus
made In time soil was formed All we find in ex-
caVatng are the foundation walls OF the structure
and around them and within them the debris
THESE houses appear to have been constructed on
the same plan as the pueblos OF the Zuni, the
Moqul. and other existing pueblos. In Casa
Grande cement Is found used on the outside and
inside OF the structure. They were probably ac-
quaiEted, as the AztecS were, with some sort OF
cement, which they used 10 protect their struc-
lures from the effects OF weather In some In.
stances IL was found that instead OF building with
adobe bricks upright posts were set up. The
space between was waited with cane or willow
and then filled with adobe. The woodwork has
OF II except occasional bits OF charred wood. The
post holes are still there and show the manner Of
construction
STRANGE BURIAL CUSTOMS
''The most striking Characteristic Of the people,
as evidenced by the remains dug out OF the mounds,
was their burial customs" said the DOCTOR 1.-THE
dead were buried in the houses Below the floor
OF the house vault was dug and the body nrst
wrapped In cloths OF some description, was de-
posted In TINS sepulcher. Then the grave was
nlled with aio0e, which was packed around the
body. Food vessels and water jars were also
buried with the dead. With the body OF man OF
consequence war clubs. images OF various kinds
arrows, ana other articles, as well as the vessels
nan were Inferred; but, OF course, only
two or three bodies have been found In
the same sepucher. The Indications are where
man and wife. The skeletons are In bad state OF
preservation, the bone: being so much decayed
thal exposure TO the air for a few hours, or day.
Is sufficient 10 cause them TO crumble. The anil
NAL parts are almost completely gone. / was
however, quite successful, securing about hundred
complete skeletons The skulls are good, but the
rest OF the bones are more or less imperfect That
The bodies were wrapped in cotton cloths is EVIL
dent from Impressions leTt In the adobe or mud
that was soft when first packed around them In
some Instances fragments OF the cloth have been
found. IL is OF rather fine texture. Judging from
n he rlss in -I-a
now found, the bodies must have been wrapped
thicky, so that little or no moisture had access to
the body. Sucn being the case, the condition OF
the bones, especially when the dryness OF the eli
mate OF Arizona is considered, Indicates great an.
ti4uity for these burial places.
CREMATION FOR THE COMMON PEOPLE
THAT is the method OF burial that appears to
have been peculiar TO the people belonging to the
priestly class. The common people were cremated
or burned. In connection with each house sup
posed 0y Mr.. Gushing TO be the house OF a clan or
one OF the sociological divisions, such are
found among all the Pueblo Indians, was what
Mr.. Gushing calls pyral mound. On this the
bodies and effects OF the dead were consigned to
IRE. This mound is 8 or 10 feet high, and is COM
posed entirely OF the denominations or debris
resulting from the burning OF bodies and effects
The ashes and charred bones OF a body were COL
lected and placed in urns which were buried
around the foot OF the mound from 8 inches TO a
foot below the surface. In some Instances as
many as 400 or 500 OF these urns were found
buried about mound.
THE TEMPLES
ain Los Muert0s the City OF the Dead" said
the doctor, something like forty fifty of these
large houses have described were found In the
center was larger structure, which Mr.. Cushing
called the temple. IL was inclOsed by q strong
adobe wall In all probability, Judging from the
character OF the decorations buried with the re-
mains, this was the home OF the chief ruler OF the
Tribe, or OF the chief priest, one OF excep-
tlOnal note. This was the only place where bodies
were found TO have been buried In an upper sIory
There were found four or nve adobe sarcophagi
Two OF these SdrcopA1yl, that appear to have been
more conspicuous than The others, being placed
nearer the center or the building contained as
nearly as could judge from the skeletons men OF
advanced age. was not there when these skele-
extra decorations we're found III these sarcophagi
IN each OF these towns ruined temple like that In
Los MuertoS was most conspicuous. The object OF
tnc wall surrounding the structure was in all
plooaDlnty 10 make II stronghold or citadel in
time OF war. The temple also served probably as
general storehOuse for provisions.
''Ihere are some other structures of peculiar
Character. They were circular, and IN the centef
was u fireplace. In each city one was found. Mr.
Gushing thought this round structure was a tenn
pie Oh the sun or sOmething OF that sort as MOTH
Ing was found In them but The fireplace and broken
pottery. Inc one In which most care was taken
| In eAcavatlng was 40 or 30 feet In diameter
| THE SYSTEM OF CANALS.
"These houses are ali situated on the main line
| OF the irrigating canal This irrigatiny system
was extensive. The many bitches and canals
were constructed on peculiar plan A cross-sec.
ton shows "A series OF terraces. AT the bottom h.
| top are terraces. They may have been SO con-
structed from good engineering reasons to lessen
the danger OF damage the sides OF the canals nv
| friction or pressure The large canals are about