Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-08-01

q three years supply of grain, in order to
counterao> any emergency of drought or
war. .-r .+ -rl. .'s.. ........ ...t
Another remarkable curiosity to be
seen in this vicinity is dazzling white
lake situated in the gypsum sands of
Northwestern Texas. To be accurate the
lake is situated in Donna Ana County,
New Mexico, end was formed early last
spring, from the copious rainfalls that
visited this section. The place is val
ley of pure white sand, about twenty
five miles long by six or seven broad, sit
uated in the hollow of some low lying
hills or undulations, into which drains all
the rainfall of the neighborhood. There
are no springs, lakes, rivers or streams of
any kind near by. The lake covers about
$50 acres, is several feet deep, and al
though formed in the sand, yet the ac-
tion of the water mas converted the gyp-
sum bottom into a snow white mass,
cemented so substantially and compactly
that there is no way of the water escap-
ing except by the slow process of evapo-
ration. Seen at midday when the sun is
at its brightest, the human eye cannot
sustain for even few seconds the brill
liant and binding glare from this Won
derful formation of nature. Even in
dead of summer, when there is no moisture
whatever in the place, it is terrible
thing for human creatures to attempt q
passage through this gypsum valley. The
heat is intolerable and the refraction so
terrific that it is painful and even dam
gerous to experience it. Possibly in CON
nection with the heavy rains of last sea-
son cloud burst or water spout may have
played an important part in the forma-
ton of this lake. -. t.r5
Ages ago there lived in portions of
Arizona and New Mexico a curious race
of people who evidently could not trust
their fellow-men. Their houses were
suspended in the air, so to speak, built
against cliffs and precipices, or were
carved out of solid masonry in the side of
precipitous hills, and so high that it was
impossible to reach them except by
means of ladders. The people who lived
in these strange abodes kept focks and
herds, titled the ground, and pursued ag-
riculture generally, yet so careful were
they of their own precious hides that the
general custom at night was to climb up
into their dwellings and pull the ladders
up after them. There are about Six
thousand square miles of country covered
by these curious dwellings, and though d
little off from railroads and out of the
way of travel, yet visit of inspection tc
any one of them would richly pay the
archeologist who has the nerve and en-.
durance to undertake the task. The
average cliff house is of firm, neat ma.
sonry, attached or cemented to the ellis
in most marvellous fashion, and evi.
dently cost great outlay of energy and
ingenuity in its construction. In some
cases the rock and mortar of which they
are built have been brought hundreds O.
feet up the most precipitous places, anc
this without the aid, apparently, of me
chanical contrivances of any kind. Som'
of the houses were constructed of adobe
bricks, for which an everlasting cement
was used. In the Apache country ot
Arizona, near the entrance of wild
rugged mountain gorge, are a series o1
remarkable cliff dwellings. -.
In reality they are not cliff but cav'
dwellings; yet, as in the former case, tht
only mode of access is by means of lad
ders, for they underlie tremendouI
precipice. The doorways are square hole
from four to six feet in diameter, ant
crawling into one of these murky, damn
places one must be careful of reptiles anc
vermin, which seem to have taken abso
lutte possession since the rightful owner
have departed. The ceilings are seven o
eight feet high, walls a square of abou
the same diameter, and the whole in
terror in some cases is decorated witt
stars, comets, and other astronomical fs
ures. Who the cliff dwellers were l.
one now can tell. They probably pre-
, ceded the Aztecs, who emigrated iron
} the region, and, perhaps, they were con
, temporary with the Toltees, who are sai'
to have been extinct before the Aztec
were people.
: At the base of these cliffs is another re
markable curiosity known as Montezu
mas Well. 1t was built by the inhabit
, ants Of that period, supplying them witt
the necessary moisture to sustain life
The wonder Of all curiosities, however
J in the Southwest is the petrfied forest i
Apache County, Arizona. What make
t it more remarkable than it otherwis
J would be is the fact that the forest neve
grew on the spot where it now lies, bu
' was transported bodily from some regio
byea force of nature that we can littl
/ imagine. There are no stumps or trunk
5 of trees left in the ground---no roots
1 small limbs, or anything to show tina
vegetable matter could live and thrive j
the volcanic ashes of the section, and yt
g mammoth tree trunks turned into har
: adamantine stone lie here in the creates
e profusion, millions of tons in sight, an
' no definite answer is there to the puzzle
e In some cases the trees re of giganti
b size, having a diameter of eighteen {
/ twenty feet at the base and a height {
e more than $50 feet.
f The scene reminds one of Sindbad
!, dream or Aladdin's cave. AS far as tt
y eye can reach pieces ofchrysoprase, earn
It lian, sard and chalcedony are scattered
o bits Of amethyst, jasper, calcite, and aga
n glitter in the sunlight, blazing with ind
# scribable brilliancy, and SO thick on Il
1t ground that one can hardly step witho,
y Dlacine his foot on a gem of s'purest II