Morning journal and courier., 1890-09-09
THE SUN WoRsHTPPKRs.
A Wonderful Stone Railway Bufl
 by Them BOO Feet UP a Mound.

by Them BOO Feet UP a Mound
 From the San Francisco Canl Charles J. Wimple, one of the wealthiest miners in Mexico, is in this city. He told the following wonderful story:
 ''You have asked me to give an account of the interesting mountain my friend, Jesse D. Grant. and myself saw during our trip through Mexico, en route to this city. Well, that mountain is at once one of the most gigantic exhibitions of mans handiwork and something almost beyond ctedsnce were we not already familiar with the work of the Aztecs. Just imag- inc a valley forty by thirty miles in area, and in its center rising a mound over 1 200 feet in height Then you can realize the first effect created upon our minds when we came before the hill l am to describe My foreman was with us and had partly prepared us for the surprise. but we had treated his story with incred- ulous remarks and had by no means sus- pected he had but given modest descrip- ! ton of the mound
 ''We gazed to the top and allowed our eyes to follow the windings of a road down to the base, We went around the | base and conjectured it was about one and | a half miles in circumference. Then we l started for the summit. The roadway was built of solid rock clear to the pinnacle, and was from thirty to forty feet in width. | A wall of solid rock formed a foundation | and an inside wall at the same time The | outer edge of the road was unguarded.
 These stones weigh all the way up to a
 ton each, and are not cemented The
 roadway is as level as a floor and is cov-
 cred with broken pieces of earthenware | water vessels.
 Half way up the mountain is an altar | cut in solid rock: in the niche is 6 powder | which must weigh at least six tons The powder is of different stone from that | used in the walls. The rocks in the walls are dressed by skilled worlzmen. but are not polished We saw no inscriptions: in
 fact, We had no time to spare in making e | searching investigation We did look for arrow heads or other warlike implements. | to satisfy ourselves that the mound had | not been used for defensive or offensive l purposes.
 ''Nor was there any evidence to prove
 that the roadway had been built for the
 purpose of witnessing bull fights and
 other sports in the valley. could only
 conclude the Aztec sun worshippers ex-
 pended years of labor on the hill in order l that they might have an appropriate place
 to celebrate their imposing festivals, inas-
 much as the roadway was stpewn with
 broken earthenware, and those scions of a
 bygone and notable race were known to
 carry at sunrise large quantities of water
 in earthenware jars to an eminence, and
 there pour out the liquid and smash the I vessels.
 ''When we descended we brought with
 us a number of small sea shells which had
 petrifed, and if .Fou look at these on my
 table you will see how they have been per , forated by the Indians. We again took q long look at the mountain and saw it was
 oblong in shape, and that the upward road
 commenced on the eastern side I have
 travelled on both sides of the mountain. from British Columbia to Central America !, and on either side of the Sierra Madras where the cliff dwellers have left such re
 markable mementoes of their skill and customs, but I have never witnessed any. . thing so wonderful and magnificent as tho
 mound which I have been telling YOU
 about. The valley is about six hundred
 feet above the sea level and is about sey. . enty miles from the coast. It is situated in Sonora, between the cities of Altar and Magdalena, and near the Magdalena river
 We called the curiosity Palisade mountain, and it is well named"