The Portland daily press., 1891-01-08
MYSTERIOUS HIERocLYPHucs.
carved Characters on a hugh Cliff
Of Limestone in N evada.
[san Francisco Chronicle l


In several places in this region, Lin
coin county, New, and the adjoining
country about Death Valley, Cal, are
found traces of former occupation by
some race of civilized people, probably
the Spanish. In the Kingston range of
mountains, ON the eastern face of Clarke
mountain, near its summit, is perpen-
dicular cliff of limestone $50 feet in
height and with smooth surface. On
the face of this cliff, at height of 100
feet from its base, are engraved the fol-
lowing characters, "t 1 L D." The cross
and letters are of mammoth proportions,
being not less than sixty feet in height.
They are cut into the solid rock to
depth of two feet, and are plainly to be
seen at great distance by persons pass
ing through the valley below, toward
which the cliff and mountain face. 4if
No one in the country knows how,
when or by whom the letters were cut.
The Indians living in the vicinity have
no tradition in regard to the inscription.
As the inscription is in Roman letters
and is preceded by cross, tits supposed
that the work was done by Jesuit mis-
sionaries, who are known to have estab-
hshed missions farther south in Ari-
IONA.
In order to carve the huge letters
either scaffold 100 feet in height must
have been erected or the workmen must
have been lowered over the face of the
cliff, distance of $50 feet. The object
of work SO difficult that has any ade-
quate object is not readily apparent.
The giant letters could only have served
as landmark or a sort of beacon. 1t
may have been intended as a monument
showing the farthest point northward to
which the soldiers of the cross had pushed
their way, for they could not go up the
great canyon.
At Pah Tuck Springs are to be seen
blocks of hewn granite, the remains of
an old wall. The Indians of this region
show evidences of having at some time
been subjected to the influences of civil
ization. They live in villages, irrigate
and cultivate the soil, growing good
crops of grain and many kinds of vegeta-
bles. In Clarke district, at no great dis
lance from the cliff on which are the
AOucVCI 1OOVCIp, tuCI0 Was lOuuQ III d
vein of gold bearing quartz a shaft of
great depth. 1t was filed to within fif-
ty-four feet of the surface with debris.
Pieces of quartz left clinging to the
sides Of the shaft showed particles of
free gold. No tools of any kind were
found nor were there seen any remains
of furnaces.
Near an antimony mine, three miles
from Rose Springs, many other hero
glyphics are carved on the rocks. 1t is
sort of picture writing, and is popu-
larly supposed to have been the work of
Aztecs or Toltecs. 1t is certain that the
writing was not done by the present
race of Indians of the Great Basin coun-
try. Similar hieroglyphics are found
near Candelaria; also in Humboldt coun-
ty, on Star canyon, near the Sheba
mine; on the Carson river, below Rag
town, and in many other localities.
The writing on the Carson river is ON
about forty different powders of solid
granite. The characters are on the sides
of the powders that face the east. They
are cut into the smooth, hard rock to
depth of from an eighth to half an inch.
All the picture writing in Nevada was
evidently by the same people, as the
same characters are everywhere seen,
though differently combined. The fig
ures of the men, animals and other hv-
ing things are conventional. often mere
ly limited at. as by tracks ~