The National tribune., 1892-08-18
THE CLIFF JEWELLERS.
The Architectural Remains OF the Wonder
full People In Arizona.
Enron NATIONAL TRIBUNE:

10 long time since
you have heard from
Oh g ne, but once more
MN come to the front with
ALA Q few notes, entitled
Ply "The Cliff Dwellers in
~ Arizona"
Among the many at
fractions offered BY Arizona to the tourist and
to tho scientist mono excels in the interest ex
cited by the remains Of its pre-Columbar
| the archRologist shspeless mounds have been
developed as temples, fortresses and pueblo
habitations, the work of people evidently
veil advanced in the natural sciences.
The cliff dwellings are in the hollow Of 8
great lime ledge. Underfoot is the porphyry
shelf, about 30 feet broad, breaking Off ab
ruptly in 20O-foot precipice, at the bottom Of
which runs the brook.
The structures are found In q somewhat dis.
mantled condition. The enemy or the vandal
had been at work in the distant past and every
habitation showed the signs of fire. The roof.
of nearly all were gone, though the mud Gov
cred upper floors were generally intact. There
are three groups of houses in all, comprising
about 200 rooms. The houses, two and three
stories in hight, were squarely built Of fiat
stones Joined with mortar. each wall being
about twelve inches in thickness The rooms
were all about 10 feet square, with very low
ceilings They were entered by means Of
numerous small doorways . number of which
had been roughly closed with stone at some
later time. The floors are of baked clay. The
upper floors and roof are supported by beams
OF red cypress, rough hewn at the ends 81
though by means of slate or obsidian tools.
These small logs arc curiously encircled at in
tervals Of q foot with grapevine rings tightly
tied in regular modern square knots. These
rings served no visible purpose. Over the
beams are coarse rushes or cypress splinters,
and then the clay. There is q vast quantity
of cypress in these houses. remarkable cir
cumstance, as the wood can now be obtained
no nearer than go miles away. This red cy-
press, too. it should be observed, is said by
those informed to be found nowhere else on the
American continent.
In rear of each of the three groups of build
ings is an open space or "back yard" Here
were found small reservations for the catch
ment of water, which was at the time of my
visit dripping freely from the porous rock.
Opening into these courts were small, dry store
rooms, whore, preserved by covering of earth
and ashes, were found semi-carbonized corn
cobs as well as besn-pods and bits of mescal
plant. A few stone axes were visible and a
small assortment of arrowheads. The marks of
rush mats could be seen in the hardened clay,
and tho presence of whorl or weaving stones
indicated q knowledge of cloth.
1t is hard to set date for the occupation of
these buildings. I am inclined to believe them
the work of q people prior to even the Totecs.
The ruins are surely too ancient, and within
them are to be found no evidence of metal or
its work.
Everywhere through these mountains are to
be found the ruined habitations of this peculiar
primeval race. Their number must have been
very considerable, and their intelligence far
beyond that of the modern Indians, and more
in tho line of what we call civilization. Here in
the loveliest of wildnernesses lies an open book
of history of enhancing interest to the scientist.
CHARLES FULLER, Troop B. 4th U. s. Cav,
Preside of San Francisco, Cal.