The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-06-04
SAN JUAN'S WONDERS.
THE MARVELLOUS PREHISTORIC PIC.
TURE GALL-B'-5 or UTAH.

~ ll NAIVE IiDn FIiaffIn D.Nh VIZ .
TURE oALL-B'-5 or UTAH.
navajo Mountains I'ery novidcr aud
smooth surface covered WIN weird,
Fantastic and Touching Specimens OF
uarbaric Art Of Long Ago.
Western newspaper correspondents have
hr years at irregular intervals discoursed
q come length upon the wonders Of the Rio
Ran Juan, and IN the catagory vt the mar
vcl1us this mountain tributary Of the great
Colorado has taken SIS place 10y the side Of
the far famed aud mysterious ella. The
cliff ruins Of the san Juan valley have been
the center Of attraction, have been viewed
from an sides. and their wonders have been
told and retold to the world time and time
AMIN. Scientific men have visited this re
on, have penetrated southeastern Utah
and have considered this valley a place Of
especial interest because these cliff and cave
dwellings are probably the oldest I'm this
strange country, being the first built in
that mysterious journey southwark OF
great but unknown people. For 90 years
the prusrector has followed this bold little
river end gazed with careless uncoucern on
the rough and broken walls so full Of inter
est TO the archHologist
Whether this is a region that will ever
show rich "pay dirt the writer knows not,
hut he can say without hesitation that it
is one Of the most wildly picturesque and
beautiful regions ia the world The bleak
old Navajo mountain rises abruptly and
towers like grim sentinel over the sur
rounding mesa, while in "A canyon gorge
more than 1900 feet below its base the Rio
san Juan appears like a silver thread.
The Navajo mountain, the jutting buttes
that line the canyons verge, the huge bowl
ders that are lodged on the canyons sides
and the straight walls Of the canyon proper
are all points of wonderful interest, for
they are thecanva upon which are depicted
some of the most strange and beautiful
photographs that have ever been discovered
In this country. Nearly every bowlder is a
picture gallery, and nearly every smooth
surface is covered with weird and fantastic
figures.
on the mountain these continue to the
summit, and as the browning piece huge
block of sandstone stands on the top, the
four sides presenting smooth surfaces. These
faces are more than 100 feet square, and on
each face is a picture of the sun, with the
figure of seven warriors bowed as to the
earth. in prayer. Beneath the warriors are
many hierog!yphic characters, probably
prayer to the sun god.
On a bowlder by the verge of a canyon is
the picture of a woman kneeling in prayer
to the sun.
On one of the canyon walls, more than 100
feet from anything that could have fur
nished the barbaric artist a foot or hand
hold, there is a weird panoramic view in
three scenes. Under a tree a child is
seeDing. One little hand lies across its
breast, while the other has fallen care
lessly by its side A few feet from the
sleeping babe a large snake, evidently a
rattlesnake, is coiled to strike. Down the
canyon toward the west is scene .. The
snake is crawling away, and the limbs of
the child are drawn as though in the last
commissions of death. The snake has done
its deadly work. still further down the
CANYON is scene 8. A warrior, evidently the
father of the child, with one arm clasps
the dead babe; with the other hand he holds
r club. Upon his face the rude artist has
depicted a look of mortal anguish and
hate A snaLe lies dead at his feet. This
Is probably the most beautiful picture ever
executed by savage hands.
On one OF the canyons walls n warrior and
a maiden are represented, gayly tripping
along hand in hand, while two doves are
circliug around their heads. Photographs
OF the bear-in one place bear followed by
two cubs-the dog, the mountain lion and
the catamount are all to be found. Many
of these are evidently of recent date and
have probably been executed by the Nava
foes, but here and there one meets with {
dim Photograph that bears evidence of great
age.
On one wall, in an apparently inaccessible
place, there is picture undoubtedly in
tended to represent the mastodon. The
trunk, the tusks, the massive body are all
there, and the long, shaggy hair tells OF an
other than tue modern elephant. Close by
these is a representation of "A camel The
conception of the mastodon may have been
obtained from the great north, but whence
that of the camel? 1t is well known that
the camel is an oriental beast and found in
America only in the menagerie, with one
noteworthy exception.
A few years since the United States gov
eminent imported a few of these ships of
the desert to be used as a means of trans
porJation in southern Arizona and the Cali
fornia desert, but the scheme proved i'm
practicable, and today these camels are
roaming at large. The Navajo Indians may
have had an opportunity to see the camel,
but these photographs are not Navajo work.
They were undoubtedly placed there by an
other people. This is one of the many puz-
ding questions concerning this people,
whom for sake of convenience we call Az
tees Could it be possible that they were
Of eastern originy
Another striking feature of this rude
picture gallery is the number of times that
the mysterious Biblical number seven oc-
ours. On the verge of the canyon, as ap-
preached from the south, seven powders
stand side by side. On the east end of each
bOWldeF are the pictures OF seven animals
while on the south side are hieroglyphics
arranged In rows, of which there are seven
on each stone Down in the canyon, neal
the river, is bowlder with a fiat top, OF
which are the pictures Of seven snakes.
rude attempt was made to supply the rat
ties, of which each snake is supplied witt
seven.
A few miles from the Colorado river, wher,
the canyon is not more than 500 or i, OO
feet from wall to wall, and where the wall
Ire perpendicular and smooth, on the RICH
wall are the pictures OF seven warriors witt
bows drawn to the last notch, while acros
the river on the opposite wall are the pic
lures of seven antelope, apparently in ful
run to escape the hunters These picture
are well executed and are in the most inat
cessIble places. Evidently the artist wa
lowered from a ledge hundreds of fee
above the picture and held suspended Will
he performed his tedious task.-St, Loui
Slobe- Democrat.
Baited For Catfish and Caught AN Owl.
A man of unquestioned veracit
vouches for the truth of this fish stor-
His friend, who lives few miles in Il
country, set a line for catfish one da
In the morning when he went after IL
fish he found them in abundance, an
on Oua line he fouO6 a larga oyr1 I'll,
must have been terror to birds an