The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-10-25

the languor induced by insufficient food
and bad water had diffused itself among
the little band. The first section of the
ascent, as one might say, is covered
with pinons, underground and scattered
rocks. Needles from the pines make the
soil very slippery, and the slant Is so
great that two steps backward to one
forward is about the average rate or
progression, Add to this scrambling
over rocks and fallen trees, OBTAINING
clutches of projecting boughs, prickly
vines and thorny cactus, shortness of
breath in the upper air and the labor
grows herculean. AS we go higher veg
citation decreases and lodges of rock
await our approach, intermiXed with
wash of crumbled stone and pebbles,
from which the feet must be laborious-
ly eXtricated,
In the upper rock-stratum inches for
the feet had been cut by the former in
habitants, of which we awaited our
selves. And then, above us, lowered
yet another wall of rock, absolutely
smooth and perpendicular, Twenty feet
above small pine juts out from cleft.
The weighted end of a rope was thrown
over this tree, and when the moose was
secured we drew ourselves up, in turn,
suspended over the precipice, and reach
ed a large natural hollow 200 feet long
and 60 feet wide. In this cavern stood
fine stone house of some thirty rooms,
flanked by square towers with a bal
cony running across them. The build
ing was surrounded by a wall two feet
thick and twenty feet in height. The
house was covered with stucco Of
ground sandstone, smoothed as with a
trowel, and of a rffiosy Alhambra-like
hue Thin slabs of sandstone, with bev-
elled edges, cOrresponded to the window
apertures, and We're secured by poles
passed across. These We're the first
| covered windows ever discovered in a
cliff dwelling. The walls and ceilings
of the rooms were fresh as if vacated
yesterday. On the first floor in room
approached by a flight of three stone
steps I found a loom, the only Cliff
Dweller's Loom ever discovered. The
beams of dark red CEDAR with loops
and bands of yucca fibre, extended
across the room, and were secured in
inches in the wall, On the floor below
lay all the spindles, bobbins and LOOM
sticks of hard wood. Remember | was
ten years less wise than now. | did not
realize that this was unique treasure,
the like of which will probably never be
seen again. Instead of gathering up all
| the portions of the loom at my feet |
selected samples merely. The two price
| less cedar beams we brought with us,
and forgive us, Oh Science, we were so
| enfeebled by insufficient food and bad
water that we were forced to leave them
| half way down the cliff Sometimes |
| think I might go back to find them. In
| every collection of cliff curios since
| made l find some of these sticks
| of my loom, packed up by lat
er corners. The greater part are
in my collection; the beams forever lost.
| In this dwelling we also unearthed two
magnificent jars, one of the coiled ware
| dark gray-and holding four gallons
| and one of decorated pottery, with
withes inserted for handles, adorned
with a perfect Grecian pattern
The. explorer, however, has moments
| in which ne is far from feeling the pure
| joys of discovery. Remember we dug
not only for archaic pottery. but for
ithe ', ry water we drank-scoOping holes
| in the sand in which the frothing al
kaline liquid gradually rose--blisterine
the lips and increasing thirst, instead OF
quenching it. The very horses turned
away in. disgust from this aqua i'm
pura. And relics We're more plentiful
| than food, our rations being black cot
| fee, fried bacon and dough cakes, mix.
| ed with bacon fat. Our utensils had
| been scattered by the bucking pinto
| The tin wash basin, now a cooked hat.
alone is left
| Tents could not be brought over that
Indian trail We slept under the stars
with Navajo blankets for bedding and
on the cold, cold ground. A blazing
camp fire of pinon kept away wild
| beasts and might have betrayed us tc
the Indians.
| The nights were agony; the morning
softly beautiful, as the canon lay
dark and sleeping"
| The lecture was interspersed with hui
morous experiences and with descrip.
| tons of the discoveries and researches
all making most pleasing combination
| that the audience was delighted
| Among those present were Mrs Frank
| Porter, Mrs. Hope Bennett, Miss Marie
| Ives, Mrs. Henry Rogers, Mrs. john
| Schwab, Miss Lillian English Miss
Hoadley, Miss Joce'yn, Miss Munger ant
many other well known ladies. This
next lecture will be given at the same
| place next Tuesday afternoon at
o'clock, and the subject will be ''HoN
| San Geronimo Came to Taos and viii
be illustrated by objects from the Pueb,
| los.