The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-08-05


Colonel Malcolm. The marquis Is the
eldest son Of the Duke Of Rutland, and
was born in 1852. He was educated at
Tton and Trinity college, Cambridge.
with scattered veins of hardened vol
canic ash. 1t IL perhaps three
fourths of mile along the backbone.
from end to end. and q third longer at
the base. It rises about five hundred
feet above the valley, the land 1t over
looks being rich alluvial plain. covered
for the most part. with a ragged waste
Of giant cactus, mesquite. ironwood,
cat's-claw and every other horned.
spined and prickly thing that grows in
this inhospitable region. In the few
spots where the land has brought un-
der ditch, however, 1t Is fertile and pro-
ductive, and the same may be said OF
the valleys overlooked by every one Of
the intrenched buttes. They would
seem to have been a comparatively re-
tired and sheltered aerie for a peace
full agricultural people who planted
their crops in the valley, but felt the
need of a retreat from predatory foes.
The most conspicuous Of the many
pieces of work on the Caborca Mountain
is a long and strongly marked wall run
ming almost the entire length Of the
mountain side, twO-thirds of the way
from base to summit. At the south
west end this work gives the impression
Of defensive structure. The wall Is
from four to six feet on the outside Of
its points of greatest height. and the fiat
terrace formed by filling in behind this
rough masonry Is protected by wall
two feet high at the outer edge. 1t Is
at this point that the work Is approach
ed by fairly marked trail, that be-
comes quite well defined and graded
road nifty yards below the wall. The
road approaches the wall at a sharp
angle, and on entering the break
doubles back on itself at an equally
sharp angle in the other direction, SO
that with the aid of rude sort Of bas-
tion thrown out from this point the en-
trance is fairly well protected. This is
one of the points that gives the strong
est color to the theory Of defensive in
trenchment.
HOUSE CIRCLES.
The side of the mountain is scanned
with several deep gorges, and the ter
race and it's sometimes accompanying
wall cease at these breaks. but on the
points overlooking the gorges there are
small terraces. with circles of rock two
or three feet high, like sentry boxes.
These may have been stations in which
the defenders might command the ap-
proach, or perhaps only house circles"
like scores Of others scattered all over
the terraced portions of the hill. These
house circles" at Caborca are largely
confined to the upper parts of the hill
and far above the main wall. The rings
Of stone, which we came to call house
circles" seemed to have been either
mere wind breaks, or else simply a
foundation on wa;ch to raise i 3,ii er-
structure of thatch, skins CT mating.
They We're from eight to twelve feet
across and from two to four feet high.
A few had the remains of q fireplace in
side, and occasionally II bowlder ''in
polished to a CLASSY smOothness. similar
polished to CLASSY smotohness, similar
to the paint grinding stones of the Pap
agos today. +
Both at Caborca and at the Greater
Trinchera Of San Rafael Alimita the
southern slope was the one which had
received the greatest attention in ter
racing Whether the exceedingly steep
northern face had been neglected in
each case because of its natural de-
fenses, or whether 1t had been too steep
to admit of terracing for living pur-
poses, 1t Is impossible to say.
However, whether its original purpose
was for defense or merely to suit the
exigencies Of the peculiar domestic
economy of the terrace builders, the
Trinchera of Caborca is remarkable
piece Of work, and where 1t the only
one of the sort would be worth a long
journey to see. But 1t is fortunate that
1t was the first which we found, for be-
side that Of Alimita 1t dwindled into
insignificenca
The Trinchera of Alimita Is larger al
most by half in every way, and as a
work Of barbaric man Is simply as
founding. From O distance the side of
the mountain looks like the rough side
Of washboard. terrace rising above
terrace in regular lines from the bottom
almost to the top. Some of them are
but fifty or one hundred yards long,
others q mile and half, following the
contour of the hill over gully and ra-
vine, and fairly making the whole
mountain seem o gigantic piece of ar
tificial work.
The mountain itself Is Of irregular
form. At the east end and at the west
1t rises to a sharp peak, the two con-
nected by a saddle perhaps two hundred
feet lower than the rest, but on this Is
some of the most remarkable work on
the mountain. One of the structures
that distinguishes the saddle Is an OBJ
long stone house or corral thirty feet
long, with walls eight feet high and a
protected gateway of the main wall at
Caborca. There are two or three SINH
lar structures, but smaller, a little
higher up on the slope Of the south
peak.
But just where the saddle joins the
south peak Is the most extensive piece
of masonry on the mountain. 1t Is the
retaining wall of great terrace from
ten to twenty feet high and about 100
yards long. The wall Of big lava blocks
Is about yard thick. and behind 1t is
filled In even with the top with small
stone the size of q mans first, making
terrace from twenty-five to thirty
feet broad, on which are numerous
house rings and two well holes that
might have been reservoirs except that
there liz no remnant Of q lining that
would enable them to hold water.