Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-04-03
AMERICAS PONIPEII.
INTERESTING DISCOVERIES MADE ny
AN ALASKAN TRAVELLER.

A'h'H VI an Unknown race Revealed hy
an Avnianehe-The walls OF What May
lie n Prehistoric City Laid Bare-somc
beautiful Specimens of Pottery.
One Of the most interesting theories
in regard to the ancient colonization Of
America is that relating to its Asiatic
origin. These theories were supported
by tribal traditions, chiefly among the
highly civilized races of Mexico as they
We're discovered by the Spaniards, from
an analysis Of which it would appear
that the first settlements Of this cont.
nent were Asiatic-fur the time of a
high degree Of cultivation, in time over.
run and suhiugatcd by more wnrlike and
powerful invaders, who, like themselves.
came from the north
Archaeological discoveries in New
Mexico, Arizona and California have
tended to confirm these obscure legends.
and now a correspondent Of The Globe.
Democrat of St Louis presents the lat
est claims in the evidence Of Professor
Alfred Eldrigo Of Montreal a. to recent
discoveries made by him in Alasl.n.
Professor Eldrigo's statements to the
correspondent were, in brief, as follows.
AT the mouth Of the Kuwalil. river,
on the shore Of Kotzcbue sound. en-.
countered a small settlement Of Indians.
who We're much surprised at my desire
to proceed up the stream.
THE chief did all in his power t.
persuade me to abandon my project, OK.
planning unbearnble porils galore which
l would be CO ain to encounter. The
savages seemed to think the district
cursed by the Great Spirit, and nothing
could tempt them to set foot ON it.
II did not feel uneasy, however, un.
I'll j arrived at the mouth of the Ku.
walk. As entered the mouth of this
frozen river it seemed as though could
read, Abandon hope, all we who ontel
here written across its horizon, and
the vision of possible Dantoan 'Iafer.
no beyond amazed me.
ION the border Of little lake whore
stopped my attention was drawn to u
spot half way up steep peak, which
had evidently suffered some recent dis.
turbance. On arriving at the situation
saw that groHt body of earth had
broken away and rolled down the noun.
tain.
THE first thing TO attract me was
the discovery Of a small piece of broken
earthenware, light brown in color. with
an artistically worked trimming Of
Greek design worked in black pigment
1t was just such Il piece as those I had
found in New Mexico some years be
fore, and any one can imagine my
ama2ement at its discovery in that
quarter.
II turned quickly to scan the sides Of
the earth whore the avalanche had torn
1t apart, and i'll the midst of the crevicc,
not 300 yards away from where | stood
l saw the protrusion of wall of dull
gray masonry, crumbling and broken,
but showing beyond all doubt, even at
that distance. that the builder was hu.
man. On making further investigations
l found evidences of numerous Other
walls at distance of 80 or more feet
apart, and some Of them revealed cor.
ners of masonry.
1T soon became evident 10 me that
had discovered an American Pompeii
through the work of the avalanche. The
remains of houses | saw were undoubt-
eddy those of prehistoric city, covered
with earth and debris, which had hid
den it through some volcanic action,
possibly during, but most likely long
after, its desertion, centuries on centu.
ries ago
IAN of the masonry was of beautiful
symmetry, constructed of hewn sand
stone blocks Of an approximately even
size, laid in strong mortar beds and
with the joints broken. There were
many pieces of broken pottery and other
articles of domestic use lying around the
ruins
But sought higher game, and after
preparing wooden handle to n copper
spade which l picked up on the scene
went to digging most industriously.
Almost Immediately my antiquated
spade unearthed Il few more fragments
of pottery, which seemed an uminous
sign. As l reached about six feet be.
meath the surface pots, vases, cups,
plates, jugs, pipes and numerous articles
of doubtful use and too heavy to bring
away with me We're uncovered with al
most every thrust of the spade. The last
sizes of arrows, spears of odd design,
scrapers, hatchets and drills.
81 dug into square room which had
no windows in the walls. Here found
some of the finest specimens of pottery
/ have ever seen. They were beautiful
ly decorated and finished in a way
that is a lost art to modern potters.
There We're many exquisitely shaped jars,
about feet tall and as perfectly pre-
served as the china just delivered from
the hands of our nineteenth century
pottors--if anything, more artistically
proportional.
1T does not require much thought or
study to see an undeniable connection
between the evidence of prehistoric in
habitation in Spanish-America and
those which have unearthed in north
ern Alaska, a fact which opens an en-
tirely new and extensive field for archn-
illogical study"