The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-09-13
70 The NESA'S T|P.
Scientist lodges and Party
Make New Discoveries.
NEW MEXICo's ENCHANTED
MOUNTAIN IS SCALED.
Many Evidences of Life There In
Former Tirnes-Photographs Sc
cured Of Great Value to Scientific
Persons-Indian Tradition Not
Mere Myth.

Washington. Sept. 12.-F. W. Hodge. Of
the bureau of ethnology, Smithsonian in
stitute. has Just returned from an e1-
petition TO the Enchanted Mesa of New
Mexico, which has excited the interest
of scientists and the daring of exploring
parties. 1t was brought into prominence
a few months ago by the expedition of
Professor William Libbey, of Princeton
university. who took rone-throwing nor
fars. huge kites. balloons and tons Of APP
paratus 30 scale this hitherto inaccessible
tableland. The purpose of the fnvestiga-
tion has been 10 determine whether the
summit of the mesa was at one time in
habted by the prehistoric Acoma In
dams. Professor Libbey reported 10 cyl
dences Of early occupancy. Mr.. Hodge 5
exploration has brought different results.
however, for after scaling the mesa ne
spent some time on the summit found a
number of fragments of pottery, arrows,
shells, bracelets, stone axes, ETC., showing
coneIusiyely that the top of the mesa
was at one time inhabited.
Mr.. Hodge was sent by the oureaU OF
efhnolosY 10 examine series OF RUNS
in western New Mexico, and TO attend
the snake dance Of the Mohi Indians.
This done. he was directed to proceed to
the Mesa hscanada and to scale its pre-
cipitOus walls in any way he saw hit. he
procured an extension ladder comprising
six sections of six feet eacn, together with
an ample supply OF rope and proceeded to
the mesa on Sept 3, accompanied by
Major George II! Pradt. deputy United
States surveyor at La Gpna, =. NJ, who
is familiar with the section; a. g. Nroo-
man. OF Pasadena. Cal, who acted as
photographer of the expedition, H. G..
AoyG OF Chicago, and two La Guna In
dams.
The mesa was determined to be 4S1 feet
from the western plain to the TOP Of
the highest pinnacle above the cliff and
the ta1us at the base OF the cleft 224
feet above the Plain The climb was with
out any serious difficulty until the party
reached q great sandstone. The ladders
were hauled section by section to this
point by means of the ropes. then fitted
together and raised against the cliff. Mr..
Hodge assembled to the top, and climbing
over the slope, Immediately above, sue
ceeded in laShing the top of the ladder
to q huge boWlder that mad fallen from
above and lodged on the terrace, some
2Q feet from the summit. The ladder was
then assembled by the rest of the party
and the top easily reached. The ascent
consumed exactly two hours and a quar-
ter.
The explorers had not been on the sum-
INIT Of the mesa five minutes before Major
PraGt picked up a fragment of ancient
pottery which indicated clearly that the
mesa had been visited, at any "a te, in
FORMER times, and that Professor Libbey
was mistaken in his conclusions. During
the afternoon and the next day. Mr..
Hodge examined the ground critically.
while Major Pradt made a survey of the
mesa anu MI. NTOOlE0n secured a num-
her of photographs. Several potsherds
two stone axes Cbroken). q fragment of
z shell bracelet and q stone arrow point
were the chief evidences of former oe-
cupancy found on the narrow storm-swept
crest, but abundant potsherds, etc, were
found IN the tAlus swept down from the
summit. All vestiges of the ancient trail
ascending the taIus had disappeared and
they continued thence to the summit by
hand and foot holes in the solid rock
some traces of the holes remain. This
Verificaion of an Indian tradition, not
ble for its inherent evidence of accuracy
is peculiarly gratifying to students of
anthropology. Professor Libbey's ladder
was discovered scill dashed in place above
the crevasse.
Mr.. Hodges researches viii arouse great
interest among American o'thnoioEist6 and
archaeoI0gistd. inaSmuch as they are said
to show that Indian tradition should not
be dismissed as mere myth after only
casual exploration.