The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-26
HE C0NQUERS THE MESA.
PROF. LIBBEY REACHES THE TOP
DE- THE FAMOUS HEIGH III.


village That Is aaid to Have Been There.
ALBUQUERQUE, N. NJ. July 25.-on last FRI
day afternoon Prof. William Libbey of Princeton
University succeeded in scaling the famous
Mesa Encantada," which 10 noar the Indian vii
lago Of Acoma, this Territory. BY means OF q Gig
inch bore brass cannon, q steel cylinder with .
soft iron shank and o ring in the end, to which
q cord was attached. was finally shot over the
Mesa after several Intellectual efforts. and by
means of this shot cord tho ropes required in
making the ascent were pulled up.
Fifteen hundred feet Of rope was required to
reach from one side to the other, and whom It
was all In readiness q travelling block was al
tached to the pulley which had previously been
spliced to the main rope. and pulled up to tho
edge Of the overhanging lodge. A mans weight
OF rock was then placed in the chair rigged on
the travelling block, and an experimental trip
was made, which proved successful.
Prof. Libbey then took his place in tho chair
and was raised to the top of the Mesa. Gordon
Pearce. q newspaper man Of this city, was the
only other man in the party to make the danger
GUS ascent.
AL that was found on the top of the Mesa
which indicated that 1t might have been inhab-
tied was a monument Of rocks which looked as
II 1t were erected by man. With this exception
there were absolutely no indications that It had
ever been inhabited by q race Of men. and Prof.
Libbey Is convinced that the romantic legends
which was connected with it are nothing moro
than fairy tales.
A later report of Libbey's ascent says that
carly on last Monday morning Prof. Libbey
and Mr.. II. L. Bridgman. business manager
Of tho Standard Union of Brooklyn, with
something over q ton Of baggage left
Laguna for the tabled slte of Ancient
Acoma. They took with them a cook and
o couple Of teamsters and were also
accompanied by q special correspondent.
On Thursday morning. after q careful re-
connoisance of the apparently impregnable
walls OF the haunted Mesa. spot near the
southeast corner was sole cted as the point OF
attack and a permanent camping place was
pitched as near to it as the wagons could con-
veniently be brought.
soon after the interesting process of unpack.
ing the professors numerous boxes was begun.
Ono OF the first articles was a 2ia-bore brass
cannon. This was destined to carry to the top
or the Mesa.
Then came the numerous gun equipments,
consisting Of blocks and tackles, p~ulleys. sc.
The larger part OF the luggage consisted of rope.
There was several miles OF rope and cord, vary
braided linen cord.
The cannon and its equipment were borrowed
The cords Of different, sizes were those used BY
the corps OF the service under varying circum-
stances, the liehtest used when a great distance
The shot which carried the line weighed
Twenty-Five pounds, and was a steel cylinder
attached. The line to be thrown Is placed in q
peculiar manner In a box called q taking box"
It is laced back and forth loosely over wooden
After the laeing is completed a cover is placed
U Ssss iifte da ont oG snd y tb tn Mns ,i sps as li GGwn. a ,nS
loosely as q box OF snowdakes.
On "Wednesday, morning the campaign opened
In earnest, The line was prepared, and at about
8 o'clock the first shot with a medium sized line
The gun was not aimed high enough and the
shot struck the rocks about 100 feet from the
top. The line WAS carefully gathered up and all
was made In readiness for a second trial.
1t was almost noon when the second shot was
bred. This time the cannon was aimed at an ele,-
walton Of about f~orty.hvc degrees and the steel
This was tho first success. but by no means tho
end OF the story. Tho shot cord was not strong
enough to pull the rope used in the ascent.
The rest Of Wednesdsy and all day Thnrsday
up the large ropes, in gradual sizes. Every time
pulling back OF the rope and beginning over
Fifteen hundred feet of limo was required to
reach from one side to the other. and the pulling
back and forth before the last rope was adjusted
amounted to handling something over two and
one-half miles OF rope.
"t As HSHh q bl ETie"y was Si % attached IN d't TO pSe pa ahe =
which had been previously spliced to the main
rope and pulled UP to the edge of the overhans-
Then a rock weighing almost as much as a
man was placed in q "boatswain's chair
was made. 1t proved successful. and when the
chair was once more lowered, to terra hrma
fT When aaPhU he w PsI anaiiy 70 READY "sSs% TO- make the trip
he inquired as TO who would BIO the next TO go
I, ,fo the bn top s,s T rsnor, %%s answers mo very y WeaEly G th%F he
would follow on the next train.
The professor made the trip without the
porter found himself sitting on the little board
twenty feet below tho top OF the enchanted Mesa
snd $50 feet above the rocks directly beneath
The top Q 1.-THE Mesa was thoronghly invest
gated and little evidence &s E Of any former mnmim inha6 81
rocks piled up. much after the manner OF the
Indian monument Of long ago.
Tho top of the rock 10 about sixteen acres In
extent and about 800 feet highcr than the in
mediate, surrounding country, and fully zoe
h, did not believe any old ruins would % found
b he siasptSs BEEN M' sonsiderea naScessi HSe ~ A"'
He has done 80 ana is perfectly satisfied; Prot
homes.
been found, but a later examination will hav,
to DO made to determine this.
The Mesa Is u preripitous rock about one anc
Pueblo OF Acoma. The commonly accepted stor,
OF the rock is that 1t was. about 100 years ago
the site OF a very large and populous lndlal
I Inhabitants were said to depend upon as
ricultural pursuits for their livelihood. as ar
tho Acoma Indians Of to-day. to leave thei
homes TO cultivate, the holds lying In the vale
far below them and several miles distant.
The top of the enchanted mesa, according. I
Charles +. Lummis, the student OF Pueblo IL
dian folk lore. was accessible by only one trial
which was cut in the steep side Of a detache
pillar of stone which had fallen over agains
tho main rock.
One day. as the rainy season came on. all G
the ablebodied men of this alleged city wen
down 10 their labor In the fields. leaving oni
the aged and infrm. with their caretakers. upo
tho rocky heights.
bursts. Many OF their houses were washe
down, and as the severity of the storm increase
!, one OF the few young cIretakers was sent 70 IN
place below 10 summon help from the fields.
hardly more than reached the bottom. {
the fearfuI"roCk ladder" over which the watt
rushed In foaming torrents, than IL fell. IN
; treacherous sands at its bottom had been ,washe
= away. and the mighty column that mad serve
: as the only gateway to ancient Acoma for Gel
. turies lay shattered at the base OF the now Ina
The little crowd at the bottom Of the big roc