New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-02-05
PROFESSOR HBWETrs EXPLORATIONS.
DISCOVERIES AMONG THE cRUMB11NG HOMES OF
THE CLIFF JEWELLERS

Santa Fe, n. M. Feb 4 CSpecaD.-Professor
Hewett, whose discoveries in the cliff and cave
dwellings Santa Fe have already been
briefly outlined in The Tribune, found in the
older cliff dwellings ornaments Of ivory rudely
carved, which were made from live ivory, and
not fossil ivory, and this seems be proof that
the cliff jewellers cortemporaneous with
the mastodon and other mammals from which
alone they could have derived ivory On the
walls Of the cliff dwellings too under the MASTER
put there more recently by the Pueblo Indians who
sought the caves a refuge the time of the
Spanish INVASION were found rude carvings in the
rock, number of which Professor Hewitt photo
graphed, and which to be stories of historic
incidents and show pictures Of such prehistoric
animals as those OF which remains were found in
the Tesuque Valley and at San Ildefonso only this
winter. and include the mastodon. Connecting two
villages was discovered path in sandstone on TOP
of the volcanic tufa which at several places had
been worn hip deep-a process which must have
taken thousands Of years. The cave dwellings near
Santa Fe If stretched out in a Iina would extend
sixty miles, and must have given a habitation TO
hundreds of thousands of people
On the mesas above the cliff dwellings are ruins
Of community houses, which contained from fifteen
hundred to two thousand rooms each and in which
Professor Hewitt found fragments of very ancient
pottery, and also of later origin which showed
that they were also reoccupied by the Pueblos
which reoccupation gave credence to the belief
until lately generally accepted by scientists that
the cliff dwellings only from three hundred TO
-FOUR hundred years old, and built
Pueblo Indians a refuge against the Spaniards
Some of the later caves probably were but the
vast majority Of them seem TO date back TO the
tertiary period. and here near Santa Fe scientists
will probably find conclusive proof that man ex-
listed even before the quaternary period now
generally accepted the time of the first appear
of
The question of how these vast mutitudes of cliff
dwellers found sustsnance in these arid regions
answered by the fact that in the tertiary period
the upper Rio Grande Valley a vast lake into
which running streams flowed from all directions
over fertile areas the dry river beds still remain
ing. Finally the lake broke through a dam of
volcanic tufa twenry-six miles thick. and formed
the Rio Grande River. The large amount Of charred
corn found in the dwellings thus far explored
shows that II is of the staple products. II is
Of peculiar shape and different from the Mexican
corn OF to-day. Skeletons found la the cliff dwell
ings by the Rev G. S. Madden show that the
original jewellers IN the cliffs not Pueblo Ind
ians, but OF gigantic stature
Professor Hewitt found FIVE varieties Of cliff
dwellings each an Improvement upon the former
the oldest being dug In the perpendicular walls
OF the volcanic tufa. while the recent have
outbuildings and built on lodges. Mr.. Hewitt
will continue his explorations In the cliff dwellings
discoveries 70 the world in book form. He has the
fossil remains of prehistoric animals found in the
same region