The San Francisco call., 1901-11-03

the homes of a people mo'dered to decay
thousands of years ago. The first impress
sion made upon all was one of intense
surprise. The ruins are not the rude huts
of savages, but, though primitive in
structure have suggestions of architect
ural grace The general sentiment In me
first view of the Cliff Palace is to marvel
at its beauty AS it is, it is sheltered
from both storm ard enemy, but it looks
lonely and isolated it is filled with the
debris of its own ruins and the rooms are
choked with dust.
The finest of all the dwellings in the
United States is very large. 1t is fash
ioncd very much like the popular apart
ment house of to-day. On the ground
floor there are 127 rooms, some Of them
very large, and some so small that they
look just like little dens.
There. are two noticeable facts con-
nected with the house One of the kheVi
or cstufas shows the places for the sacred
HreS anu SpunG Wills 9IlN CSs.liiSo' i''C
OPENINGS were from the top through
which admission was gained. None of the
three rooms so situated has doors or
windows and it is very evident that they
were used for religious and ceremonial
purposes. The other evidence was that
the same house was used for the dead as
for the living. Several of the walls were
tightly walled up, but when broken down
were found to contain well preserved
skeletons.
Pieces of hide ears and co5s of corn,
pieces of feather cloth, urns and vases,
and. rcnos made of yucca fiber. beside )
arrow heads, parts of bows, and some
remains OF turkey bones, were found, but
the vandal hands of s!ghtseers have car
ried off everything that 1t was possible
to remove There is nothing now left ex-
cepting that which is too heavy and too
urwieldy to carry away.
Spruce House, so called from the fact
that monster spruce tree has grown up
through the walls, showing the ages that
must have come and gone since the tiny
seeding found its home in the ruins is
the blessed refuge Of the visitor Aside
from its romantic location, and the thick
growth of trees that affords the weary
traveller a little rest, there is stream Of
clear, cold water. To improve this spring
Mrs John Hays Hammond has given
$500 that it may be accessible to climbers.
There are about fifty or sixty rooms in
the house, but the walls are so badly
crumbled that it is impossible to know
anything about them.
Balcony House is in many respects the
best preserved of all. And again 1t shows
the most recent occupancy. All the walls
are smooth and even the stones are well
fitted together. The tower is still
straight, square, and has three windows
The whole idea gathered is that very
few men could hold out indefinitely
against a vastly superior enemy.
The names OF all these houses have
been derived from something connected
with them For instance, Balcony House
is so called from the projection that was
undoubtedly used to sit and rest upon
Like all the ruins in Cliff Canyon it is
difficult of access, and is filled with dry
dust and fallen walls,
The Colorado Cliff Dwellers' Associa-
ton has presented a bill asking that
'the cliff dwellings, of Colorado shall not
be destroyed by time or vandalism, but
that they may be preserved for the bene-
fit of scientific investigation for years 10
come
If this bill is passed, as it is confident
ly expected ii will be, the ruins w,ll
long remain pride and pleasure for
the people Of the United States, and a
wonder and an attraction to foreigners.