The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-05-03
WRITTEN FoR THE SUNDAY REPUBLIC.

WRITTEN FOR THE CNDAY REPUBLIC.
II any one supposes 1t an easy task to
explore among the buried cities Of Gen.
trail America he will do well to remove
his Misrepresentation by reading the report
of Teobert Mailer, describing the happen
ings and results Of three years OF travelling
and ~excavatiIg in the interest of the Pea
body Museum of Harvard University down
In the great rubber country of Mexico.
Not that the German-Amerfcan explorer
has undertaken to write at length of hard
ships encountered; he is too much absorbed
in his subject for that.
The discoveries made by Doctor Mailer
In the Usumatsintla Valley. and especially
about the hitherto unknown city of YAK
chilan. have added a fascinating chapter to
the story of what Is probably the most in
teresting branch of modern archaeology,
and the explorers enthusiasm has expenced
itself rather in glowing. il technical, de-
%scriptions of the new finds than in narra-
tives of adventure.
Still there are now and then in his story
little references to the difficulties of getting
along in that land of tangle and s-samps,
alive with brilliant-hued snakes and turtles.
with GORGEOUS purple-black blossoms OF
night and works by day under mosquito
netting and where the evening dews are so
like copious rains that men and photogra-
phfc instruments have to be kept under q
Eheatilfng OF oi1skir.
The scene Of Doctor Maler's explorations
was the valley of the Usumatsintla. in the
southern part OF the Yucatan country, in
the border land between Mexico and Gaute-
mala-
The region is thickly tangled with tropical
growths which have almost buried the ruins
of a dozen great cities OF the ancient Maya
Stones; Budsilha. or Smoking Water
which has received its name from a nearby
banks are strewn with stones; Analte. re-
nowned for the white lilies that hide the
SURFACE Of the river front OF the town.
from a tree producing a well-known Mexi-
can chewing gum.
These and several smaller places. nee
~ilization Cortez destroyed almost FIVE CEN
turtles ago. have given up to Doctor Ma
lers camera and pencil all manner Of data
regarding the life and art Of untold CEN
turtles.
DIFFICULT NAVIGATION.
Blu with what difficulties these records
were obtained at least may be learned from
the explorers matter Of fact statements of
instance. the travelling on the Usumatsintia
was one protracted struggle against the
swift current, hus the short passage of
was made, in a time of high water. when
the poles by which the cayuco. or native
dugout canoe. is ordinarily propelled up
up to the high banks.
AT such times the native ties a forked
stick to the end of his boat pole and draws
tIie CdJ uSO painfully up SlTedNl ny hooking
to branches of trees or shrubbery. And
not only the man with the pole, but also
the other occupants of the boat, ara sup
posed to lay hold Of anything protrud-
Ing. rom the banks and to pull with all
their might.
Often the craft has 10 be tugsed by main
force through hundreds of yards of thick
foliage. half submerged by the flood. and
then. again. passages are encountered
where the waters run so swiftly that the
voyagers are whrled sharply around by
them and swept down stream. Sometimes
Doctor Mailer found it necessary to make
three or four attempts before a rapid could
be s~urmounted.
"While we rested at night" he continues.
I'VE fastened our cayuco to the branches of
a great chimon and protected ourselves and
our baggage as well as we could with oiled
cloths against the heavy night rains. 1T was
not possible to go on shore. as everything
was flooded A t noon of the second dsy
we finally arrived at the ruined city. the
location OF which one OF my men recognized
by certain signs. The 'cuyo' on the low
shore which generally serves to mark the
srot had entirely vanished under the water.
We now breathed more freely. and. glad of
having thus far surInounted all difficulties.
We fastened our cayuco to a tree. My men
admired one another as heroes. and each
asserted that had 1t not been for him We
never could have come up the river.
I'm the meantime we sought shelter in the
ne!ghboring 'sho.e temple But as the en-