Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-06

single door, by which each was entered.
The smallness of these doors is one of the
most striking features of the ruins All are
about the same size. twenty by thirty
inches although some have notch in the
lower edge for the knee. giving them the
appearance of enormous keyholes. All have
1ntels and jambs made of Il single thin
slab of rock and the thresholds of many
are deeply worn by knees. Whether these
entrances were made small because the
builders were a small race of men or to
more easily prevent an enemy from enter
ing is an open question.
Fear of Attack.
Apparently the cliff jewellers lived in con-
slant fear of attack by hostile tribes, for
In every village the remains of an eiab-
crate system of Notifications. The Spruce
Tree House was protected in front by
stone wall more than two feet thick run
ming across the front of the cave and JONI
Ing the cliff on the south end and the 'front.'
walls of a series Of strong rooms on the
north. 1t is impossible to tell exactly how
high this was. as II is now complete rum,
but from the amount of stone used In its
construction. and the fact that this village
was so easily accessible from below, II must
have been at least twenty feet. There were
also two watch towers. one about thirty
feet high, with platform on top, pre-
sumably for a sentinel. The other tower is
a sort of block house. its front wall being
pierced with small loop-holes for arrows at
venently shoot through
From the back of the middle group OF
houses to the rear walls of the cave is an
open space. which is very dark, and when
all the walls were intact must have been
entirely without light This area is twenty
yards long by six or seven wide, and from
the number of corn cobS mixed with the
deep layer of dust on the floor 1t appears
to have been used as granary. Inc Two
small rooms abutting on the rear waliS
have no openings. and probably contain
mummies, as it is in such sealed rooms
that they have been found.
Much Destructive Work.
Considerable pottery, weapons and arma-
meuts have been taken from this house;
also several mummies. In digging the men
Casually cowboys camped there for the pur-
pose between round-ups) were very de-
structive In one case the whole front
wall was torn out of house TO make room
TO throw the rubbish.
The Balcony House is situated in what
IS known as Ruin canyon, and is reached
by descent from the mesa, or table land,
above. The old cliff jewellers used to climb
down to their homes. using foot and hand
holds, which were dug in the sheer cil1.
These. however. have been destroyed py
the ravages of time. The house or village
contains about twenty-five rooms some IN
perfect condition. Back of this house is
poultry barn, with five perches still IN
place
The chief interest is in the walls, built
to fortify the village. The weak points
were the front of the cave, which might
have been reached by enemies from below
scaling the cliff if they were undisturbea,
as in a night attack, and the narrow ledge
south of the village, accessible from the
ton of the mesa at its farther end Dy
means of the foot-holds cut In the CHI
face. To protect the front OF the cave i
fcur-foOt wall, nearly two feet thick, was
built across the mouth, the base of which
was carried down and smoothed off flush
with the cliff. making it impossible 10
scale. A pebble dropped over this wall
will fall one hundred feet. The legitimate
entrance to the village was along the ledge
to the south. This was nearly one hun
cred feet long, guarded at short Intervals
by series of low stone walls, or sentry
boxes and before entering the cave 1t ran
feet long, formed by the breaking off and
settling of a great piece of cliff.
Strong Stone Wall.
Across this cleft, about midway of is
length, was built strong stone wall, high
enough to prevent any possibility of seal
ing and pierced near the bottom by a door
two feet square This door led into a roof
ed passage fifteen feet long. and but little
larger than the door, the roof of which
formed a platform. on which a sentinel
could stand and command the door by
means of a loop-hole. waist high, pointing
dlagonally downward which would bring a
man in easy arrowshot at twenty feet
from the wall. In case the enemy effected
an entrance the platform was pierced with
holes so that man crawling through the
passage could easily be shot in the back oy
the same sentinel.
These are the ruins which Representative
Lacey. in his report made last week, would
have preserved as part of national park