The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1906-05-05
WONDERFUL CONE DWELLINGS
There Are at Least $4,000, Says .
Traveller, and Some Have
Nine Stories.

known as the Colorado Cliff Dwellings
Association, whose object is to protect
and preserve the historical cliff dwell
ings in Colorado. ..-s
1t is in Cappadocia. Asia Minor. Mr..
Sterrett says. that the real twentieth
century Troglodytes (cave dwellers,
are to be found. The whole cave
dwelling region of Cappadocia, he
says. is Of volcanic formation, com
posed of deep layer of pumice stone.
tufa or peperine. overlaid in some
places by rugged lava fields. The pun
ice or tufa is of incredible thickness.
but the overlaid layer of lava is COM
paratively thin. and SO soft that 1t can
be dug away with the thumb nail.
The caves are formed In cones, ex-
tending in height from fifty to 800 feet.
The tallest cones usually stand in the
centre of an eroded valley, Mr.. Sterrett
says. Many of them are In process of
disintegration. and in some the exter-
for walls have been worn away to such
an extent that the inner chambers are
visible from the outside. Such exposed
chambers, II they lie fairly toward the
Sun, are used for drying grapes and
other fruits.
Mr.. Sterrett says there are easily 3d.
900 of these cone caves IN Cappadocia.
The caves were bored out with COM
paratively little trouble. One chamber.
twenty five feet long. thirteen feet
broad and ten feet high, was exca-
waited by single workman IN the
short space of thirty days.
The cave jewellers of Cappadocia
have gone to some pains. Mr.. Sterrett
says, to ornament and give an archi-
tectural and decorative effect to the
caves which they make their abode.
Especially have they given free play
to their architectural imagina ton in
the laying out of their churches, chap
els and temples. Some elaborate ef-
fects have been produced.
Mr.. Sterrett gives an entertaining de-
scription of the manner in which the
abodes Of the cave dwellers of Cappa-
docia have been laid out. On entering
the doorway Of any Of these cone
dwellings, he says. the visitor finds
himself within spacious chamber.
about the walls of which shelves and
inches for the storage IT small house
hold effects have been cut into the
stone. The stairways leading to the
upper stories are like wells or rounded
chimneys and the ascent from the
lower to tb. upper stories is made by
means of iaAder holes cut into the rock.
The Aoors between the stories are
usually thick enough to sustain any
weight that might be put upon them.
but occasionally the excavators mis-
calculated the thickness Of stone
cut out one .ofty chamber where they
had intended to make two.
AS many as nine stories are to be
found in single cone, Mr.. Sterrett
says. but the usual number is two.
three or four stories. The nunler of
stories can always be indicated by the
windows. The cave dwellers utilize
their windows as dOv. cotes for
pigeons, hosts of which flock to the
places provided for them. The natives
eat the eggs and flesh of the birds.
Mr.. Ste.rett contributes this COM
ment on the habits of life OF these
modern cave jewellers:
1.-THE natives of this region are still.
to all intents and purposes, Troglo-
dytes. but If we leave out Of considera
ton the fact that their dwellings a:e
at least partially under ground. they
differ in habits and customs in no
whit from the ordinary Turkish villas
with ordinary humdrum surroundings.
Mr.. Sterrett gives this description of
some of the modern cave dwellings:
sSometimes the front of the house is
lNilt of blocks of pumice stone. while
all the rest of the abode is subtcrran-
can. the cone of cliff being used as an
annex. but in most cases n modern
dwelling IS eScavated, not in a cone.
but in the face of the bluff. and thus
becomes cliff dwelling. properly 50
called. This is true of the business
street OF the town of Urgub. where the
front or facade opening on the street
Is the only room in the dwelling into
which the light comes. The other
rooms are in midnight darkness all the
year round. The owner Of such an
abode can extend his dwelling indef;-
nitely into the bowels of the earth and
TO one need know aught Of his en-
larged residence. feature which is
no: without its advantages in land
where the wise man .oaceals the fact
that he is wealthy. The interior cham
bers are used chiefly for granaries and
storage. Even their chaff. which is
made to take the place of our hay. is
safely slowed away in these dry and
dark chambers. In passing along the
main street of Urgub the superficial
observer will not detect the slightest
indication that he is in the presence of
Troglodyte dwellings. though he may
quickly convince himself that such j.
the fact. Tie upland or plateau lev
q thu region abounds in haunoc.-