Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1911-03-21
FIND TREES
THAT BLEED
Their Sap Is Like Human
Blood, Says Explorer
Sylvanus C. Morley
TRIALS OF ARCHAEOLOGIsTS
Insect Life in IGuatemala Makes
Repose Difficult and
Dangerous.

/
A letter has been received by X. NJ.
y, Chapman of the school Of American
a, Archaeology from S. G. Morley,
who is now in Guatemala with a party
'of scientists working on the site of
the ancient city of Cuirigua. Mr.. Nor
ley writes
We started work on the ruins Feb
ruary IA and have been at it JUS four
weeks. We have removed all the
trees from the pyramids and mounds
except the northern one and few out
lying groups not includede in the main
temple area. The latter are not to
be cleared this year. This work,
small as it sounds on paper, was con-
siderable because of the size of the
trees which had grown on the pyra-
mids. Some measured eigh' feet in
diameter and many We're over I6O feet
high. They are sustained by enor.
nous prop roots running in many
cases rs to 100 feet from the tree
; along the top of the ground. They
look like great snakes
! The telling of the trees was in
some instances rendered more diff
cult by their leaning toward some of
the monuments. This necessitated
their being roped and pulled as they
We're being cut so that they fell away
from instead of toward the monuments
which they would pulverize if they
: ever hit.
The first step in telling one of
these big trees that has to be pulled
down is to send up boy to tie a ca
Die He climbs up like monkey by one
OF the gauJucas or one of the climbing
. vines. Then the caribs who are the
aAmen par excellent build a scaffold
. around the roots of the tree and cut
= II ABOUT seven feet above the ground
, Whlie a force of 20 natives are pull
ing steadily in the direction il ia de.
q sired to fell the tree. Avery nro.
. nounced lean may be overcome in this
n way When one of the monsters falls
. shiver literally, passes over the
- ruins, 1t is like the quivering of a
4 big bowl of gelatine.
% The trees are of many kinds. ma.
ID hogany, rosewood, salmwood. chicle
N sapote, the sap of which gives the
g. chewable ingredient of chewing gum
F. pread-nut rubber, and freak tree
! Ii
o. called the palo 1angre or blood tree
~ so named because when cut it bleeds
lhe sap is exactly the color and thick
ish consistency of blood There are
many others of course, the names of
\. which | do not know. Now that the
trees have been felled the hercula.
,e mean task of getting these trunks off
the mounds is going forward This
Is very slow as the mozos seem IN
J. able to grasp the lever principle a1o
IN the use of crow bars. However. the
ic east wing of the main group is about
s, cleaned up and looks bully. The ont
le line OF the stairway may be traced
a. and the steps themselves are in some
pc instances in position, though this un.
fortunately is the exception rather
than the rule. ! forsee that we will
get in very little excavation this sea
son but if We can clear all of the
mounds of all vegetation and sprinkle
them, with poison preparation O
| white arsenic and caustic soda Just be
W fore we leave we will feel satisfied
w with the first years work.
I'VE will have felled all trees which
va could have damaged the monument:
by falling and laid bare the mound.
so that it will be possible to see wha
the outline OF the city consisted of
Moreover, excavation on any seal,
would be difficult this year because o
N the tangle of roots in the ground
=" Next year they will have become suffi
ciently rotted so that We can Gu
to them out with a spade. The groun,
I is so water-soaked the year aroun,
that this is quite impossible.
Fighting Mosquitoes.
We'll, I have outlined the nature O
NV the work; the weather is not too no
Dl except in the sun and we can almos
,s,o always find shade near the work a
~, hand. The chief discomfort is tn
Do insect life; it is absolutely unsafe t
in sit down on anything unless you ar
,in prepared to take the consequences i
ave the shape of bites from ants, ticks
.wo fleas, white flies, gnats and so fortl
nee We wear head-nets, which though he
i'm and stuffy, protect us. And glove.
in though hot and STICKY, protect ou
eed hands. Either this or campho-pheI
he ique the strong odor of which keep
lsa- the insects off. That | think is ou
al most unpleasant feature, though whel
ere ever q mosquito gets me / have
ing twinge of feeling that he may hav
nat given me hypodermic injection {
'alf malaria.
ally
Ioot
get Our house is just two miles frol
) of the ruins, the banana railroad, hoy
ack ever, runs from our front door rigl
BILE. down to the ruins and since our ga
epu oline railroad car arrived, it has mad
rust the trip very easily, it holds fol-
aw. quite comfortably. OF course in th
the
imi
Continued on page seven.)