El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-07-12

spiral The whole structure is like that
of a small shell, and, when finished at
the top with a key block frOmS q
beautiful dome. 1t is a special and
peculiar method of making an arch;
and so strong is the dome that the
key block may safely be omitted Tor
the passage Of smoke Sometimes
window Of clear ice is put into the
side. A long passage Of similar con
structiOn (tO keep the cold QUIT, leads
to the main apartment beneath the
dome Supplementary rooms, for sLOr-
age OF other purposes, may be ADDED
When summer comes, the house melIs
away, and the inmates content them
selves during the warm season with
a rude shelter of driftWOOd or whale
ribs covered with skins
PaTnees From Alaska.
It seems very odd to find the Pawnee
indians of Oklahoma living today IN
houses altogether similar to those used
by the Alaskan ESkmO-that is TO say,
finely timbered structures covered with
earth and OverSrOwn with grass Ine
probable explanation is that the Paw
nees came ancientIy from Alaska. their
traditions point to origin In the Tar
north. Although of primitive appear
ance, as viewed by the casual eye their
dwellings are beautifully constructed
Every timber OF the framing is named
the chief ones after certain gods Ii
costs as much TO build one Of these
PaWnee houses as 1t does to put up
fairly expensive modern city residence
To reproduce one Of them for the Pan
ANA exposition viii involve an eNpend-
iture Of $500.
Indian Homes IN Sonora.
The PapaEO indians, of Sonora, In
western Mexico, inhabit region where
there is no wood worth mentioning, and
they are obliged, for building purposes
to fall back upon grass. In such
climate grass houses are entirely sub
stantial, cool and cheap. For proJec-
ton against SemiOCCasiOnal wet, the
roof of the dwelling is spread with
mud
In the bay Of California. which sep
arates the mainland Of Sonora from
Lower California, there is a tribe or
savages known as the Seri-occasional
cannibals, and supposed TO be the most
primitive people on this continent
who occupy the large island of TiburOn.
Their houses are Of stones rudely piled
one on top of another after the ancient
CyclOpean method, with the back shell
of q huge marine turtle for roof
There are in California a number Of
tribes Of abOrigineS, the most civilized
Of whom (Speaking in terms merely
relatiVe)-build houses Of planks which
they get out by splitting tree trunks
with wedges. With such plankS Lneg
construct dwellings of circular shape,
well rooted. which they use for sleep
ing purposes. But their sitting rooms
$50 to call them) are the rudest imagin-
able structures of a few poles with
leafv bOughs Of trees on top TO keep
off the sun. Nearby the houses there
is always an arrangement of long, thin
poles set up in such a way as to form
a huge basket for the reception Of the
family store of acOrns-this being the
household granary-
But it is the Wichita indians Of Kan
sas and Oklahoma, who have found the
Queerest use for baskets They live
in them. The houses Of these people
are nothing in the world but huge oas-
kets turned upside down. the frame,
made in cOiled fashion. like a snail
shell. being covered with straw tied on
in punches Close at hand there is al
ways q platform on poles (for safety
from Dogs. which is used for the dry
ing and curing Of meat or other prov
au6nr