New Britain herald., 1916-01-18
FIND PREHISTORIC
 RUIN IN MESA VERDE
Mysterious Sun Temple Unearthed
 in National Park

Washington, Jan. 1.-The report
 just submitted to the Secretary of the Interior by Dr. J. Walter FeWkes, of the Smithsonian Institution, who conducted the excavations of last summer in the Mesa Verde National park, shows that the ruins then un~ earthed were of extraordinary inter est. In fact, Sun Temple, as it has been named, is an altogether new and mysterious type of ruin. the discovery of which Dr. Fewkes calls a service to American archaeology.
 The mound which pr. Fewkes, at the request of the Interior Depart ment, opened last summer lay on a point of the Mesa directly across Cliff Canyon, and opposite the celebrated prehistoric ruin known as Cliff Pal ace. Stones strewn on it's surface had shown signs of having been worked artifcially. indicating the character oe the masonry of some ancient build ing undoubtedly buried below. Cedar or pinyon trees of great age grew upon the mound. Indications pointed to building of large size. Dr. Fewkes had reported these facts as long ago as 1909 and 1t had become his great desire to penetrate the mystery.
 During the prosecution of the work last summer nothing reached print although a ruin of large size and unknown character was rapidly emerging and hundreds of national park tourists visited the spot and listened to pr. Fcwkes's campfire talks at night. During the autumn a few hints of the importance of the discovery became public; but the off, cial report, here epitomized, contains the first definite information on the subject.
 Of Entirely New Type.
 All his hopes, pr. Fewkes reports, were realized. "The results of three months york;" he says. "were more than had been expected.
 There was brought to light type of ruin hitherto unknown in the park, and, as was well expressed by a vis- itor, the building excavated shows the best masonry and is the most myster- ous ruin yet discovered in region rich in so many prehistoric remains at first there was some doubt IS to the use of this building, it was early recognized that it was not con- structed for habitation. and 1t is now believed that it was intended for the performance of rites and cerem onies; he first of it's type devoted to re- igious purposes yet re-organized in he Southwest.
 Sacred Rooms and Others.
 There are about 1000 feet of walls n the whole building. These walls l 4 feet in thickness. and are l louble, inclosing central core of rub 'le and adobe. They are uniformly 1 yell made.
 "The rooms in this building," con- inues the report, ''vary in form and ype one kind being circular, the other rectangular. The former are 1 identified as kivas, or sacred rooms; 1 he purpose of the latter unknown. There are two circular rooms or kivas if about equal size in the original building and a third occupies the cen CT of the annex
 New Light on Pueblo Culture.
 Outside the main building is a cir ,ular building with walls feet thick l which closely resem bles the base of a over. This was probably intended, ike the tower" in Cliff Palace, for erem onial rites.
 One of the most interesting fea- ures is the establishment of the 1 valls by geometrical figures cut in heir surfaces-a rare form of deco ation. Several stones with incised igures were set in the walls. Gener- Llly, the designs are geometric, but here are others, including the figure If ladder leaning against a wall, turkey tracks and the conventional ign for flowing water.
 Mystery of the Fossil Palm Leaf.
 "The fine masonry, the decorated tones that occur in it, and the unity f plan stamp Sun Temple as the ighest example of Mesa Verde ar hitecture.'
 The walls were constructed of the andstone of the neighborhood. Many tone hammers and pecking stones were found in the neighborhood.
 One of the most remarkable fea- ures of the structures is a stone ossil set in the outer wall near the outhwest corner. MT. F. H. Knowl- on, of the United States National 1useun, has identified this as the ossil leaf of a palm tree of the Gre aceous epoch. The point is that the ayed leaf resemb bled the sun, and the ncient races were sun worshipers. natural object resembling the sun Voulu poWeIIully dIIect a primitive l nind
 Mystery of the Temples Age.
 Naturally the two first questions Lsked about this structure concern l ts age and it's uses. Both are myster- es.
 Tt is Impossible says the report, to tell when Sun Temple was begun 'r how long it took for it's construc- lon or when it was deserted There 1 Ire indications that it's walls were lever completed, and from the mount of fallen stones there can hardly be a doubt that when it was abandoned they had been carried up | r some places at least feet above heir present level. kThe top of the