The copper era and Morenci leader., 1917-03-30
SCIENTISTS ARE ID INVESTIGATE
 RUINS
Smithsonian Institute Will Send Ex- petition Into Navajo Reservation to Look Over Old Cliff Dwellings.

WASHINGTON, D. C., Mar 24- MT. Neil M. Judd, of the United States Museum, has just left for Arizona to supervise for the Smithonian lnsti- tuition the excavation and repair of prehistoric ruins and cliff dwellings,. The work will be carried on under a provision in the Indian Appropria- tion Act, Interior Department, for the preservation and repair of the re- mains of ancient dwelling places of certain American aborigines in the Navajo National Monument.
 The Navajo National Monument comprises three large ruins located in the northern part of the Navajo Reservation, in Arizona, about 175 miles by rail north of Flagstaff. There is a road for about a third of the way but there is little traffic from it's termination to the Navajo Monu- ment. From there the way is diff cult to travel also on account of the scarcity of water in the desert to be crossed, the lack of opportunity to purchase supplies, and the steepness which is truly in the High Rocks, '' as the Hopis designate the location of their former home.
 
 but nevertheless the route is an in- teresting one, for it passes through Painted Desert, a picturesque coun- try especially attractive on account of the native legends and descriptions relating to the surroundings. Super stition mountain, for example, where, so the Navajo stories relate, fires are to be seen on dark nights, recalls the old Snake legend which claims that all this country once belonged to the ! Fire God, and that they inherited ii from him. In the olden days, so they relate, the inhabitants used to see lights moving around the mesas. Jour neying over the recent lava beds and cinder plains today, it is easy for the traveller to accept the story of the early proprietorship of this burnt-out country, and attribute the fires seer there to volcanic eruptions and the glowing lava of years ago, which is quite enough to substantiate the leg end. Among the fantastically erodet rocks, forming natural sculpture: along the trail, are Elephant Lags and White Mesa Natural bridge which lend interest en route to the Monument, as does also the Indian village where still dwell descendant: of the early inhibitants.
 The ancient pueblo and cliff dwell ings were first scientifically examined in 1908, by a party of which MT. Judo was a member, led by Prof. Byro1 Cummings, formerly of the Universi ty of Utah, and now of the Universit! of Arizona. They are supposed to b, the ruins of dwellings made by thu Snake people whose descendants iv' today in Hopi villages in northeastern Arizona. Some of the houses built il the cliffs are very large, measuring several hundred feet in length am include as many as a hundred rooms Naturally, some of the original room are buried in fallen debris but thei excavation and repair is to be carrie out between now and the end of Jun by MT. Judd and his party.
 The only human being, living il the neighborhood of these ruins is a
 Indian trader and few Navajos wh are very superstitious. None of ther will dig in the ruins fearing to envok the wrath of the spirits of the deat so MT. Judd will be forced to engag white laborers at Flagstaff, probabl six in number and a cook, relying O
 the native Navajos only for trai
 making and the transportation of hi
 supplies and building materials to tn
 ruins where the work is to be done.