Hickory daily record., 1922-10-27
DR.:FEllkE5F|ND6
PREHISTORIC
RUN
BY the Associated Press.

Ov the ASSOclateQa freSS.
Washington, Oct. 27.-Dr. J. Walter
Fewkes, chief of the bureau Of Ameli-,
can ethnology Smithsonian Institution,
who has recently returned from q
season Of archaeological fieA-work on
the Mesa Verde National Park. Colo
RADIO. reports the unexpected uneartll-,
ing of a most interesting and instr1lc-
tive premiStoric ruin to which he
has given the name 1Ripe Shrine
House., because. Of the large number.
of tobacco pipes which were found
scattered In circular shrine just
as they had been thrown there during
ceremonial rites, untold centuries ago.
The Mesa Verde Park was reserved
from settlement some years ago by
congress on account Of the numerous
cliff dwellings in it's canyon but
later it was discovered that there.
were as many pueblos on the open
top Of the mesa as in the cliffs. Thesc
have Jared badly from the elements,
on account of exposure, and are now
reduced to mounds without wall
sabove ground.
For some years DIR. Fewkes has
been active in unearthing and clear
fnie out these -sUtrvcnirss of otixse pee
:
continent, and it has been through
his efforts mainly that the ruins have
been preserved. Excavating several
Of the mounds that were takento be
natural formations it was found that
they were in reality the mouldering
heaps Of fallen houses and temples; &
Last May DR.. Fewkes undertook the
excavation Of a. mound in the neigh
shS,v. aF
motor tourists as Mummy Lake. Tha
results of his excavations were as
instructive as interesting and unex-
pected :
Olt OF the mound emerged a rectan-
guia,, Building about 20: feet square
and one story high, accurately orient
ed to the cardinal points of the COM
pass, with a circular tower formerly
Is to 20 feet high, like church
steeple, midway in the western wall.
This tower is supposed to have been
for observation, and as it is very
important for an agricultural people
to determine the seasons of the year,
it was probably by watching the sun
as it arises or sets that they deter
mined the time for planting and for
other events.
In the middle of this building was
found a circular room twenty feet
deep and about the same IN diameter.
in which were found more than ia.
dozen clay pipes, .4sntlnaerous.- Stone
knives, pottery, idols and other OBJ
jects. Pipes Of this kind have never
before been found on the Mesa Vefde
and as all the indications point to
the belief that after ther ite Of
smoking they were thrown into the
shrine, the ruins were called Pipe
Shrine House. Es l@-s s5Ess.s
"A few feet south Of the building,
which was not a hapitation but speeiA-
ized for ceremonies, there is a square
room or shrine redicated to the md4n-
tain lion; stone. image of (which
was found surrounded by water-woxn
stones and other strangely formed
stones. A similar shrine is found. On
the northeast corner Of Pipe Shrine
House in which, among other objects,
was small iron meteurite and slab
of stone on which is depicted symbol
of the SUM-. a. ,,:.9l.ssz.r - q s.
The cemetaries of the .pueblos ofsthe.
Mesa Verde are situated near their
southeast corner, and while the b1fiaaS
in them have as q rule been srei1uvedy
by vandals, several -interneuts WeRe
found in the cemetery near Pipe >
Shrine House. One Of these was left
without moving single bone aud an
enclosure with skeleton more tkaH
500 years old with f0od bowls and
other pieces of pottery Just as they :
were when left by relatives that long
ago. This is said to be the first tim.
care has been taken to preserve for
inspection a pre- Columbian skeleton