The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1923-02-10

Living trees and cut timbers may
become the mute calendars of much of
the undated pre-Columbian history of
North america, as the result of a new
means of time determination to be
tirst applied to the study of the Chaco
canyon ruins. explored by the National
Geographic society.
Of the accomplished people who
built the remarkable communal dwell
ings in northwestern New Mexico. de-
velOped a relatively high civilization
and left traces of marvellous engineer
ing feats and exquisite art objects. II
has been said regretfully they had no
calendars such as the elaborate time
keeping devices of the Mayas of Gen.
-traI AmerifO -
1t seems taey uad, but did lot know
it. Recent study of tree growth shows
that trees not only register the passing
years by their rings; but the contour,
thickness and conformation of these
rings indicate climatic changes from
year to year. Moreover these changes
are cyclic.
Have Story to Tell.
"Oh. that they could tell their
story many q nature lover has ex-
claimed as he gazed at some tree pa
triarch which had Outlived many gen
erations Of human beings. All along
the trees could tell their story but
mankind is Just learning to read it.
DR.. A. f. Douglas of the University
0e Arizona and the Carnegie lnsti-
ute has developed a method which
science now recognizes as a trustwor-
thy process of reading tree records Of
time 7 climate. Despite the remark
able accomplishments of the National
Geographic society's expeditions to
Pueblo Bonito beautiful Yalley) Of
Ciiaco canyon, the leader. Neil VI.
Judd. admits that no evidence has
been found 70 give a satisfactory an
slyer 70 the question most often asked.
allow old is the rnin?.
WAS it 500. or 1900 A. D.. or even
longer ago than That. looking down
from sheer canyon cliffs the Wander
Jag jew might have seen children at
play on the roofs Of the giant Pueblo
Ronito apartment house Ito mention
only one) and their elders at work on
their garden plots If squash. corn and
beans? OR fashioning some of the
beautiful pottery or tiny ornaments
which resemble earrings Of 1922? Or
worshiping with elaborate ritual in the
eiOistered kiyas?
OF course there are no thousand
1ear-old trees among the pines and
jumpers of New Mexico or Arizona.
The oldest ones yet found are from
400 to 500 years old. The question
then arises How bridge the gap be-
tween these trees n the spar Of
years represented by the timbers used
IN the roof supports of Bonito's excel
len masonry?
Therein lies the romance of the
forthcoming expeditions for which the
National Geographic society has just
made a grant of $4,000 a year for
three years. The quest has lall the
mystery Of a detective story. the in
trigue Of a Baconian cipher. yet its
working out will furnish valuable fact
as well as mental enjoyment.
Detective Methods in History Study.
Briefly, the method of study contem-
plates getting cross sections Of the old
est living trees, her obtaining from
other pueblos, of more recent supposed
date. timbers which overlap the newly
cut trees in time period, then working
ever backward with older and older
specimens until those are found which
correspond, in their cyclic indications,
to those of the Chaeo canyon pueblos.
Walpi and Oraibi, in Arizona, and
Zuni and AcOma, in New Mexico, the
last mentioned being the oldest con-
%tinuously occupied pueblo in the South
west. will be visited in an effort 10
patch together tree sections which win
carry the forest almanac back to dat
ing distance of the far more elaborate
Chaco canyon ruins.
A second line of study will concern
itself with a study of buried stumps
near Flagstaff, Ariz., and other stumps
farther west in recently washed-out
concluded third column, this page.)