Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-04

pueblo 0ullQerS OF
the Southwest and the mound builders
of the Mississippi Valley. In the can
yon he located a large spring, the only
source of water within radius of about
20 miles, and suspected that there must
have been human inhabitants nearby
from prehistoric times. But there were
no evidences left above ground.
Fox Chase Bares Clue.
His clue came from a small boy on a
neighboring ranch who told of chasing
a fox into a hole in the mountain.
Stirling found that where the fox had
disappeared there was a long narrow
passage through solid rock, just big
enough to admit man. The floor was
carpeted with prickly pear, deposited by
rats. Carrying stones in his hands as
protection against the spines he crawled
in and after a few yards found himself
in a chamber feet high and about 80
feet in radius-undoubted the home
of an ancient man. The floor was lit
tered with debris containing fragments
of primitive bone and stone articles and
textiles. The walls were blackened with
smoke and there were the remains OF
a fire, built many centuries ago, under
a natural fiue through which a strong
breeze was blowing. He has stumbled
into the subterranean home of van
ished race.
Stirling made several trial excava-
tons and will send an expedition to
make complete excavation later in
the year. Later he found several other
caves with evidences of human habita-
ton and some curious photographs and
rock paintings on the walls of the CAM
yon. The trail of the photographs nm
ally led him below the Mexican border
n continuance nf hn
and Rio Grande, where he found a
great assortment of them on the cliffs.
Two Series Of Photographs.
There were two series Of these picto-
graphs. The first, almost obliterated
and apparently very old, was made with
black pigment on fiat surfaces of the
rock and consisted Of geometrical de-
signs. The second series was in red
pigment and consisted of deer, antelope
and manlike figures. Stirling believes
that the geometric designs were those
OF the ancient people, while the animal
figures may have been made by the
Apaches, who occupied the region in
historic times. The former, being SYM
bolic, represent more advanced culture
than the latter, but the Apaches were
notably primitive people.
Stirling doubts that the ancient in
habitantS were primarily cave-dwelling
people, but they probably made use OF
such underground shelters as they could
ind as supplement to their other
dwellings, especially when pressure from
invaders made concealment necessary.
The cave that he will excavate formed
a perfect hiding place where fugitives
could live indefinitely, with view of
the country for miles around.
Shifting from Texas to Northeastern
Nevada, Stirling investigated an enorm-
Gus cavern in the Ruby Mountains from
which emerged a large stream. Astride
a log and carrying only flashlight the
explorer made his way for nearly mile
under the mountain. About the mouth
of this cave, apparently one of the
largest limestone cavernS in the world
although hitherto known only locally,
Stirling found evidence of a large an
Gent settlement. Watered by the river
and Astounding with game, it was an
ideal location for hunting people.
Other smaller caves nearby contained
evidence of human occupancy, such as
moke-blackened walls and accumula-
tons of debris. He believes further ex-
ploration of the great cave may re-
veal human settlements far under the
mountains.
Area Filled With Caves.
This area of the Ruby and Mary
Mountains, Stirling said. is full of caves
and of geological curiositieS, hitherto
unknown to scientists.
Among them is what was probably
at one time the largest geyser in the
country giant calcareous cone 10
feet high and 800 feet in diameter,
through the side Of which flows a
stream of hot water. About 80 feet
below the crest of the hollow cone is
the surface of deep body Of water,
probably extending downward several
hundred feet. Into this hot water,
according to local legends, the Indians
used to drop their captiveS.
Both the Texas and Nevada sites,
Stirling says, seem to be keypoints in
American archaeology. They are bor-
derline areas between well defined an
cient cultures, and neither has been ex-
plored by psychologists. In both places,
he says, the caves show such an accu-
mutation of debris, so that it probably
will be possible TO find culture layers
buried beneath culture layers, and thus
establish a time sequence in the popu-
lation of the country by different peo-
| Piles.