OCR Text |
Show 30 this point, overlooking the river, are the ruins of a quadrangular structure of peculiar design. Referring to the ground- plan, as shown in Fig. 2, Plate 16, we see that it is arranged very nearly at right angles to the river, its greatest depth on the left, where it runs back 120 feet; the front sweeps back in a diagonal line, so that the right- hand side is only 32 feet in depth. The back wall is 158 feet long, and at right angles to the two sides. In the center of the bnilding, looking out upon the river, is an open space 75 feet wide, and averaging 40 feet in depth, its depressed center divided nearly equally by a ridge running through it at right angles to the river. Wejudgeditto have been an open court, because there was not the least vestige of a wall in front, or on the ridge through the center, while upon the other three sides they were perfectly distinct; although it is difficult to explain why it should have been hollowed out in the manner shown in the plan. Back of this court is a series of seven apartments of equal size, springing in a perfect arch from the heavy wall facing the court, leaving a semicircular space in the center, 45 feet across its greatest diameter. Each one is 15 feet in length, and the same in width across its center, the walls somewhat irregular in thickness, but averaging 20 inches, compact, and well laid. On the left are three rooms extending across the whole width of the building, each averaging 45 by 40 feet square; on the right only one was discernible. Back of the circle, our impression was that the walls diverged in the manner shown in the plan, although there is so much confusiou resulting from the heaping up of the debris that much must be left to conjecture. There is also a slight shadow of doubt in regard to the wall facing the river on the right; it is barely possible that it extended somewhat farther out, although there is here a steep inclination to the brink of the bluff, and that it has become entirely obliterated by its foundations giving way. The remains of the wall above, however, led us to believe that it had been originally built in the way it is shown in the plan. Extreme massiveness is indicated throughout the whole structure by the amount of debris about the line of the walls, forming long rounded mounds, 4 to 5 feet high, with the stone- worjj; cropping out, 20 to 24 inches in thickness. Portions of the outer wall have fallen outward almost in one solid piece, the stones remaining spread out in much the same order they occupied in the standing wall. The stones were of fair size, but yet not so large but that one man could haudle the largest of them. They were obtained from the neighboring bluff, and probably undressed, but broken iuto very nearly rectangular blocks, so that when carefully laid and dressed up with adobe cement they would have all the effect of dressed stone. Their extreme age, which has crumbled a great many into dust and rounded the asperities of all into shapeless bowlders, renders any conjecture upon this point somewhat uncertain. Where portions of the undisturbed wall did appear above the rubbish it showed a solid, well- constructed masonry. No indications whatever could be found of any passage- ways, nor could we expect to find any so near their base, for all of the apartments were probably entered by ladders, the same as in other buildings of this order that we have found in other localities. Upon either side and back of this building were low, indefinite lines of earth, not more than 12 to 18 inches above the surrounding surface, inclosing areas from 40 to 60 feet in diameter, which were probably corrals for domesticated animals, the walls being composed of adobe or turf brought from the valley below, and which would, of course, wash down to a barely perceptible ridge. |