﻿HATDEN.j 
  LETTER 
  TO 
  THE 
  SECRETARY. 
  15 
  

  

  a 
  semicircular 
  apartment 
  in 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  building, 
  and 
  the 
  rear 
  of 
  

   the 
  court, 
  about 
  the 
  outer 
  circle 
  of 
  which 
  was 
  ranged 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  seven 
  

   other 
  apartments 
  averaging 
  thirty-five 
  by 
  fifty 
  feet. 
  Under 
  the 
  bluffs, 
  

   and 
  almost 
  overhanging 
  the 
  stream, 
  were 
  a 
  row 
  of 
  little 
  cave-houses. 
  

   Other 
  cave-houses 
  were 
  niched 
  in 
  the 
  cave-like 
  recesses 
  of 
  the 
  bluffs 
  

   for 
  some 
  distance 
  above 
  and 
  below. 
  

  

  Some 
  ten 
  miles 
  farther 
  the 
  bordering 
  bluffs 
  came 
  down 
  quite 
  near 
  

   the 
  stream, 
  in 
  some 
  places 
  overhanging 
  it. 
  Cave 
  and 
  cliff 
  ruins 
  oc- 
  

   curred 
  frequently 
  in 
  them. 
  Upon 
  the 
  south 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  an 
  impor- 
  

   tant 
  cave 
  ruin 
  was 
  discovered, 
  which 
  was 
  quite 
  remarkable 
  in 
  its 
  way. 
  

   Imagine 
  a 
  perpendicular 
  bluff 
  nearly 
  three 
  hundred 
  feet 
  in 
  height, 
  the 
  

   upper 
  half 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  a 
  firm, 
  white 
  sandstone, 
  and 
  the 
  lower 
  half 
  a 
  dull 
  

   red, 
  soft, 
  and 
  friable 
  variety. 
  Time 
  has 
  excavated 
  an 
  almost 
  perfectly 
  

   hemispherical 
  cave 
  from 
  this 
  bluff, 
  equally 
  divided 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  

   kinds 
  of 
  rock. 
  It 
  is 
  two 
  hundred 
  and 
  fifty 
  feet 
  wide, 
  two 
  hundred 
  feet 
  

   deep, 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  from 
  top 
  to 
  bottom 
  at 
  its 
  outer 
  face. 
  Midway 
  from 
  

   top 
  to 
  bottom, 
  and 
  running 
  completely 
  around 
  the 
  half-circle 
  which 
  

   formed 
  the 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  cave, 
  are 
  two 
  benches, 
  upon 
  the 
  upper 
  of 
  

   which 
  is 
  built 
  the 
  town, 
  or 
  series 
  of 
  roo:ns, 
  two 
  hundred 
  feet 
  in 
  length 
  in 
  

   the 
  aggregate, 
  the 
  lower 
  serving 
  as 
  a 
  walk, 
  or 
  promenade, 
  from 
  which 
  

   access 
  could 
  only 
  be 
  had 
  by 
  ladders. 
  A 
  little 
  to 
  the 
  left 
  of 
  the 
  center 
  

   is 
  the 
  principal 
  building, 
  consisting 
  of 
  three 
  rooms, 
  each 
  two 
  stories 
  in 
  

   height, 
  and 
  now 
  standing 
  twelve 
  feet 
  high. 
  Adjoining 
  it 
  on 
  the 
  right 
  

   is 
  a 
  long 
  row 
  of 
  twelve 
  apartments, 
  built 
  as 
  a 
  solid 
  block, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  

   left 
  an 
  open 
  space 
  of 
  sixteen 
  feet, 
  and 
  then 
  another 
  small 
  building. 
  In 
  

   the 
  open 
  space 
  were 
  four 
  holes, 
  four 
  inches 
  in 
  diameter 
  and 
  twelve 
  deep, 
  

   drilled 
  into 
  the 
  rock, 
  serving 
  evidently 
  as 
  post-holes 
  for 
  a 
  loom. 
  

  

  All 
  the 
  rooms 
  have 
  been 
  burned 
  out 
  clean, 
  so 
  that 
  not 
  a 
  vestige 
  of 
  wood- 
  

   work 
  remains. 
  The 
  walls 
  are 
  remarkably 
  well 
  preserved, 
  the 
  adobe 
  

   mortar 
  on 
  the 
  inside 
  still 
  retaining 
  the 
  impression 
  of 
  the 
  delicate 
  lines 
  

   on 
  the 
  thumbs 
  and 
  fingers 
  of 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  the 
  builders. 
  Impressions 
  of 
  

   the 
  whole 
  hand 
  were 
  frequent, 
  showing 
  them 
  to 
  have 
  had 
  small 
  and 
  finely 
  

   formed 
  hands. 
  Corncobs 
  and 
  pieces 
  of 
  pottery 
  were 
  found 
  imbedded 
  in 
  

   the 
  mortar. 
  In 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  rooms, 
  beneath 
  the 
  debris, 
  were 
  

   found 
  the 
  fire-places, 
  circular 
  excavations, 
  which 
  still 
  retained 
  the 
  

   charred 
  wood 
  and 
  ashes 
  of 
  aboriginal 
  fires. 
  Perched 
  np 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   houses, 
  under 
  a 
  great 
  dome 
  of 
  overhanging 
  rock 
  that 
  distinctly 
  echoed 
  

   every 
  word 
  uttered, 
  with 
  a 
  steep 
  descent 
  of 
  over 
  one 
  hundred 
  feet 
  to 
  the 
  

   broad, 
  fertile 
  bottoms, 
  handsome 
  groves, 
  and 
  meandering 
  course 
  of 
  

   the 
  river, 
  these 
  old, 
  old 
  people, 
  whom 
  even 
  the 
  imagination 
  can 
  hardly 
  

   clothe 
  with 
  reality, 
  must 
  have 
  felt 
  a 
  sense 
  of 
  security 
  that 
  even 
  the 
  

   inroads 
  of 
  the 
  barbarian 
  northern 
  tribes 
  could 
  hardly 
  have 
  ruffled. 
  

  

  Omitting 
  mention 
  of 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  ruins 
  which 
  are 
  clustered 
  along 
  

   the 
  San 
  Juan, 
  the 
  next 
  important 
  group 
  discovered, 
  for 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  first 
  

   time 
  any 
  of 
  these 
  have 
  been 
  brought 
  before 
  the 
  world, 
  were 
  those 
  of 
  

   the 
  Rio 
  De 
  Chelly. 
  The 
  party 
  reached 
  this 
  point 
  August 
  7, 
  the 
  very 
  

  

  