The tower (pl. 31, _a_) situated farther down the Mancos River has a
more commanding position than Tower A and is conspicuous because it
stands on a projecting precipice, below the rim of which are walled-up
artificial caves. These caves have apparently never been entered by
white men; the walls of masonry are unbroken and there are square
openings, windows or doorways, which can be made out long before
reaching the place.
This tower (pl. 30, _a_) is almost perfectly round, about 10 feet in
diameter, and stands at least 6 feet high. The south wall has fallen.
In the pile of rocks on that side may be readily seen the top of a
straight wall reaching to the edge of the cliff as if for protection,
but no other fallen walls may now be seen in the neighborhood. The
face of the cliff below this tower (pls. 7, _b_; 31, _b_) is almost
perpendicular, the component strata of soft shale alternating with
harder rocks, the former well fitted for artificial excavations.
The author was not impressed with the idea that any considerable
number of troglodytic inhabitants dwelt in the small cliff rooms (pl.
31, _b_)[52] dug in it. Farther on there are other caves the walls of
the entrance to which are still in sight. It is true the surface of
the cliff may have been eroded and fallen in the time since they were
abandoned. They appeared to be storage cists rather than inhabited
rooms.
[52] A good figure of these cavate rooms is given by Holmes, op.
cit. Comparing the photograph with his figure it appears that their
surrounding shale has worn away somewhat in the last four decades.
Along the valley by the side of the road down the Mancos from the
bridge to the ruins many heaps of stone were noticed in the valley but
none of these were extensive or had walls standing above ground. Nor
were they arranged in clusters as is common in the Montezuma Valley.
On top of these heaps were found large fragments of slag in which was
embedded charred corn, indicating a great fire. Similar slag also with
burnt corn has often been found by the author on the floor of excavated
rooms.