44. It will be seen that one of these is placed upon the
lower roof in such a position that the drainage falls directly upon it.
Where the adobe roof covering is left unprotected its destruction by the
rain is very rapid, as the showers of the rainy season in these regions,
though usually of short duration, are often extremely violent. The force
of the torrents is illustrated in the neighboring country. Here small
ruts in the surface of the ground are rapidly converted into large
arroyos. Frequently ordinary wagon tracks along a bit of valley slope
serve as an initial channel to the rapidly accumulating waters and are
eaten away in a few weeks so that the road becomes wholly impassable,
and must be abandoned for a new one alongside.
[Illustration: Fig. 44. Zu?i roof drain, with splash stones on roof
below.]
The shiftlessness of the native builders in the use of the more
convenient material brings its own penalty during this season in a
necessity for constant watchfulness and frequent repairs to keep the
houses habitable. One can often see in Zu?i where an inefficient drain
or a broken coping has given the water free access to the face of a
plastered wall, carrying away all its covering and exposing in a
vertical space the jagged stones of the underlying masonry. It is
noticeable that much more attention has been paid to protective devices
at Zu?i than at Tusayan. This is undoubtedly due to the prevalent use of
adobe in the former.
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