New-York daily tribune., 1858-04-09
BROOKLYN WATER WORKS.
MASTODON REMAINS.

Having heard Of the recent discovery of some bones
of the MsstodOn in the excavations made for tie Brook
lyn Water-WOrks at Baisley Pond two miles beyond
the Village Of Jamaica, avaled ourselves OF IA
vorable opportunity 10 visit the loesEty, curious to
witness the disnterment Of the remains Of interest
ing monster if this might not be- at least to observe
the conditions under which they deposited. The
| Brooklyn and Williamsburgh Aqueduct is to be sup
piled from series of short vatercourses whose source
is near the southern base of the range of HIGHLAND
which pssses along through the central potion OF Long
Island two to three miles back from it. This strip Of
country is exceedingly well watered aud the streams
gushing out from the sand pure aud never-failing
They have long been used to supply the power for the
saw and gristmills Of the region and when checked
in their course by dams natural distinctions. they
have spread out into ponds which, when cleared Of
their vegetable accumuatiors = are made convenient
reservoirs with clean natural bottoms of eand. Bais
leys Pond is the nearest Of these sources Of supply
and covered conduit is constructed to lead from into
the open canal which receives the waters of more Dis
t,nt sources At the Junction Of this conduit with the
canal the latter gves place to the main conduit through
which the waters are conveyed five miles to the pump
ing engires which are to be st.ioned below the great
reservoirs on Ridgewood HILL Before the pond
drained for cleaning it was long, shoa collection Of
water covering some 80 acres, overgrown with water
lies AID its banks miry with peat muck. living
stream Of water flowed through it, which for genera
tions past had turned the mill a. its outlet. Another
mill is still running gher up upon the same stream
The water being removed, the bottom was found to be
deposit of peat-its upper potion mated together
with the huge roots Of the water hlies. These, "a
large as a mans arm, were intertwined with one
another in a coarse network, difficult to break into
with the mattock and the pick BY their great num-
ber by their surace covered with tuberces or kbobs,
from which spring the rootlets and the stems Of ths
plant and by their occurring in the midst Of so dens'
carbonaceOus deposit, one could not but be reminded
of those similarly shaped fossil stems 80 abundant IN
the stratum of clay which underlies almost every
bed of mineral cOa!-fossils now called ailgmsrS"
which though converted into sandstone fire
clay prove by their beirg traced in several instances
to their junction with erect fossil trunks, to hsye
been the roots of plants which furnished considerable
portion Of the ancient cosbed Under the lily roots the
peat half or wholly converted into muck formed tich
black deposit, reaching in many places to four feet IN
thickness All this is progress of being broken Up and
carted beyond the limits Of tie pond. The amount
thus removed is estimated about 200 900 cubic yards
at this pond alone II is spread upon the adjacent sandy
fields as waste the farmers by not approaching It's
value An elorescence Of suphae of iron coppera,
forms upon some portions Of the heap ard the smell
of sulphurc acid is plainly perceived In passing over
them. Around some of the springs ferruglnous de-
posit is observed from the decomposition OF the
suphuret of iron dispersed through the sand Except
ing these substances nothing Of interest has been met
with in clearing out the pond until the discovery CT tee
mastodon bones These were found in the upper vor-
ton of the pond more or less mbedded in the top Of
the sand and beneath three and half or four feet OF
the partially decouposed peat The woikmea had
shoveled up and csited away quantity OF decsyed
bopy matters before the discovery Of several huge
olar teeth, well preserved by the protection afforded
by their hard enamel caused attention 10 be directed
TO the spot and search to be made 10 the heaps removed
for other portions Of the skeleor. Pieces of bone were
found but in too imperfect and deeayed frasneIs to
be preserved But the teeth were sufficient 10 identity
| the arma These were four in numbe'-the larsesi
about Line inches lolg on the crown, divced into Elk
transverse ridges the length Of the tooth IRON the
crown to the extremity Of the root bang from sn 10
| seven inches they probably the teeIh ot the
same species of mastodon, he Giganteus which has
been found under almost precisely similar circumstances
in several localities in this State in NewJersey and
Connecticut, and several Of the Southern and estern
States. The most famous specimen for its size and
state Of preservation was found in 1915 Newburgh
The skeleton measured twenty five feet in length and
| skeletons of the animal were found in Warren
County New-Jersey, six fee: below the surface, also
| beneath the rich mud which filed pord Toe most
Of the bones crmbled to pieces exposure TO the air
Within the ribs of the best preserved specimen was
found, together with the clay quantity of vegetable
| remains-some seven bushels of what Lyel supposes
| had served for the feed Of the animal Specimens Of
| il, examined for him by the microscope IN London
prov ed to be twigs Of copieyous tree probsby the
wt.e cedar which is still a conmon produc: Of such
swaupy places as the animal frequsnted Discoveries
Of these remains have raely been msde east OF the
Hudson River They moro common st the
brackish springs in Ohio and Kentucky, which are
still the resort of the deer a. they were IN
| former times OF TIE buffalo and other large wild
| animals The bones Of these srd Of the mammoth
| found with them have given TO cne OF tie local
tiles in Kentucky the name Of Big-Bone Lick. Tte
Mastodon bones almost abundant as are those OF
living species and they by me.as me only spe
oimeps Ct those which are extinct For with thsn
are found strange species Of tee elephant, horse &c
The extreme eastern haunts Of these huge crestufs'
appears TO have been near the Connecticut RiTes.
bone WAS found some ysaTs ago in Sharon, Corr,
| tecth et Cheshire, ard vertebra bone at bsun
twelve miles southwest Of Hartford. The new .ocA.
ny on Log lsand is tAus upon The eaHe-l msrgn Of
theI rarse II would he interestiss TO i-ieimlne, II
| Pcs ole. whether tbese animals lave beea cotemPo
| rGesys WITH ma but th qe Ia nothing N the m)fe ot