Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1866-11-26
The Fossil Remains at Cohoes, New York.
From the Troy Times, 10TH

The Fossil Remains at Cohoes, New York,
From the Troy Times. l0th.l
The discovery of the remains of a
monster animal at Cohoes, noticed yes
terday, is exciting deep interest among
those curious in such matters What
was at first only passing wonder with
the laborers who disemboweled from the
earth an immense jaw-bone of once
living animal, at once attracted more se-
rious attention in other quarters, and the
interest was heightened few days since
by the exhumation of skeleton of the
giant animal to which the jaw.bone evil
IDENTIFY belonged. The jaw.bone was
found at distance of about sixty feet
below the surface. Let it be understood
that the workmen who made these dis
coyeries were, and still are, engaged in
exeavating under the first story of the
new Harmony Mill, on Mohawk street.
The excavation was commenced for the
purpose of striking rock on which to rest
columns for the support of the first story.
The excavation has been, from the first,
through well formed peat bed, the
whole formation obviously being of
decayed vegetable matter. 1t was
in this SOIL at distance of
eighty.fve feet from the surface, that on
Tuesday the workmen struck strange
substance; and digging around instead
of through it, it proved to be what was
apparently the skull and upper jaw of an
immense animal, in state of perfect
preservation. The jaw is four feet nine
inches long from the mouth to the era.
mum, the latter rising much in the oval
shape of an elephants head. The era
mum, a portion of the backbone and the
Jaw are all still connected and perfect.
Two tusks, measuring eight feet in
length, were also found, and the exact
place they left is marked well on
the upper jaw. These tusks are
great curiosities, and in their ori-
ginal state must have been beau-
tiful indeed. The hip bone is
five feet long, and weighs one hundred
pounds. The shoulder blades measure
ten feet nine inches, and weigh about
fifty pounds each. The under jaw, ex-
humed some weeks since, is found to ex-
actly fit the upper jaw, and should moth
ing more be done than to place them
together, the complete head and Jaw of
the monster would of itself form one of
the most remarkable of our natural Gu
riosities. But other portions, including
the ribs -four and half feet long,, and
indeed all the essential parts OF the
frame, seem to be on hand, and Professor
Marsh, OF Yale College, and other fossil
lists who have made an examination, are
of opinion that the frame can be made
perfect, or nearly so.
Careful measurements of scientific gen
tlemen who had examined the remains,
show that they belong to an animal that
must have stood at least fifteen feet
high, and measured some twenty odd
feet in length, independent of the tusks,
which of themselves are eight feet long.
Professor Marsh pronounces the remains
those of North American mastodon,
beyond doubt And the description
the books furnish of the mastodon tally
exactly with the remains in question.
"The animal has the vauted and cellu-
lar skull OF the elephant, with large tusks
in the upper jaw, and heavy form; from
the character of the nasal bones and the
shortness of the head and neck, it has
been concluded it had trunk.