The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1866-11-16
GREAT tIAsToDON DISCOVERY.

Correspondence Ne,U York Herald.]
Troy November 11.-Tho scientific worlds quite |
likely to be thoroughly aroused by the recent dis
coYeries in the domain of natural history at Co.
hoes, tho manufacturing village Immediately ad-
iacent to this city. During the process Of On ex-
cavation some weeks since, on the site of a mill to
bo newly erected, mammoth jaw bone was found
about one hundred feet from the banks of the Mo-
hawk River embedded ut q distance of sixty-fve
feet below the surface of the earth, and being
taken up at oncc excited the attention Of the ma
turalsts not only Of this vicinity, but likewise far
and wide. The length of the jaw was thirty-two
inches twenty inches in width, and weighed some
what moro than forty-six pounds.
On Thursday last the remains Of complete
skeleton of huge mastodon were discovered
eighteen feet further down in the same excavation
and the attendant naturalists Of Yale and Union
Colleges md the Rensselaer, Polytechnic Institute
of this city, fully confirmed in the opinion that
tho frame can be made quito perfect: The remains
have been carefully gathered together in the mill
e the 1aeS hs Re1y 5 Ss sna and
nounced upon during the coming week by Profess
sor Louis Agassiz, the learned naturalist and
mastodon is four feet nine inches in length from
the mouth ou to the cEsnum % 1T to ss ESh portion NOT Of
two tuaks each measure eight feet in length, and
their true position is well marked on the upper
jaw. The hip bone is five feet long and weighs one
measure ten feet nine inches, and weigh about fifty
pounds each. The under jaw already alluded to as
s fits the upper @ jaw now exhumed, and the ribs are
found to be four feet and half in length, and,
before stated the fosslsts are Of the opinion that
tho comp eted frame will form most essential and
grave contribution to the science Of natural his
tory.
The measurements show that the animal must
been little upwards of twenty feet in length,
Independent ofthe tusks already stated to be each
eight feet in length Professor Marsh, Of the Yale
grounded opinion that the remains discovered are
those of great North American Mastodon, COM
pairing in all it's parts fully with the description Of
the animal given in the scientific works, as fol-
lows 1.-THE animal has the vaulted and cellular
skull of the elephant, with large tusks in the upper
jaw, and heavy form. From the character Of the
nasal bones, and tho shortness Of the head and
neck, it has been concluded it had trunk
Whenever similar remains have been discovered
on this continent, the fact has mover failed to
try, but in Europe. Fragments were first discov-
cred as eary the year 1905, and in 1901 the first
omRsrdvey ornd complete skeleton OF mast9dCn
and Immediately transported to London, returned
and kept on exhibition in Philadelphia for some
p Of mVarf SSge is said
and in 1915 it is stated that large and valuable
collection of mastodon bones were found on the
%red ogeSer
country and in London as the great Missosourium
Harvard University is also in possession Of q mas
todon skeleton, independent Of that belonging te
Dr. Warron, ard it is alleged that specimens of the
primeval species have been found in several Of the
States, but in no instance anything like as perfec
as tho ono now developed at Cohoes Scientific
Investigations upon this controverted subject hav,
been widely extended and marked by great indus
try, and 9s this event shows, they have been cha
racterlZed by much SUCCESS and truthfulness.
One author says: 1.-THE food Of the mastodol
was entirely vegetable, as is proved by the romain
OF twisa OF conifcrous trees and other vegetabl
matter found between the ribs; and tho anima
was doubtless fond OF resorting to marshy O
boggy places, in search of succulent plants, wher
1T was often mired in the very places where it's re
century" Another writer remarks: The gee
logical position of tho romans Of this specie
tm9stodon) has long been, and still is, subjec
they are said to have been found below the drif
inta IN inc phoeene, and even in tho miocene; but the
havo gcnSray been obtained from the post plit
ten fect In lacustral deposit bogs and beds of il
fusorial Garth. Some have thought that the ma
tho earth.
According to Lycl the period of their destru
nanv s", 'nougm geologcally modern, must have bee
babyy %d1y an"d anHas?nf years ago. The same causes
op oSs5 ope 1ePGaht perhaps partly climatic chang
c 5:,: VI tiiS bloDe at an epoch anterior to ma
dlsthgushed natural historian says: "One
inc principal deposits Of mastodon bones appea
10 nave been the Big Bone Lick in tho NORTH pa
Of Of Kentucky near tho Ohio whence the mastod
mas has boon called tho animal of the Ohio Mono
the remains have the appearance Of having be-
5onea % put seem to have been unmoved since d
qeath a!at OF the animal; and it is worthy of roma
that those which were found at the river of &
Great osagc which runs into the Missouri q iitt
apoye lts confluence with the Mississippi were
sertlSal position, as If the animals had be,
oogged or buried in the SOIL"
rarknson, in his Organic Remains, adds set
country IN which these remains (mastodons) O
io9la, Is IKE an Immense plain, bordered on eve
siao ny mountains. On digging into the morass
aro generally met with One or two feet Of pe
one or two feet Of yellow mari with vegetable
saI1a smain1s aDont two feet of grey mari, like ash
1hnaily hy bed of shell mari. In the grey ynarI t
oGrcs Tt aro generally found.
Inc soil in which the discovery at Cohocs y
answers parkinsons descrptionin In the abe
.u!1tttnus ~ thus appears that great and permanent G,
trlDntlon is about to be made to science, and d
IN the bosom Of the State Of New York has bf
I9unq the most important discovery tending
eiacldate ss natural history made in many, MT
,~G., -.yLs.k-t 4, E.