The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1866-10-24

if it were needed, that huge mastodon
once hved, walked, ate, drank and died
where Cohocs now stands. The foun.
dation Of tho new Harmony building is
laid upon a slate rock throughout nearly
its entire length OF SIX hundred feet. At
the upper end, where the hill is the high
est, great excavations have been made
and here the rock was found to be the
opening Of an immense bed of peat. At
first it. was resolved to remove this peat,
and Tor the purpose Of asccrtaining its
| depth, n small section was cxcavalcd to
the depth OF sixty feet. 1t was in this
jaw is somewhat dccaycd and llaky, but
the teeth are in excellent preservation.
The length OF each jawbono is thirty.
two inches: the breadth, across. the Jaw
at the broadcst point, twenty two inches,
and the extreme depth about twelve
inches.
On one side isa tooth four irchcs in
length and two and half in width. q nd
on the other side two teeth, one OF which
is six and u half inches long, and the
other tour, and both uniform in width
and shape with the tooth opposite. On
the side Of the single tooth there is no
cavity TO indicate that any other ever
existed, and it is evident that the animal
died m full possession OF all the dental
convcnlcnccs that nature ever gayc him.
But these were enough Twenty pounds
of teeth, more or less are more han the
| Most vo:aci0i;s appetite could cov2v at
tho present high price Of food. The
holes or cavities for the dental nerves
arc from all inch TO an inch and half in
diameter. The front Of The jaw is com.
parativcly light, showing that the crca-
| ture was moi given to carnivrrous diet,
bnt subsistcd chiefly ON herbs. No 9th.
or remains OF thr bcas, have been dis.
covered, but it is possible that they are
hidden III that portion Of the peat bed
that has not been opened.
The examinations have revealed other
wonders not less remarkable than the
above. Thirty feet below the surface
all enormous pctrificd ostrich egg was
found, indicating that this animal, in size
lit cotcmporary Of the other, dwclL
| here, brcathcd the same air, and lived
in the same primoval sunlight which fell
| upon It's pondcrous companion. Vast
! quantities of oak wood, so tender that i,
can be cut and removed with tho shovel,
are intcrminglcd with tho peat. This
wood, when exposed to the air or fire I'M
til thoroughly dried, becomes rs hard as il
it had never decaycd.
AS the excavations progress other cu.
riositics may be rcsurrcctcd and brought
to tho light after their sleep Of years in
siloncc and darkness. On each side OF
the peat bed, SO far as traced, are vast
perpendicular rocks, into which huge
semicircular cavities, deep and smooth
have bcen worn by the action Of water
There is apparently but ono solution Of
is mystery.
The cavity Of rock where tho deposit
fpeat now rests was once the bed of a
stream. running d'agonallv across tho
line Of tho street and towards tho Mo
hawk AS the peat was covercp deep
ly with slate rock it is evident that the
stream had subterrancan channel and
outlet at this place, though perhaps an
open river above. In the undiscovered
fields which may yet be explored,
the geologist and zoologist will find a
rich territory in which 'o.pursuc invcsli
CATION, and perhaps may here unravcl
scientific mysteries not yet made plain,
or decide questions now in dispute. We
nro happy to learn that the State Gcolo.
gi't proposes to visit the place, and the
public will await his report with lively
interest