Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1869-04-01

A curiosity was unearthel three miles
west of this city, yesterday, in the
bluff through winch the new grade OF
the Chicago, Rock Island Il Pacific
Railroad is being pushed, which will
stir the thoughts of savants and others
"ho are fond Of delving into the mys-
teries of Palconto!ogy. Along i'll the
afternoon, Mr. G. II. Parker, one OF
the grade contractors, overheard a
laborer remark, This is a quare piece
of wood, anyhow The man was
holding a large piece OF horn or tusk
which had nearly dropped upon his
head from the steam shovel. MIR
Parker Immediately stopped the shovel
and told his men to take their shovels
and dig for re.ot that wood. They
soon uncovered what was evidently
the base OF 4 tusk or horn. The piece
was two feet long and tour and three
quarter inches in diameter at the larger
end. A continuation of it tour or
five inches long in the earth was also
exposed, but it crumpled to dust when
| touched. This was attached TO \ mass
ot dark substance which is thought
to be the head of the animal to which
it belonged and which will be dug out
to-day Mr.. Parker then hurried to
the place at which earth Lad been
dumped by the ears loaded at the spot
OF discovery, and was so fortunate rs
to find another section of the tusk,
two feet long and tapc-ing to diane.
ter of two and halt inches. The
piece held by the laborer and the larger
portion excavated dovctail their bro
ken ends exactly, and two or three
feet are lacking i'll carrying out the
svmetry Of the tusk to union with the
piece found at the dumping point: The
steam shovel which penetrates two
feet of earth, had struck and broken
the horn 1--WE call it), and had it not
been Tor the laborer discovery of it
would not have occurred.
The pieces in possession Of Mr..
Parker are tour and half feet long,
and at least tour feet more OF this
relic OF mammoth Of antiquity are
missing. SO the thing must have been at
least eight feet in length when it was
upon the live animal. 1t was found
eighteen feet below the surface Of the earth,
and lay imbeded between strata of
blue and yellow clay. Careful search
for the missing portions which were
carried away by the dirt cars, will be
made to-day
The relic is not ivory-it is horn,
whc, scraped has the dark appearance
of ox-horn, and cmits the odor Of burnt
horn when fire is applied to it. The
pieces are hollow, though portions are
filled with what must have been mar
row-now in a pctrefed state.
Hopes 'are entertained OF finding a
companion to it when the other side
Of the head is reached. 1t is evidence
that thousands of years ago there ex-
listed here, animals. compared with
which the elephants OF now -a-days are
small creatures. Mr.. Parker has the
pieces described above in his room at
the boarding house Of Mr.. Davis, on
Fourth street, three doors west OF the
Pennsylvania House, where they may
be seen.
OTHER DlsCovRRlEs
Of an interesting description have been
made during the progress Of the work
at the bluff where the above discovery
was male For distance of several
hundred feet the excavation has fol
lowed a dark soil buried thirty feet
under the presen, surface, and resemb-
ling it, which was IN remote ages the
real surface OF the earth at that place
Upon this stratum OF earth numerous
pieces OF Norway pine, elm, cedar, ash,
and hemlock have been found, besides
several pieces OF wha: appears to be
grape vine. Dr.. Parry has many of
these pieces Of wood in his possession.
In truth the different strata of earth
through which the steam shovel has
delyed, would repay visit by Falcon
tnlogists afford them new subjects of
thought and abundant evidence Of the
ancient life on the ,a"lh.-Dar. Gar.