Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-03-28
MINNESOTA, THURSDAY, MARCH %, 1872

URSDAY, MARCH %,
THE YALE EXPLORING EXPEDI.
TION OF 1871.
Fossil Scn-ScrDcnts-A Curious Svvtm-
ming Bird.
At recent meeting of the Connecti-
cut Academy in the library of the Shef-
field Scientific School, in New Haven,
Professor Marsh gave sketch of the
Yale exploring expedition of 1871. The
New Haven Palladium gives the follow
ing summary of his remarks:
"The object of the expedition was to
ascertain the character of the three
great basins of the West that of the
plains west of Fort Lawrence in Kan
sas, that of the Bridge Basin, Just west
of the main range OF the Rocky Noun
tains and north OF the Winter Noun
tains, and of the basaltic region still
farther west, through which flows the
Snake river, and, farther to the north,
the Columbia. The party was in the
Kansas basin in July, and worked there
five weeks The region is parched,
barren country, covered with buffalo
grass, no trees, with but few streams,
and what there were very low at that
season of the year. The heat was in.
tense, ranging from one hundred and
twenty degrees Fahrenheit. The
method of work was to start about
sunrise and continue the examination
of the country until about ten o'clock,
and then keep perfectly quiet during
the heat of the day. Many of the
party were unable to endure the heat
the guide, an old army scout, was COM
pletely used up, and the professor con-
fessed that he never suffered so much
in all his life. There was constant
danger of sunstroke, and at every step
each man crept under his horse for
a moments shelter. The results Of
their work was most satisfactory.
Several tons of valuable fossils
were gathered. They were mostly
remains of great reptiles, CORE
spending to the popular idea of the
sea-serpent. One they exhumed mea-
sured ninety feet in length. They
found also fossils of huge winged rep.
tiles, one of which must have measured
at least twenty-four feet across the
wings. The largest found in Europe
of equal perfection measures only
three or four feet. The most curious
OF all their discoveries here was fossil
bird, five feet long, which is like nc th.
ing ever seen before. II appears 10 be
a swimming bild, but has features
widely different from anything known.
They also made some discoveries about
the extent of this great lake basin, and
fixed it's northern boundary. The next
region was the Bridge Baslu in Wyo.
ming. Here they found another vast
bed of fossil remains that the professor
estimates at mile in depth. 1t is like
the eastern basin in its deposits, but
the animal remains totally dis
tinct. The eastern has nothing but
tropical animals. The only reptile
found there is turtle, and there are
no fishes, but large number of rumin-
ants. In the western basin, on the con.
trary, are nothing but reptiles. It
seems to have been an immense lagoon
swarming with reptile life. They found
five species of crocodiles, six of SER
pents, an: many lizards. They dis
covered also mammals of the tapir
family. In every tenth layer of the
deposit may be expected a different
series of animals. The deposit in
which they are found are mostly sand.
The scenery is very peculiar, as it is
the region of canons. The rivers have
cut it through in deep gorges, sub
dividing this deposit, aud the tops OF
the Intervening masses have been
washed down, leaving a region of conf
cal hills, with deep valleys between.
He should say they found in that basin
at least fifty species of animals entirely
new to science. It was a much more in
teresting country, as regards it's life,
than the plains, for there was plenty of
game. The scenery of the Winter
Mountains is very fine, the peaks
being very high, reaching $4,000 feet,
and the lowest pass is 1900
feet above the sea. From this region
the party went to Salt Lake, where they
made some observations o, the past
level Of the lake. The professor con.
cluded that at one time it must have
had an outlet toward the Columbia
river, through the mountains that form
the northern rim Of the Salt Lake.
Going northward the country changes.
becoming great basaltic plateau, ex-
tending hundreds of miles. Here they
visited the great Shoshone Falls of the
Snake river. They are higher than Nj
agara, one fall being 21O feet, and the
gorge is much deeper and grander.
There are two falls and a stretch of
fearful rapids. A curious feature of
the scene is that the traveller perceives
no Indication of q river till he is close
upon the ravine. The country is a
land of desolation. The only vegeta-
tion IS the sage brush, growing about
four feet high, and making travel diff
cult. The remains found in this coun
try were discovered IN the strata
of fine clay at the base of the
canons, and were all of fishes.
From this country they proceeded
north to the Blue Mountains, range
but little known, and which they had
no time to explore, as it was already
the middle of November. From this
range they struck the head waters of
the John Day River and followed it to
the Columbia. The upper part of the
John Day valley aboundel in fossil re
mains of horses. They were found of
all sizes and oil kinds, some three
toed, some like those now living. This
northern country is the grandest vol
canic region of modern times. The
clay strata show the effects of volcanic
action, being tilted up in all directions,
while in the Bridger and eastern valleys
they are horizontal. They followed
down the Columbia River and crossed
the Cascade Mountains into the
Pacific slope. The scenery
on the Columbia River he
thought to be the finest of the kind in
the world. On reaching San Francisco
the party broke up, most of them COM
ing home by rail. the rest, with Prot.
Marsh. taking the Panama route. In
Central America large number of an.
tiquities were collected, Including q
full series of pottery, and some of the
famous golden idol.. In the exp]ora-
tions in the west, also. many valuable
curiosities relating to the Indians were
gathered for the new museum of arch.
zoology. Prof. Marsh was listened to
with the greatest interest, and left the
impression that the expedition Was one
OF the greatest Importance and advan-
age to science"
Ir has long been supposed that cold,
especially very great cold, had the effect
of weakening iron, but it is now claimed,
rs the conclusion of repeated and care.