Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1872-03-27

Ii measured precisely five feet and seven
inches across.
II was not until some days afterward
that the upper jaw aud the main portion
Of the head were found. II measures four
fect and three inches across the top, and
is really imposing. In it arc four teeth,
two on Zach side, each Of the two back
teeth extending eleven inches along the
jaw bone, and measuring four inches across.
The length Of the foot it is impossible to
ascertain without mutilating the bone.
Directly under the eyes and ever the
mouth are the openings where the tusks
were; these openings are each three feet
in depth aud thirty inches in circumference.
Neither the tusks ror the lower jaw have
been found. Both the shoulder blades each
three feet in length by two and half in
width, were found some twenty feet from
each other.
The bones Of the fore legs measured five
feet in length. Nearly all the bones Of
the fore feet were also found As near as
can be ascertaincd the skeleton when re.
constructed will measure twenty-five feet
from nose to tall ami fourteen feet from
the bottom of the foot to the top of the
head.
The head and pelvis were found ten feet
below the surface. While digging a spring
was struck and the excavation filed with
wa ter A pump worked by horse power
was Immediately called into requisltion
and has been kept constantly at work ever
since. A few days ago another spring was
struck and Mr.. Mitchell became thorough
ly disguised, and thought Of abandoning
| the search, but he could not bear the idea
of abandoning the remainder of the treas
ure and increased his force of meu. lie
has nine men and four teams engaged iD
excavating, but still the greatest difficulty
is the heavy flow of water Although the
extreme cold makes it very hard work,
yet in warn weather when the ground be-
comes marshy it would be almost impssi-
bic to do anything. The expense of this
undertaking has been very great to Nh
Mitchell, who is comparatively poor man
He had saved by patient industry sufic.
lent to build more comfortable house
than the one in which he now resides, but
this sum has been very nearly expended
in his attempt to secure the missing por.
tiuns of the mastodon the lower jaw, tusks
hind legs, one of the vertebral bones, foul
ribs, and some Of the foot bones, beipe
still needed. Mr.. Mitchell hopes to realize
a handsome sum for this great curiosity.
One man has offered large sum for per-
mission to exhibit it, and another has Of
fered $4,000 for a half interest. Both o.
these offers have been declined
Prof Waterhouse Hawkins, of New
!, York, recently engaged Joseph Palmer
the geologst, to examine the remains.
Mr.. Palmer says they are without doubt
the largest he has ever seen, anu have
probably been buried for upward of two
thousand years. One Of the ribs is brok
EN- in such manner that there can be nc
doubt it was done during the life Of the
monster, as it has partly grown together
The supposition is that the animal had il
broken in combat with another Of hi'
species, or stove it in with one of tusks
probably while brushing the flies away, al
youngster remarked. All the bones have
been found far apart, leading to the belle
that they were lodged there during ;
food.
A story was put in circulation, and ha'
t received some credence, that quantity o
/, undigcsted vegetable matter was found il
the stomach of the mastodon, and that il
this matter were blades grass two inches
in width and Of great length, retaining
their appearance as though just pluckec
|. from the earth. Haof 1911
4 The soil near the mastodon is very pc
culiar Mr.. Mitchell calls it chaff. 1t
certainly true that layers of fresh-lookinl
leaves were found in the stomach, but tn,
, soil is interlarded with such layers
! Large quantities of this soil have been car
ried away by the infatuated natives, un
der the impression Of the 'smonster's fod
DER" One man had the impudence t.
: chip off piece of the mastodons shoulde
blade.
Several skeletons Of similar kind hav
been found in this section of the Stat
during tho past forty years. In lS4l tn
excavation Of marl-pit disclosed an en-
tire skeleton, the head of which, with th
bones and tusks, weighed 600 pounds
Waikiki valley has also proved rich j
similar scientific treasures--N. Y. Sun