Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1872-04-10
NO. %.
A MONSTER RELIC,
discovery OF the Skeleton of q NIastcs;or
IN a n carly Perfect tState-Tyventy-fy,
Feet Long and Fourteen Feet High.

81 NassSfGfsnn
I'm Nearly Perfect tstate-Twenty-fivt
Feet Long and Fourteen Feet High.
Otsy1lle, N. Y, Correspondence N Y Times
The farm of Mr.. Andrew Mitchell
about one mile from this place, is, and
and has been for weeks, visited by very
many people. The attraction is the
huge and almost entire skeleton of 8
mastodon, which has been found by
plecemeal IN swamp on his land since
January last, and which has been put
together by Professor from Boston.
Mass. The farm which has SO sudden.
ly become famous was purchased by
Mr.. Mitchell some time since. and ir
January he hired man to dig muck
from swamp to place on the uplands,
he himself being engaged in New York.
The man had excayated to the depth OF
four feet when he came upon an enor.
nous bone, shaped like a rib. He
stopped work and informed Mr.. Mitch
ell OF his discovery, who, thinking il
must have belonged to some monstrous
animal, directed that deeper and more
extended digging be done.
At depth of fifteen feet the pelvis,
head and other large bones were found.
Search has been continued until almost
the entire skeleton has been exhumed |,
and the scientific gentleman from Bos-
ton says it is much larger than the
famous remains in the Boston Museum.
and which was also found in this coun-
try, and which was the largest known
specimen of these extinct mammalia.
The skeleton is in barn on Mr.. Mitch.
ell's farm, and no train stops at this
station but brings numbers of curious
or scientifically ly-inclined persons, OF
their way to visit the monster. The
upper jaw and main portion of the heat
weigh about 500 pounds. and measures
three feet seven inches across the top
There are four teeth in the upper jaw
two on each side. The back teeth
extend seven inches along the jawbone,
and are four inches across. The open.
ings where the tusks have been are
are three feet and eight inches
deep, and eighteen inches in
circumference. The vertebrm was
found in forty pieces, but lying alto.
gether, while the pelvis was taken out
whole and uniniured The channel
where the spinal cords lay when the
monster was alive is five inches in cir
cumference. Among the missing bones
are the tusks, the lower jawbone, and
those of the hind legs. One bone of a
leg that has been found weighs alone
$50 pounds. When the skeleton is re-
constructed, it will measure fourteen
feet from the bottom of it's feet to the
top of it's head, and over twenty-five
feet from head to tail
Work is steadily prosecuted in the
excavating in search of the missing
bones. Great difficulty is met in the
filling in of water, a pump of consider
able capacity being steadily worked by
horsepower to keep the pit clear.
A singular incident connected witt
the skeleton is that in his stomach il
found quantity of undigested matter
Among it were fresh-looking and yer,
large leaves, of odd form, and blades o
strange grass, of extreme length, vary
ing from an inch to three inches il
width, and looking as If freshly croppe,
from the earth. The spot where th
remains were found is low, marsh
ground.
Parties in New York have alread
opened negotiations with Mr.. Mitchell
for the purchase of the skeleton, and b
has refused 81, 500 for it.