Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1872-04-03
NO. 81.
#istellatlepms.
A MONSTER RELIC.
OrrsvlLLE, Orange County, N. Y.,}
Tuesday, March 10, 1872.

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The farm Of Mr.. Andrew Mitchell,
about one mile from this place, is, and
has been for weeks, visited by very many
people. The attraction is the huge and
almost entire skeleton of a MastOdon,
which has been found by piece-meal in a
swamp on his land since January last,
and which has been put together by a
professor from Boston, Mass. The farm
which has SO suddenly become famous
was purchased by Mr.. Mitchell some time
since, and in January he hired a man to
dig muck from swamp to place on the
uplands, he himself being engaged in
New York. The man had excavated to
the depth of four feet when he came upon
an enormous bone, shaped like rib. He
stopped work and informed Mr.. Mitchell
of his discovery, who, thinking it must
have belonged to some monstrous animal,
directed that deeper and more extended
digging be done. At depth of fifteen
ieet 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 Boston says it is much larger than
the famous remains in the Boston Museum,
which was also found in this county, and
which was the largest known specimen of
these extinct mammala. The skeleton is
in barn on Mr.. Mitchell's farm, and no
train stops at this station but brings num-
bers of curious or scientifically inclined
persons, on their way to view the mon
ster. The upper jaw and main portion of
the head weighs about five hundred
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 jaw-bone, and are four inches across.
The openings where the tusks have been
are three feet and eight inches deep, and
eight inches in circumference. The ver-
tebr@ was found in forty pieces, but lying
all together, while the pelvis was taken
out whole and uninjured. The channel
where the spinal cords lay when the mon-
ster was alive is five inches in circumfer-
ence. Among the missing bones are the
tusks, the lower .iaw-bone, and those of
the hind legs One bone of leg that
has been found weighs alone over $50
pounds. When the skeleton is recon
structed, it will measure fourteen feet
from the bottom of its feet to the top of
its head, and over twenty-five feet from
head to tail.
Work is steadily prosecuted in the ex-
cavating in search of the missing bones.
Great difficulty is met in the filling in of
water, pump of considerable capacity
being steadily worked by horse power to
keep the pit clear.
A singular incident connected with the
skeleton is, that in its stomach was found
a quantity of undigested matter. Among
it were fresh-looking and very large
leaves. of odd form, and blades of strange
grass, of extreme length, varying from
an inch to three inches in width, and look
ing as if freshly cropped from the earth.
The spot where the remains were found
is low, marshy ground.
Parties in New York have already
opened negotiations with Mr.. Mitchell for
the purchase of the skeleton, and he has
refused $500 for it.