The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1878-01-24
Colorado Fossils.

5OOlOl duO, tuC SCutCulldA otutC, lie
fast becoming noted for its wonderful
fossils. There, for instance, is the
Muldoon," which was discovered y
by Mr.. Conant, citizen of this place.
Whether the stone man proves to be a
genuine petrifaction, and the subject Of
great discovery, or simply a job set
up for Barnum, or by him, this State
must be accorded place in the front
rank of the many which afford the fos-
sill hunter in this country such splen-
did fieldfor the prosecution of his favor
tie research.
The upper Jurassic of the Rocky
Mountains has furnished Yale and other
colleges some valuable relics in the way
of fossil remains of enormous reptilia
"a portion of which is of new order
and been called Stegosaurtd. A fossil.
lied giant aquatic animal of this order,
discovered in this State by Prof. Lakes
and Engineer Beekwith, of the Navy,
is now being prepared for exhibition al
Yale.
1t is related by Prof. Marsh that,
while riding through valley washed
out by the waters that once swept ovel
this part of the country, he saw several
skeletons seven, l believe-of the
Mosasauria, some of which were at
least sixty feet in length. 1t is thought
those ancient "sea serpents :" existed
in great numbers in the inland creta-
ceous seas, of which ssthe Rockies -
once formed group of islands.
The latest discovery, and one of the
most important, perhaps, in the line OF
extinct monsters which are supposed
to have lorded it over whales and other
small fish, is the one just made by
Prof. j.. H. Kerr, of the Faculty Of
Colorado College, located at Colorado
Springs. The g find'' took place in the
Garden of the Gods, near the famous
gateway, while the Professor was
prosecuting his systematic study of the
rocks in that locality. The formation
evidently is lower cretaceous, hence
the fossil remains of the animal-or,
more properly, serpent or lizard--are
of great antiquity. Prof. Kerr has had
several wagon-loads of parts of the
fossil brought to town, but several days
of hard labor will be required to get
the remainder of the huge monster
above ground. Careful measurements
cannot, as yet, be effected, but by GER
tain calculations, best known to scien-
tific men, it is concluded that the rep
tile, in the days of its life, attained the
startling proportions of III feet in
length, and. when reared upon its
legs, not less than thirty feet in height.
The opening of the mouth was nearly
twenty feet, and several casts of teeth
over two feet long have been taken out.
There were giants in those days.
among the fishes. q
Apparently imbedded in the monsters
stomach were several smaller reptiles
and fishes, among them a petrifaction
that appears to have been the we'll
known offensive and defensive weapon
of the swordfish. The discoverer thinks
that this sword may have caused the
death of his Hardship.
Comparatively small portion of the
huge framework and Of the various
specimens of reptilia upon which the
"sarpint'' breakfasted- the portion
that has been removed-is actual bone,
but there are excellent casts from hol-
low bones.
Prof. Kerr has not decided in what
order to place his discovery. A few
seem inclined to class it with the Mosa-
samrs, which are described as having
been swimming lizards, and generally
of immense size. The discoverer of
the great fossil thinks it may have to
be placed in q new order.
In examining the rocks and the soil
Of the plateau upon which is situated
Colorado Springs, Prof. Kerr found
petrifactions of various kinds of tropi-
cal nuts--almonds. Brazil nuts, etc.,
with English walnuts. Some
II these nuts were Of surprising size,
being as large as = mans fist.
Very few of the most valuable Color
ado fossils have been retained within
he State. The most of them have
zone to New England, and some to
Did England. It is proposed to place
he fossil remains Of the great Saurian
'eptile in the Museum OF Colorado Col
eye, and surround it with other inter-
sting fossils and relics with which
men Of science have declared the State
hounds. Colorado Springs Cor. CHI
ago Tribune.
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