The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1878-12-06
THE BONES or MONSTERS.

While exploring some rocks in the white
sandstone hog back of the eretace9us pc
riOd, near Morrison, Bear Creek, Colorado,
the same stratum as Colorado Springs, a .
few yards west of old Colorado City-we .
came suddenly upon a huge veftebr1e, ly- 4
ing as it were carved out in bas relief on a 4
slab Of sandstone. It was 50 heavy that it 4
required two men to lift il. Its ciTcum- 4
ference was thirty-three inches. We stood b
for some moments looking In astoniShment I
at this prodigy, and then hunted around .
for more relics. Presently one Of the party .
a little in advance cried out, "Neh this /.
beats all = At his feet lay a large bone, 1
resembling Hercules war club, ten inches I
in diameter by two feet long. On digging /
beneath It number Of smaller vertebr9 ,
were discovered. anu 1T the base of the
cliff two enormous fragments, reminding
one of the broken columns OF some ancient
temple, couple Of saw logs, lay on the
ground, possibly thigh bones, fifteen inch
es in diameter at the butt end !; and in the
cliff above them was another fragment
sticking out of the rock like the stump Of
a tree. With the help of sledge hammer
and a crOw-bGT the rock was removed
around it, and underneath lay some ribs
three inches in diameter, with other bones.
The rocks in the vicinity were full Of
fragments. Selecting one of these, we
lifted up large cap of sandstone above IT
and disclosed a perfect shoulder, 1tlHd and
radius, of another somewhat smaller ami
NAL, the thickness of the bones averaging
about I've or six inches. This, lying as it
was like beautiful sculpture on the sand
stone, succeeded in removing exactly
as found it, Several smaller bones OF
animals of various sizes were discovered,
but as the sun was setting behind the
mountain we deferred removing our troph-
les till the following day. During the
/ night it showed heavily but next morning
we succeeded in dragging our prizes on
! temporary sled, down the cliff to the road,
and bringing home to the neighboring vii
/ lage a wagon load of bones aud depOsItiug
| them in a shauty, preparatory To packing
them off East to Prof. Marsh, of Yale Co.'s
! iege for Identification The monster to
/ whom the bones belonged cotld not have
/ been less than sixty or even eighty fret
I long. In the cliff above these bones, i'm
presSions Of leaves were fOund of dicotyle-
| donous trees of very singular shape, some
. resembling q Tyre, and others the leaves OF
! the tulip tree, willow, COuifeTs, etc. These
/ trees grew probably on the shores of small
! islands in the cretaciOus ocean ., which
the marine monsters roamed and not far
off oysters, CLAIMS, Faculties and ammon-
| ties and other marine shells were found IN
/ abundance.
Along the shores or this ancient sea
/ sduatted and leapt the dinOsaurus or the
I terrible lizards, one of whom, the lcslaps,
| was twenty -four feet long. From the
/ length of its hind legs, it is supposed that
/ he was able to walk upright like biped,
/ carrying his head twelve feet in the air
/ There was anuthcr still larger; thirty five
feet long and Of the same habits, In the
air overhead. huge bat like creatures, com
/ bining a lizard, crocodile and bat Hap
PED their leathery wings % feet from tip
10 tip over the sea, piuuginG every now
and then into the water for fish. There
were birds, too a diver, five and one-halt
feet high, and some, strange TO say, with
spinal vertebIp like fish, and armed with
pointed teeth in both jaws. Enormous
1 turtOises and turtles were oOatmen ot The
/ age One discovered by Cope, IN Kansas.
was fifteen feet across .he end of one tap
, per to the end OF the other. Huge CLAIMS
layscattered over those ancient shores twen
tv SIX inches in diameter. Our sajiriau die
not fall short of the biggest O these mon
s,ers: he couId not have been less thar
! sixty to seventy feet long, and probably
, either a mOsasaurus or hZaId allied TO th'
, ! clasmOsRnrus.
The OCEAN in vyuich these creatures livCt
, ysas gradually enclosed 10y the upheava
. of the sea bottom OF the west, and sool
, 1 became an inland sea. As the eleyailo
! Continued aud its area was contracted
f ridges would rise, isolating portions OF III
5 sea into salt lakes and imprlsouing tn
! { life IN them The stronger soon desiroye
the weaker, the water 10y evaporation be
1 coming shallOwer, all life finally died, be
: came skeletons, and, in course Oi ages, iO'
I I SLED to sandstone,
= STEAM JURYNAV. The other day
{ savs the Scientific American, a Summon
. commanding Thatcher Magoin to preser
e himself for service in the jury box was rt
e TURNED to- the Commissioner OF Jurors WI.
the information that it had been serve
upon i,,e - urlng party The COMMISSIONS
said to the bearer!
"That settles it as Tar as you are cor
F cerned. but Magoih must come here an
! show Gauge vhy he should not be Juror.
e ..He can't" was the reply, hes to
e busy. II lie did CONS lie would max
e things hot for y0n. Besides, yon woul
q have to send a derrick and truck TO bIlu
j him. lie tUirns the scales at 5,OOU pounds.
The Commissioner was incr"duluus
i worse, he made remarks not cnmplumentaI
2 70 the sreaSer's condition with respec'
!. sobriety, Then the summoned man e
! planned.
or. - he said THAT cher Magojn IS Steal
. enpine. and is located at the foot of t!elci
[ or street. am Nicholas Morris, stevedou
Y Years ago / was employed by man name
/ Thatcher Nagoin. ! named my engine G
u nier 10 East river, after him. Nheh ~
9 directory man came % the dock TO get I'll
: names he saw " the name Thatcher Magoi
= on the engine. and thinking that he W.
: tie boss put it on the book. You'll see
ST on page 949."
: This we believe, is the first time that
it steam engine has been called to do poiitic
il duty. There appears to be 40 reason. HOY
u ever. why a well conducted or well Col
.e structed piece uF machinery. with phon
: graphic metric attachment sh0uld, not
= able to hear and weigh evidences quile
< efficiently as the average juror.
- A FARMER NOT FAR away, says an c
change. owns large hog and has had
re great many callers TO see il, he placed
" i'm the barn aud charged twenty-five cen
re a sight at him. \ few days ago mi
" drove M to the farmhouse and asked
NJ see the hog. The tanner led the way
re the barn, but before he opened the %
y turned about and demanded the fee !
~ stranger paid the quarter aud tnined
n leave, when the farmer called ont, "i'"'
tv ! you want to SEQ the hOg?' I've Sc
ke him." answered the stranger aud be kC
on,