American citizen., 1879-04-26
MastOdOns and MammOths.

One sultry afternoon in August, 1915,
some farm-hands who were digging
muck, or mari, in a swamp upon the
estate of Mr.. Nathaniel Bre~c.er, in
Newburgh. Orange County, N. Y, as
they thrust down their spades, came up
on something hard, like a rock. They
prodded it doubtfully, for it seemed i'm
probable that rock should be in the
midst of a soft bed of muck.
-" It's an old log" said one.
"Nc," said another, "it's too hard.
More likely it's bone"
They scraped off the muck, and par
TALLY exposed huge bony mass, in
which were the sockets of two enormous
eyes. Not little astonished, the men
stared at the strange object with feel
ing akin to awe.
"It's the skull of an Injun giant"
exclaimed one, "and this is his gravel"
They got out of tho pit, and the
smoky sun being now about to set, they
went home and told Mr. Brewster that
they had dug out giants skull.
The statement produced some merri-
ment at their expense. Having some
curiosity to see what the men had real
ly found, Mr.. Brewster and his son-in-
law, Mr.. George C. Weeks, went to the
muck-pit early the following morning,
where they at once saw that, If not the
skull of an Indian giant, it was certain
ly that of some gigantic animal, at pres
ent unknown to man.
Grasping shovel, young Weeks
jumped into the pit, and, with the help
of the workmen, soon cleared away the
black dirt from the skull and unearthed
two long white tusks.
While digging for muck, they had, by
chance, stumbled upon the "grave of
a nsastodon gtganteus, an animal of the
elephant family, but immensely larger
than those which walk the earth to day.
Shears-poies were set up over the pit,
and tackle procured. Meantime, not
less than a hundred persons had col
lected, and amidst great excitement, the
massive skull and unwieldy tusks were
raised from their resting-place. In the
act of raising, however, one tusk broke,
about midway of its length, into two
pieces, the butt remaining in its socket,
but the point sticking fast in its marty
bed. Continuing the search, the bones
of the vertebrs and the long ribs were
found; and, after these, the broad
shoulder-blade; and deeper in the mari,
the enormous femurs, or thigh-bones.
So carefully, in fact, was the process of
exhumation conducted, that every bone
of the skeleton was found except the
phalanges, or d" toe bones," of the left
hind foot.
Within the arched cavity formed by
the ribs, was a mass of five or six BUSH
els of broken and crushed twigs, of will
low, maple and fir, intermixed with
what seemed to have been leaves and
grass. This was, no doubt, the masto-
don's last dinner. 1t is likely that the
gigantic creature had ventured into the
swamp for water, and became mired''
in the muck. 1t would seem that many
of these huge and ponderous brutes
found their graves in such swamps. The
weight of this mastodon, when living,
has been estimated at 10000 pounds.
The skeleton was exhibited in several
cities and towns, both in New York and
New England. At length it was pur-
chased by DIR. John c. Warren, Bos-
ton physician and naturalist, who wrote
work, accurately describing it, and
afterwards erected a building of stone
and iron on Chestnut Street, to secure
its safe preservation. 1t was there that
the writer saw it few days since.
Close beside it stands the skeleton of
the old elephant, "Pizarro," which
seems that of a pigmy beside its mighty
kinsman of old days. L subjoin few
measurements of this mastodon. Meas
urements of the skeleton, however,
give but a poor idea of the size and
grandeur of the living animal.
The height is about II feet. The
length of the body and head is II feet !;
that of its tail not far from seven feet
The tusks are each II feet long, and the
trunk is presumed to have been at least
104. The entire length of the animal
must, therefore, have been upwards of
33 feet.
This is the most perfect skeleton of
the naGstodon giganteus that has been
found; and 1 may add that the "War
rem Museum" or, as it is commonly
called, "the Mastodon's House," is well
worth a visit, not only to see the masto-
don, but for the many interesting OBJ
jects and curiosities which it contains.
&C. A. Stephens, in Youths Companion
American SchOOlma' 'ams.
Curiously enough the female school
teachers of the United States were