The Osceola times., 1881-07-30
PREHISTORIC MONSTERS.
Discovery of Huge Mammoth and Masto
don-The Relies on Exhibition
lanSas CITY lime

hAnsAS lily
There is on exhibition at No. 55l Main
street, in this city. collection of fossils
that gives one an idea of the monstrous
animals that roamed this earth during
the prehistoric ages. The fossils refer
red TO belong to Bohart Bros, and were
exhumed in Spocan county, Washington
Territory, near the Idaho line, and
about l20 miles north Of Walla Walla.
The bones consist of the heads of two
mammoths, or say one mammoth and
one mastodon, with other remains of
this monster type of the pachyderm.
Mr. W A. Bohart, who owns a stock
ranch in Washington Territory, discov.
cred the remains of the prehistoric
wonders. He was cleaning out a spring
last fall. for his stock, when at the depth
of twelve feet he came upon the bones
of the animal. A general excavation
followed, and parts of the remains Of
several were found In all, he has seven
tusks, two heads, the pelvic bones and
tibia of one huge monster, numerous
ribs and any number of teeth. The best
preserved portions were found in the
water, or boggy bed of the spring, and on
reaching the drier soil, the bones on be-
ing exhumed and exposed to the air
crumbled and fell away. The specimens
Mr.. Bohart succeeded in getting out are
well preserved. They are not petrifac-
tions, but the bones, teeth and tusks of
the animal in the natural state, preserved
through millions of years in the mari
where the animal succumbed to death, and
the iron impregnating the water had not
little to do in the marvellous preserva-
ton. Among the collection are all va
rieties of bones showing the animal
from calf up to its monstrous growth
of nineteen feet in height and weight Of
twenty tons One Of the tusks in perfect
preservation, measures ten feet two
inches in length. the under Jaws weigh
sixty eight pounds, and the pelvis bone
measures five feet ten inches across, and
some of the teeth, measuring twelve by
eight inches, weighs nineteen pounds.
The mammoth and his lesser type, the
mastodon, were Indigenous TO this coun-
try, and their remains have been dis
tributed over a widespread area Near
Newburry, New York, the first speci
men was found in thus country, but
since they have been found nearly every
where the vicinity Of Fort Lyon, on the
Arkansas river in Colorado, has notably
contributed TO this class of paleontho-
logical remains 1t is believed these
huge animals existed about the early
part Of the alluvial perio |, rs their re-
mains are generally found in bcgs or
marls Just above the rock formation that
underlies the alluyial deposit in the va
rious localities. In plain language, the
mammoth was an immense elephant,
and his brother the mastodon, was little
less in size. Both we're so huge that the
largest elephant of to-day would be a
pigma towards his prehistoric progenitor
| The remains that the Messrs. Bohart
/ Bros. have are genuine in every respect
and wonderfully preserved, and will be
of untold advantage to the compare.
| tive anatomists in rebuilding the mann
moth and mastodon according to his lust
proportions They will be Of immense
| benefit to the science of palenthology.
| To the curious loving a. well a. the sci
entifc, an inspection of these colossal
relics will amply repay journey of days
even. II is designed to exhibit them in
/ Chicago and the east, and then transfer
them to some college museum.
The discoverer of these relics is a
brother of Mr.. W. II. Bohart, the well
known banker of Lathrop, Clinton coun-
/ ty, No, and he has furnished the money
for their transportation from their far
| off resting place TO this city.