, 1882-11-11
Ths Carson Footprints.


A special meeting Of the Academy OF
Sciences was held Monday night to listen
to paper BY Professor Joseph lie een'e
ON "Ths Carson Footprints, which had
been the subject Of discussion OF former
meeting Of ,he Academy, when 1t was
treated by Dr.. H. W Harkness- Inc
investigations OF Professor Ls Con'e ieaa
him to believe that the layer OF sandstone
in which the footprints ars preserved are
of river food deposit and mark the site OF
the mouth Of an ancient river. Inc eVi-
dence as 10 the age Of the strata was 700
slight to arrive at any definite conelrsions'
but the mammoth tracks and the pC.nts
of human feet, if such they are, he De-
lieved were of the qIartenary PERIOD ou'
at all events were not earlier than the
upper pliocene period. IL the quarry at
Carson where the footprints were ciscoV-
cred, many fossil remains have been
found. Among these are fragments OF
tusks and molars of an elephant and the
homes and teeth of two species Of horses
During the quartenary periods two great
herds Of elephants roamed over the
American continent, and in several pOr-
tions Of the yard Of the Prison at Corson
were elephant tracks. The impressions
are shallow, two inches deep, very Irregu-
lar and uncertain in outline. \ blast ia
the quarry revealed a more distinct
double track, the hind foot oyersiepping
the front. No toe marks were visible IN
these footprints. The supposed human
tracks are very numerous, several hun
dred in number, and any ore who sees
these cannot fail to be struck with their
remarkable resemblance 70 human tracks,
but there are several pecuiiarities which
raise a 1oubt as to their origin. Profess
or Le Conte then described the peculiari-
ties referred 10, referring especially 10
the great size Of the impressions AID TO
the wide straddle- He thought that the
great size of the tracks could be due only
to some sort Of covering for the feet IN
case they were made 10y human bcings-
Prehistoric man Was 10 larger than mod
ern man The theory that the feet we're
shod with sandals was discussed, but the
more serious difficulty he thought WIS the
straddie, or the distance between the feet.
This peculiarly in the tracks could hard
ly be reconciled with ihe theory that the
impressions were made BY human feet,
and the alternative theory that they were
made By an animal was also difficult %
establish In this view, tie tracks were
made by large, clumSy-fcotea animal,
and the large track would !c double
track of the feet on cash side. This
would account for the irregular shape Of
the tracks in some Of IN" series. Il 1t be
asked What animal made lie tracks, lie
must confess, lie said, that lie ali not
know. The two animals which came into
his mind were TIE bear a-d tie extinct
gigantic ground sio.h or msidoU; but
here there were objections. lie had
looked in vain fer Indications # toe nails
In the soft mud. St.n, 1t must be re
membered that there could be fund 10
toe marks in the elephant tracks. IL had
looked for indications Of double tracks,
and he imagined that lie saw some but
again, neither could they be found IN the
elephant tracks except n one recently
uncovered. The only answer to these
potent objections seems to be the clogsirg
of the feet by mud. Professor L. conte
intinlated that the fair, impartial mIni
should await mOEe evidence before COM
ing to final decision regarli"g tie origin
of the tracks.