Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-08-10
ANCIENT FOOTPRINTS
PosT-TERrrARY MAN - GIGANTIC SAM
DALs AND SMALL MEN.
Miocene Birds and Pliocene Horses II
Valuable Gift to the California
Academy Of Sciences

Academy Of Sciences
The Academy of Sciences held a semi
monthly meeting at San Francisco this
week, Vice-President Justin G. Moore in
the chair.
letter was read from Mrs. E. B.
Crocker, of Sacramento, presenting to the
Academy her very rare and valuable col
lection of l,500 birds and 100 mammals.
The collection consists of specimens from
all parts Of the world, some of which are
not found in the British Museum, all of
which are mounted, classified, suitably la.
beled, and arranged in glass cases beauti-
fully prepared to contain them. On motion
of Hon. B. B. Redding. committee con-
sisting of DR.. Albert Kellogg, William F.
Meyers and Charles G. Yale was appointed
to return suitable thanks to the generous
donor for SO valuable and welcome q gift,
and for the kind interest thus manifestly
displayed in the prosperity and usefulness
of the Academy. 1t was resolved that the
collection be known as the collection pre-.
sented by Mrs. E. B. Croker, of Sacra.
mento."
The recent discovery of footprints in the
sandstone of the yard of the Nevada State
Prison has created considerable interest in
the scientific world, especially as several
series of these footprints are thought to
have been made by prehistoric man. The
Academy of Sciences having sent some OF
its members to examine and report upon
these resords of ancient life, the results of
the researches thus made were last evening
made public.
THE REPORT TO THE ACADEMY
DR.. ii. w. Hardness read the following
report, giving the results of the examina-
ton OF the footprints i:
The western declivity of the Sierra Ne.
vada has thus far proved to be a valuable
field fer the paleontologist in his researches
into the life history and surroundings of
primitive man. That this field is of value
is owing chiefly to two causes First, the
effect of volcanic action in changing the
course of rivers secondly, to the extern
sive areas laid bare by mining. The plio-
Gene rivers of this region were filled by
gravel and lava so that their waters were
diverted from their original course and
were compelled to wear away new chan.
nels. Many of these channels are from
LOCO to 2, 600 feet in depth. In these old
river channels human remains have been
found, which seem clearly to establish the
fact that man was resident of these val.
leys before the volcanic overflow, which
filed them with lava. Beneath these
msuutains the miner, as he burrows in
search for gold, is bringing to light arrow.
heads, mortars, spears and other imple.
ments, and has, it is believed, in two in.
stances at least, unearthed the bones of
the men who had used them. Associated
with these implements, or found in the
gravel deposit, have been found the fossil
remains of many species of animals, in.
Guiding those of the rhinoceros, the mas
todons, three species of the horse, the
wolf, the deer and other animals These
remains have been found in thirty differ
ent localities and in eleven different coun.
ties in California. In trying to determine
the age Of these remains. we must bear
in mind that they autedate the present
river system of the Sierras. Were we
able to ascertain the number OF thou.
sands of years that were required by the
present rivers to cut their channels through
slate and granite to the great depths they
have now attained, we would be able to
proximately fix the time when these deni.
zens of the Sierra were in existence.
STATE PRISON AIDS SCIENCE.
The Nevada State Prison is situated at a
distance of one and one-half miles from
Carson City, the capital of the State of
Nevada, and three miles from the base of
the Sierras. It lies in valley which has
an elevation of $3.50 feet above the sea
level This valley is hsnked upon the
west By the Sierras, which rise abruptly to
the hight of about 2,670 feet above the
valley. To the north it is bounded by the
Washoe Range, and upon the east and south
by a somewhat elevated range of hills in
the Carson desert, through which the Car
son river finds its way to what is known as
"the sink of the Carson"
The prison was built about twenty years
since on the extreme point of hill having
an elevation of about sixty feet. This hill
is formed of sandstone, which had its orr.
gin in the detritus brought by wind and
water from the Sierras. This point was
chosen with view to utilizing the labor of
the convicts in quarrying stone for build
ing purposes. AS a result of this quarry
ing the stone has been removed from an
area of about one and three-quarters acres
and to depth varying from fifteen to
t biEtytwo feet, showing the hill to be CON-
pdkd of layers of sandstone alternating
with seams Of clay,
It had been known that animal remains
had been discovered in the above named
quarry, but no special attention seems to
have been called to the fact until the ap.
pointment of the present Warden, William
Garrard, under whose quick intelligence
and by whose energy systematic effort
has been made to collect and preserve these
fossils. And not only this, he, together
with Mr.. Hanks, the Sheriff of Storey
county, determined to have the situation
carefully examined, and to this end they
opened correspondence with the Curator of |
our Geological Museum, @. D. Gibbes.
At one of the recent meetings OF the |
Academy, Mr.. Gibbes read the correspond
ence, which 80 impressed the members that |
it was determined at once to visit the To- |
cality. This Mr.. Gibbes and l did, and
tonight we wish to submit to you our re.
port
The formation, to which allusion has
been made, is called by Clarence King in
his Geological Survey of the fortieth paral.
lei the Clover Quaternary." Referring
to this region he says it is composed OF |
sandstones and clays worn down from the |
adjacent high mountains and deposited in
the water and on the shore of a lake of |
many hundred miles in area, that at one
time extended along the eastern base of the |
Sierras and in Central Nevada, and having
an elevation of 4, 1856 feet above the sea |
level. Pyramid, Winnemucca and Walker |
Lakes, and the sinks of the Carson and |
Humboldt, are now the lower points of |
this lake, which spread its waters in the |
Pliocene age, and which Mr.. King has
called Lake Lahontan.
Raf,rptno rtnw RI c1ne1dar
we find il the lowest strata, exposed by |
the workmen, numerous fresh water shells |
which, through the kindness of Professor |
r. L. c. Stearns, we learn are those of a |
mussel, of the genus "Anodonta." At an |
elevation of thirteen feet above these is |
found another strata in which, in addition |
to the shells of Anodonta, we find species
OF Physa. This discovery is of additional |
interest from the fact that King reports
that he found no fresh water shells in the |
should be mentioned that the floor or area
OF the yard we are now studying bears evil
dence OF having been slightly tilted at a
period subsequent to its deposition.
FOOTPRINTS ON THE SANDS OF TIME
1t also gives evidence of having been at
one time the shore of some lake, or. per.
haps, pond, local and isolated, as its level
was above that of Lake Lahontan. Pre-.
sumably we stand on the shore of this an.
cient pond or lake, and as we look about us
we see the footprints of variety of ami.
mails, among which We recognize those of
the mammoth, the deer, the wolf, those of
many birds, apparently those of horse,
and. most important Of all, what seem to
be the imprints of the sandaled foot of
man.
There are six series of the tracks of man.
Each of these ak series is represented by
number of footprints tfrom eight to seven.
teen) in regular order, and each showing
more or less plainly the imprint of san.
dal. Besides this, in one of the seriesis
marked difference in the form of the san.
DIAL.
The first of these series which we exam.
med liz to be aeen erneroiue, al IL xraro fro,,,