The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-08-31
FOOTPRINTS OF MONSTER MEN
Curious Discoveries that Interest
Scientists OF the Pacific Coast.

The San Francisco Chronicle, In q
recent issue says: can unusually
large number of interested auditors
was present last evening at the meet
ing of the academy of sciences. The
walls of the apartment in which the
meeting was held were hung with
cloth diagrams of the mammoth
footprints unearthed within the
wall of the Nevada state prison. The
diagrams were obtained by rubbing
lampblack over the prints, which
were then pressed over with the
canvas and afterward printed, the
work being done by g. Drayton
Gibbes, curator of mineralogy, and
DR.. ii. w. Hardness, who were dis
patched by the academy to under
mine the Nevada penitentiary in the
interest of science, their expenses
being paid out of the Croker fund
for scientific research.
DR.. Hardness read the paper OF the
evening, maintaining that the foot
prints were of the pilocene
period and antedated the present
river system of the Sierras. The
Nevada state prison lies in a valley
which has an elevation of 1900 feet,
and is flanked by the Sierras, the
Washoe range, and the somewhat
elevated range ofhills in the Carson
desert. This prison was built about
twenty years ago on the extreme
point of hill, having an elevation
of about sixty feet. The hill is form
ed of sandstone which has its origin
I'm, thn o. ,.it hrnnnhk hxy mind ond
water from the Sierras. This point
was chosen with view to utilizing
the labor of the copvicts, and about
an acre and three-quarters have
been removed to a depth vary
ing from fifteen to thirty-twO feet,
showing the hill to be formed of lay
ers of sandstone, alternating with
seams of clay. In the lower stratum
exposed by the workmen numerous
fresh water shells of genus AROdOetd
are observed. AT an elevation of
thirteen feet above these is found
another stratum, in which, in addi-
ton to the AnodORta, are seen q
species of Physician interesting dis
covery, from the fact that Clarence
King reports no fresh-water sh ellis
in the region except one. The floor
of the area bears evidence of having
been tilted at a period subsequent
to it's deposition, and gives evidence
of having been at one time the shore
of some lake, local and isolated.
There were found series of tracks
of man in regular order, and each
showing, more or less plainly, the
imprint of a sandal. The tracks
were made in layer or sediment of
perhaps two inches in depth. Far be-
low tins layer is found the compact
sandstone. In each instance the mud
has been raised by the pressure of
the foot into a ridge, which entirely
surrounded the print. This mud is
only partially solicited, and is still
flaky and easily broken on exposure.
In nearly all the toe portion of the
sandal is well shown. Backward
from the toe we generally find the
impression of the outer sandal. The
sandal is found to be nineteen inches
in length, eight inches at the ball of
the foot, while the heel is six inches
in breadth. In its outline the i'm
preston follows clearly the shape OF
the human foot. The average length
of the stride is two feet three inches,
and the straddle eighteen inches.
One marked feature to which atten-
ton was called was that in all these
tracks the toes turn well outward,
which is not, as a rule, the habit OF
the North American Indian. Twelve
perfect casts were obtained. In
variably the tracks were lost as they
led into the ledge.
Other tracks were also found,
supposed to be those of the NAM
moth (Elephas pYimOgenats). They
were eight in number, with an aver
age stride of four feet to four and
ore-half inches, the foot having a di-
ameter of twenty-one inches. Meth
er the toes nor the pads were dis
tict. Two more series were dIscov-
cred, presenting ten tracks in line.
! In these the mud had been so soft
that q ridge of about five inches had
| formed itself about each foot print.
There were also seen the prints of a
wading bird - either the whooping
crane or the big blue heron. These
were seemingly not larger than the
sizes now living. Tracks of the an
telope, the wolf, ana either the
buffalo or the horse were also found.
Two claims have been advanced
why the Handicapped prints were
not those of human being: First,
on account of their colossal size
and, secondly, because the space be-
tween them creates q suspicion that
they were of an animal other than
man. DR.. Hardness, however, be-
lieves that this was due to the sandal
worn, which disagreeable footwear
also compelled the walker to disiend
his limbs. With the exception Of
the heel. in all the footprints except
one the toe in the sandals was very
distinct, and while not one perfect
imprint of q sandal was found, still
by taking the various missing parts
found in different specimens, the re
semblance of q sandal was obvious
The paper was further illustrated
with stereopticon views of the prison
] quarry and its wonderful footprints