The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1882-10-22
Nevada Fossils.

Footprints Of Enormous 4nlp7ls- Fortified Trees
An Interesting Secaon.
Now that so much i, being said about
the tracks OF anlpiiiuyinnelc elephants and
prehistoric at the state Prison quar-
ry, near Carson, il may bee that some Of
the scientists OF the Pacific coast will
think it worth while to take "A look at
the tracks beyond DaS ton, near the
mouth Of Fl Dorado canon These
tracks arc in rock that Is deuudcd. We
have never examined them, but have
frequently heard them spoken OF BY Pro-
fessor w. +, Stewart (now dead), who
thought them very remarkable and Of
much scientific Importance. The tracks
are described as much the same rs those
found at the state prison quarry. Though
Professor Stewart said nothing Of the
tracks Of human beings, he had good
deal TO say Of the tracks Of mammoth
horses, These may have been The tracks
Of elephants or Of the mammoth. lie
also spoke Of great quantities Of petri.
fed wood that was Strewn about the
surface Of the ground
This would seem 70 indicate that the
ground was once the bottom Of a lake.
Indeed, all the low grounds in ih, part
OF Nevada shows signs Of having been
covered by water in Hncicn, times, and
also some plats Of considerable altitude.
In 1850 we found a petriied Iog Of pine,
some thirty feet 10 length and eighteen
inches IN diameter, on toe side OF bill
to the southeast OF American Fiat
Strewn over Spring valley there was also
at that time much petrilied cedar, tr,
pine aud other kinds Of wood. The
prospectors were in the habit Of 'siedg-
ing these log, up, in order to get at
the knots, piece OF pitch and other parts
that would make handsome specimens
for cabinets. These logs were, no doubt,
the trunks Of trees that bad Heated
about on ancient lakes until they be-
came water-logged, and sunk 10 the bot
tom. The random way in which they
were scattered about seemed to- show
this.
In the year 1861, a big hood washed
out a great number OF petrihed slumps
of trees along q ravino running from
near the old Daney Mine, Spring Val.
lev, down Tire Carson river These ap.
pcarcd 70 he the stump OF cottou-woods,
alders, and such trees rs grow along
streams. The roots and all parts Of these
Stumps were perfectly pe,riijed.
In this region, however, nothing more
interesting is likely to be found than ap.
pears on the surface, but farther down
the Carson, and to the eastward Of the
Sink, is a section Of country tina, would
be likely to yield much OF value 10 q
careful scientific investigator. There l.
in that region large area OF recent
sand-rock, OF coarse, loose texture, and
4 granitc-gray color.
Some four miles east Of the Sink o.
the Carson, an upheayal OF granite has
SO raised this sedimentary formation aS
10 show it to be about 500 feet 10 thick
ness. In many places large canons have
cut through this formation leaving near
~ perpeudicu,ar walls Ia passing along
the canons, without making aGy special
examinations, we have found, sticking
in the walls, bones Of small. animals and
bird, bits of wood twigS, and the like,
all black as though carboni7ed.
On the bank Of a deep canon, north
east OF what is known as tine Lower
Sink Of the Carson, IS place where !.
to be seen a great quantity OF petritiec
wood Of all kinds 4 stratum OF thi'
wood some tive feet thick, and exposed
along the canon Tor distance OF over
100 Yards, appears TO have been grea
drift. All is so thoroughly pctutcd ont
so natural in appearance that Mt a dis
lance il seems to be a lot of cord-wooC
stacked up on the bank Of the canon
Mingled with this petrifed dIiit-woo'
NAV perhaps be found the bones an,
skeletons of animals, birds, and reptiles
The bed OF petriicd wood is covered Z
a depth of from three 10 FIVE feet wit.
earth and gravel Virginia tAecD +"
terprlSe,