New-York tribune., 1886-11-07
A SCIENTIFIC OUTING.
TIE PRINCETON EXPEDITION OF 1880


DISCOVERIES
<rom certain points or view the practical value
of scientific expeditions composed In part OF
students night form fruitful text for dis
course Ones have become so accustomed
70 hearing the title scientific expedition apphedto
mere excursions that 1t is something OF pleasure
20 remember that once in while the term covers
the laborious explorations and srccimcngather
inzs Of trained specialists and their assistants
And while science always Profits by genuine
cxredition. it has not infreauently been brought
into disrcpute by the careless use of the term
20 which l have alluded.
Happily this latter statement in no way applies
10 the various EXPEDITIONS that have gone out
from time to time from Princeton College Tor uie
purpose Of adding to the collections in the Geoogi-
cal museum of the COLLEGE. The exTedtion OF 1856
which has lust returned from its field of work in
Southwestern Wyoming and Northeastern Utah
is no exception to this rule and when the fossis
which it has obtained are carefully examined ana
described. it is confidently believed that the
work Of this expedition will be found fully equal
10 that of the most successful OF its predecessors
This years expedition is the sixth that has gone
out from Princeton to the Bad Lands OF the y" est
and the almost annual invasion by the FOSSIL
hunters has come to he recognized as an
on established institution at Fort Rridger
and vicinity In 1877 the first OF
fhcse exredtions vent out under Professors
Braclxett and Karge and while covering wide
extent Of territory Colorado and WYOMING
did most of ITS palaontolocical work in the TAM
o,,s Bridcer Beds. and within forty miles of the
fort The cxrcdition of 1878 was very sucress-
fu in the Bitter Creek country. the edge of which,
cs seen from the railroad about fifty miles east
of Green River CITY. is familiar to the trans
continental traveller over the Union Pacific Rail
way The next expedition was that OF 1882.
when the White River country of Dakota was
explored. Fort Robinson in Nebraska being the
base Of supplies In 1854 the Yellowstone coun-
try was vlsltcd-though with very small success
from the ecologisis standpOnt-and last year the
Brideer beds were again worked over
The exredition Of 1886 left Princeton on June
oI last and WAS comrOsed of eight members
Professors Scott and Sloane. and Mcssrs laton
REYNOLDS. Hcrvey. Harlan. Kane and Baucus or
The newly graduated class. For personal reasons
Professors Scott and Sloane ohli"ed to return
early in July and Francis Srcir. jr.. of New
York City. gentleman Of scientific training and
wide experience in the Western country. went out
TO take charge of the work. Carter. a sn all sta
tion on the Union Pacific Railroad. about seventy
miles west of Green River City. Wyoming.
the objective point. and from there to Fort
Bridger it is an eleven mile ride. At the fort
il was necessary finally to equip and provision
the rarty for its work. and this means great
deal more than an inexperienced person would
SUPPOSE. To any one save PROFESSIONAL military
man or an explorer of large eX erience the proTcr
amount and character OF the supplies necessary
TO eiglt men-tcn. when their guide anu COOK
are countcd-intcndinC TO work for two months
in the Bad Lands. would be difficult problem
Indeed were il not for the courtesy of the War
nnr hp for
more difficult than it has proved this year. The
military authorities of the United States and
of the State of New-Iersev have always been
most rrompt and courteous in aiding these eXre-
ditions by all means in their power, and the
blankets. saddles brides. cantcens tents and
many other necCssarics IN use this year were
drawn from their S. are stores. Then it must be
borne in II ind that the Bad Lanls furnish alb
solutely no supplies save such few antelope, SAGE
hens and rabbits as an extraordinarily good shot
can bring into camp Therefore, bacon and such
canned articles as be Transported must fop0
the stanle articles of diet. and ten hungry men
with arretitcs sharTened by hard work and IN,
cIcar atmosphere at elevation of six or s,ven
thousand feet, can dispose of a great many
rounds of bacon and a great many cans of meat
AMI vegetables in an eicht or nine weeks tlp.
The nIst refmancnt worllng camp Of the eX-
rcdition was on the south side of llcny's Fork.
enc of the sn aler tributaries of Green River
about thirty miles south of Fort Bideer The
txredition OF 1886 chose this particular locality
as It's fist camping ground because just as last
years expedition concluding It's work, a
snlendid head was found which, being exam
ined at Princeton. was Pronounced to be the skull
of uIntathelium very large animal of the
eoccne ace. This years work begun at the
spot where the head found. and by happy
froly of
was taken from the hole. Numerous
mains of uintatheium have been found. but the
bones that Will now occupy prominent place in
Prncetons museum have the unusual distinction
of belonging to one and the same skeleton and
are not PATCHED up from the remains OF several
This fnl was considered excellent but even
its Glory Ialed before the next discovery. Work
inc at Twin Buttcs. magnificent bit Of Bad
Lands some twenty-eight or thirty miles from the
lamp on IIeny's Fork. fossil mesOnyX was
come upon in excellent preservation and alnC ST
complete This is, lerhais. tie most valuable
fossil eNhumed by this expedition for with one
rossible execution il is the only skull yet found
Of a carni vorous amin al Of the American eocene
period 1t is expected that careful study of
mesonyx will add some INT ~'tin, and valuable
details to our knowledge OF The fauna OF tie
eocenc formation
ry the time that uintathcrium and mcsOnyX
vcre dug out and racLed the time allotted u
work in the beds on the northern slore of the
yintah Mountains expired, and the expedition. now
wholly Tin Ter the careful leadership Of Mr.. Fran
els S; cir lr. ~ prepared for the march across
the mountains into the White River country.
II was found that the climb over the mountains
WAS TO he very difficult. and orders were given to
leave everything the absolute essentials at
Burnt Fork a cluster of half dozen houses at
ihe foot Of the mountains. This was done, and on
tbe afternoon of July 22 the expedition set out
from Burnt Fork in a driving rain As the Ilo-
ccssion crossed the last bit of Olen country, rid
in, slowly along in single file, ii rsemblcd very
stronqlv the pictures one Of Russian officers
d,n, clnselu ln,,n