The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1890-07-18
A Mastodon's Remains.
THE INTERESTING DISCOVERY RECESTLY Y
DISCOVERED IN CANADA.

A giant mastodon's remains have
Just been exhumed from their long
resting place in cornfeld near High.
gate. The skeleton has, piece by piece
been disintered since last Saturday
morning, aud for massiveness and
grandeur of proportions it equals, If
IL does not surpsss, anything yet
known TO science. IL has been dug
out Of piece Of farm land which forms
part of a swampy plain. It's exact
location it gwen thus: "The southerly
part of the east part of lot 8, conces-
sior 6, of the township of Oxford, in
the county Of Oxford, owned by Mr..
John Reycraft." 1t is a little over
forty miles westward of St. Thomas,
on the Michigan Central Line, and
160 miles from Toronto.
Four years ago the farmers of the
vicinity decided to unite their energies
10 draining a marshy bog-a place
which had been apparently more or
less submerged for centuries. To car.
ry off the water that accumulated on
the surface they cut a ditch through
several lots until they affected q juno
tion with larger channel. While the
ditch was being opened in Nj. Rey.
crafts land, the excavator, relative
of the owner, struck his spade against
what he first regarded as log Of wood
but on examination found to be the
big bone of an animal larger than
any he had ever read or heard of. As
he continued his digging he came up
on some more remains, large foreltg
bone, part of the hind leg, several ribs,
vertebrae and one or two other smaller
bones. The entire collection was
carefully stored away in the farm
house, and few words passed about
the discovery. Mr.. Reycraft, however
made up his mind to prosecute further
search at a more convenient season.
The years slipped by, and that conven
lent season never came About twelve
months ago one of the farm hands
was plowing the field by the side of
this lonely ditch and the coulter struck
against another massive bone. In
bulk it was like the decaying trunk Of
an ample pine. 1t proved stumbling
block to the indignant Hodge, ard he
contemptuously hurled it into the ditch
whence it has not yet been recovered
The discovery of the skeleton was q
matter of small account to the good
folks about Highgate, but through the
medium of travelling Snowman, the
story reached the ears of John Jelley
of Shelbourne. He took an active part
in the finding of mammouth on w
b. Jelly's farm in the township OF
Amaranth last summer, and he and hi'
nephew. w. A. Hillhouse, soon founC
that the facts were as represented by
the Snowman. Mr.. Jtlley lost no time
in acquiring possession of all the bones
found four years ago, and the right tC
search for whatever other remains
there might be in the field. He and
his nephew, with gang of men, SCI
to work on Saturday and the reward
of their first days toll was 100 pieces
of the gigantic skeleton. The enor
nous jaws teeth and tusk proclaimed
at once that they belonged to the mas
todon, and one Of the largest of tina
branch of the elephant family Or
Monday their efforts were attended
with almost equal success and the
following day added to the collection
which now weighs several tons ant
numbers several hundreds.
The area of this earliest of eartl
sepulchres is 35 feet by 81. The bone
were scattered over it, one joint fittinl
into the other in bed of gray mar
about six feet below the surface. Owe
the mari is thick layer of black loam
soil, resembling in co rposition an
quality the lands that skirt peat mos
It is combustable and will, when fire
applied, shoulder sullenly, and tn
ashes are like the ashes of peat fire