New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-11-05
A CRUMBLING MASTODON.
THE BONES NEAR EDOM. VA. EXHUMED
ONLY TO FALL AWAY IN DUST.
TEETH SAVED TO PROVE THE GESUISESEss on
THE DIsCOvERY-A BRUTE WITH A LARGER
BODY BUT SMALLER BRAIN THAN


BoDY BUT SMALLER BRAIN THAN
THE AFRICAN ELEPHANT
Washington Sept l6.-In The Tribune OF March
81, 1884, there appeared article with this head
ing, The Grave Of Mastodon.' The bones or
this mastodon have now been discovered at the
bottom of the drained pond from whose sides few
fragments Of the extremities and one or TWO
teeth were formerly exhumed. On the other
hand the limestone caves of Linville, from whose
roofs one may see the mastodon's grave In Noun
tain Valley, have yielded implements as distinctly
paleolithic as the majority Of those preserved III
the Archaeological Hall Of the Smithsonian In
Stitution under that designation. when tue oe-
scription Of The Grave of Mastodon' was WHIT
ten it was possible to speak Of the observations
then made in the plural. Now the experiences OF
an individual can alone be given. My most ac-
complished and gallant comrade OF last February s
Journey has gone again upon one Of those remote
and perous expeditions in the interests OF science
which have made him famous, but more famous
in Europe than In his country
On July the present writer received instruc-
lions to 20 back to Mountain Valley (which last
February was little better than morass), secure
the remains OF the mastodon for the National
Museum and make such other observations and
There are few more beautiful countries than
the Valley Of Virginia, and within this favored
tract no region is farer than that where the
waters divide and flow northward and southwark
into the main branches OF the Shenandoah When
Rockhill and myself rode this line last winter,
great snow was melting the earth was dark and
sodden, and icy winds swept down from the pallld
heights that defined themselves against slate
coored sky. AS now l saw again the waters be-
meath which the mastodon lay, summer breezes
rustled through the green woods, and the light
of evening strcamed over the Alleghanies upon
land golden with it's harvest and quick with those
reproductive energies which men everywhere have
personihed aud adored
These antagonistic experiences are erblematlc
of those mighty periods through which this Great
ure had been preserved. When he passed away
not peacefully and in the order OF nature lof
his teeth show that he persisted in maturity-the
sorrowful and desolate scene OF last winter was
but faint reflection OF that landscape upon which
his eyes were closed forever. 1t was OF suparctic
severity in all its features. lie lies upon the
southern limit of the drift" and the floods that
burst from beneath the ice-cap which covered
North America down to New-iork while the
earth was dragged away from the sun were thun-
the surface contours of the region in which his
relics now appear like those of some alien in an
altered world The first practical question with
regard to the recovery of the great pro-
boscidan was how to get rid of the water that
covered his bones. This miniature lake beneath
which they lay buried in boulder clay was OF
unknown depth, and from the constant rains which
had occurred in this vicinity was full to the brim
No means of ascertaining the character OF the
bottom were at hand. 1t was easy enough to DO
this around the margin, but further out 1t was
imnossible without something that would float the
photographer and that was not to De had at d
moments notice. In this emergency, one Oh the
vouthful aborginies of the locality proposed Tor
n consideration to convert himself into sound
ing machine I may mention that for some time
large part of the mature porsion OF the popuia-
ton. and all its younger members, regarueu YOUR
correspondent as French conIurer-why FRENCH
heaven knows-in search OF buried treasure
When the true objects had in view were nnaiiy
impressed upon the minds Of the people spoken OF,
| they merely looked upon him as harmless luna
tic. and many of them honorcd him with their es-
TEEN. The aforementioned boy having stated
that he oculd swim, prepared himself Tor aquatic
exercises and waded In Shortly aiter THIS nc
disappeared and it became evident that theIe was
a hole near the centre. Briefly, series OF ex-
ncriments established the fact that this hole was
a V-shapcd depression running along the ehure
length of the pond and that on either side of it,.
the water was only about three feet deep. Still,
there WAS n great deal of it to be displaced. and
this must necessarily be poured upon somebody's
land, whose consent to the operation it would be
requisite to obtain before active proceedings were
begun A . great number OF opinions prevailed
among those who kindly interested themselves in
the enterprise, and some of my most agreeable
acquaintanccs earnestly desired that the drainage
should be done up hill Everyone who is at all
familiar with the Vitae Sanctorum knows that the
saints frequently accomplished this feat In former
times, but entertained well-founded distrust
of my OWN powers, and after rude survey of the
spot and the determination OF its levels, 1t was
plain that the outflow must be on the north or
nowhere Something like railroad cut would
have been necessary to let the water off toward
the SOUTH and transverse ridges of rock efectually
prevented trenching upon the east and west.
Negotiations were now begun with Mr.. c. Long,
| upon whose fields this stagnant flood to be
| loosed and that gcntleman-when he was found,
| for he was a tax collector and had to be hunted
| upon the face of the earth-not only granted the
request, but also consented to superintend the
work. This he did in the most efficient manner.
and in course of time ditch 500 feet long and of
sufficient depth and width dug up to the
head of the pond. Then one evening as thunder
storm gathered upon the Blue Ridge. the inter
vening earth cut away. and the waters be-
meath which the mastodon lay burst forth. They
flowed of during the night, and after deepen
ing the channel next day, by nightfal the cxcava-
| ton was empty, except some pools which were
| got rid Of by secondary drains.
| What was to he seen there depended entirely
| upon the man who looked upon the scene From
one point OF view it was nothing but an irregular
| expanse Of ugly and i-omened black mud, smell
| ing yilely and exhaling fever. From another. it
was the last resting place Of a giant such as the
| earth no longer holds, one also whom death had
| overtaken in his vlgor, amid what circumstances
Of mighty if Intellectual. struggle against his doom,