The Delta independent., 1891-04-30
4 POLAR REFRIGERATOR.
MAMMoTHs KEPT ON ICE FOR
THOUSANDS OF YEARS.
Legends and Relics of Past Ages In the
Frozen North-The Giant Rat Of
China and the Huge Mas.
todon--AncIeut Meat.

W iCil tlc uFsb EliOl)etuS visited
China and began to obtain information
regarding the traditions of the country
they learned among other things, that
in the natural history of the people
was an enormous subterranean rat
called tyn-schl.
The rat was five or six times as large
as II horse, had terrible teeth and
lived chiefly in the northern country,
where it forced its way beneath noun
tain ranges, so that when tremor of
;in earthquake was heard in China the
parents would turn to the child and
gay:
My son, behave yourself. The
tyn-schu is burrowing beneath the
mountains, making the earth trcmble. y
Thus it came TO be believed by all
shat the big rat was an actual fact
No one could be found, however, who
had met with the tyn-schu until hun
ter from the far north was discovered
who said he had seen one. and hero is
his story:
Il am fcherman, and some years
ago ! travelled in Northern China and
Siberia. following up the rivers to the
northern ocean. One winter the cold
had been more severe than usual and
we started down the Lena before the
ice had gone. 1t was still very cold,
but we kept on. hoping to secure many
fish to dry and carry into the interior
later on.
"One day VIC We're passing u high
cliff that was partly undermined by a
t., IL,
asked me ii I had ever seen a tyn-schu.
I replied no. Well he said. there is
one coming out
Il looked up and there, about forty
feet from tho beach, was big black
mass of something. I could see two
long teeth, long tail and its shaggy
fur, and it was evidently struggling TO
get out. as the ice cliff was cracked
- When he sees the sunlight my
comrade said, it will kill him and
when we como back we shall find him
dead And this was true, for several
months later when we went back there
lay the monster on the beach dead. 1t
had crawled out OF its hole and died In
the sunlight and was mostly eaten up
by bears and wolves. We cut off the
big teeth, which were as much as two
men could lift. and took them up the
river where | sold one, which l heard
was sent to the Emperor
Such was the Chinaman's story, and
that he believed that the rat was real
~ n living creature there can be no
doubt: and the belief is supported by
The finding in China OF gigantic bones,
beneath the surface, of these rats that
have accidentally been caught by rays
of sunlight.
The origin OF this superstition Is 4
veritable giant OF the ice, says writer
in the New York Herald-a huge ele-
phant which existed thousands OF years
ago in nearly all countries, and
about Northern Europe and
In the long ago Of geological ages
the climate OF the far north WAS much
milder than at present, and the Siberian
islands in the Arctic Ocean were COW
cred with trees and were the home of
vast herds OF monster elephants.
When the first white men visited this
desolate region they found the shore in
some instances literally covered with
the tusks, everywhere protruding from
the sand. partly hidden by it, showing
that here was graveyard of monsters
OF the olden time. When the account
reached the centers of civilization men
went out 10 soc ii it was true, and in II
short time an extensive ivory trade
in these ancient relics sprang up.
There was then an indefinite idea OF
the animal which bore them, but
gradually the fact became known that
they were the tusks OF an enormous
elephant known as the mammoth.
Imagine Jumbo third longer,
third higher and covered with coat
of woolly hair from two to three feet
in length. and some idea can be formed
of this king OF the'elephants that lived
In the long ago. For a long time q
very exaggerated idea OF the animal
was entertained, and some curious pic
lures of it were made, but finally a
specimen was found and then another.
Tho first and best specimen was dis
covered by native fisherman. He
saw its tusl1 protruding from the bank
or tunda, and watched it for several
seasons. until finally he found it lying
upon the beach. The wild animals
had been feeding on it, and think OF it!
the mammoth may have been dead any
where from five to fifty thousand years,
yet its flesh was 80 perfectly preserved
and the eye SO fresh that scientific
man said he could hardly distinguish
between it and the eye OF IL living
animal.
Thousands OF years ago this gigantic
creature had persisted, perhaps falling
into II crevasse in the ice, and evel
since had been frozen up like solid
rocks. Gradually undermined by the
river the body had fallen out, as We
have seen.
About thirty pounds of the red hail
and wool was collected by the fisher
man, the tusks and portions OF the feet
and all sold to n Russian official, who
Immediately sent word to st. Peters
burg, whereupon the Emperor ordered
that the entire skeleton should be pre-
served. The skeleton was secured
with some of the skin and hair, ant
all are now in the Royal Museum o
st. Petersburg. illustrating the enor
nous size OF this prehistoric giant.
This was in the last century, ant
ever since people have been on th'
| lookout for the giants of the ice