Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1891-10-01
IN RATTLESNAKE LAND,
Incidents Of u Sheep Drivers
Journey in the Dakota
Bad Lands.
How II Rattlesnake Bite Acts on
Shecp-An AntidOte Dis
covered. ,.,
Investigating the Causes of the
Northern Pacific Stock
Train Wreck.
Bad Land Records,

Bad Land Records.
John Nichols, who had charge Of the
driving of 5000 sheep for Lloyd &
Hamilton, from Montana and Wyoming,
kept a diary OF each days incidents.
The trip through the celebrated Bad
Lands was crowded with noteworthy
events, and to the lover of :atural history,
was decidedly interesting. In the Bad
Lands nature seems to have left cyl
dences of some of her queerest creations.
The entire country between tho Missouri
river and the Rocky mountains, from be-
yond the Canadian line to Texas, IS said
by geologlsts to have been the bed OF
some ancient sea, that stood long after
the elevated mountains and hills on
either side had appeared. In this sea
aud on the shores were crowded the
animal life Of that period, and in the
slime OF the ocean bed have been ERE.
served the remains of the most curious
and gigantic specimens of ancient spe-
cies of fish, reptile and higher animal.
In the Bad Lands south of the Northern
Pacific railroad there seemed to have
congregated the last remaining individ-
uals Of both land and sea eras. The
broken conntry, covered with igneons
or burned out rocks, scant vegetation,
and possessing many varieties of curious
geological conditions, abounds with
remains of ancient inhabitants
of earth and water. Their presence
is indicated everywhere throughout a
long distance and over wide region.
Innumerable remains of sea shells and
sea animals are found. Some of the
species are extinct; others represented
by living forms today. In the lower
strata, or at the bottom of the shallow
ocean beds, these forms are to be mostly
seen. The skeletons of gigantic reptiles
are also obtained from strata above the
layers encasing the marine animals,
although both sea and land forms are
often inteImingled in the same locality.
Many scientific collections have been en-
rlched by specimens from the Bad Lands.
The crust Of the earth seems there to
have undergone the most frequent and
decided convulslons. Raised and SUBJ
sided, twisted, torn and heaped up again,
subjected to the action of fire and earth
quakes, 1t was left to visibly mark the
scene of those tremendous forces IN
action which have prepared the earth for
it's present races Of creatures.
In this curious, and to the ordinary
glance, unlnviting country, Mr.. Nichols,
his assistants and his "silly sheep" spent
several weeks, and in all over three
months on the drive. Some OF the most
astonishing skeletons of sea and land
animals we're often seen. Snails 16
inches across the she'll and perfect in
form. Oysters and clans whose shells
we're two feet long and thick in proportion.
The remains of an ancient lizard 50 feet
long were seen lying in bank, and fos-
sils of all descriptions were continually
to be found. A small collection was
made by Mr.. Nichols, but wagon loads of
interesting structures could have been
obtained. There have been several par
ties OF geologists and students from east
ern colleges investigating the deposits in
the Bad Lands this summer.
Soon after starting on the sheep drive
rattlesnakes became troublesome and
began to attack the sheep. The snakes
were found everywhere, in open places,
near rocks and along the trail in any To-
cality. Nine sheep we're lost by being
bitten by the reptiles, and fifty bitten.
Mr.. Nichols tried various remedies to save
the poisoned sheep, but not until he hit
upon an application OF kerosene and
Ponds Extract did he succeed in saving
any. After trying the coal oil remedy
he lost only one and saved numbers. The
rapidity with which the venom from
rattler takes effect is very great. One
sheep while crossing near some rocks
was struck by big rattler, his fangs en-
tering both upper and lower lips of the
sheep, which swung its head suddenly
upward and carried with it the snake
whose fangs were too deeply imbedded
to be loosened. One of the assistants
promptly killed the snake, and the bitten
animal was timed to see how long it
would survive. The sheep went about
fifty feet and laid down. In five minutes
it's body was swollen as tight as the skin
would stretch, the head putting and swell
ling out to a great size, and the animal
choking and turning purple. The skin
in the forehead was opened and liberal
application Of oil and Extract poured in