The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1893-05-24
Valuable Fossil Discoveries

The New York Natural History
Museum authorities, says the New
York Tribune, will place on exhibition
in few days the results of their recent
discoveries in the Eocene and Miocene
beds Of Wyoming and in the neighbor
ing States. Professor Fairfield Osborn
of Columbia, college and paleontolog
ical curator of the Natural History
Museum, in speaking of the recent dis
covery of fossil remains of the rhlnoc-
eros and other animals that thousands
of years ago had home in America,
said:
"Few persons are aware that at one
time before the great chains of noun
tains in the west cut off the warm west
winds of the Pacific from the country
which is now called the Great Plains,
this region was the home of great
herds of rhinoceri They hourished
during the whole Eocene and Miocene
periods and it is not known whether
they were produced or evolved in our
own country, or whether they emigrated
from Asia or Europe across the Boring
straits and down the coast which at
one time luXuriated in tropical climate
and vegetation, During the early part
of the Miocene period a superb fresh
water lake extended all the way from
Canada to the Gulf, over the region
now occupied by the deserts of North
and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas,
Western Kansas and the more southern
Territories fringing the eastern slopes
of the Rocky Mountains.
"Last summer the new Department
of Mammalian Paleontology in the
American Museum of Natural History
sent an expedition into this old lake
bottom of South Dakota in charge Of
DIR. ]. L. Workman, who is one of the
most expert fossil collectors of the
West. They explored all the steps in
the strata from the bottom of the old
lake bottom to the top, and brought
back splendid collection, indicating
all the stages of the development Of
life during the vast period Of time in
which this great Miocene lake existed.
"Seme idea of this stretch of time
may be gained by the fact that in the
bottom beds one great family of the
Titanotherium, or giant beasts, went
through a whole course of evolution
from forms about the size or the mod
ern rhinoceros to those equaling the
small modern elephant, at the same
time acquiring huge horns upon the
fore portion of the skull
"This is the most complete fossil
rhinoceros which has ever been found,
for all the bones are present, from the
nose to the tip of the tail, with the eX-
ception of the left fore limb and some
of the ribs. The specimen was dis
covered by the merest accident by Mr..
Peterson, one of the museum party,
during an interval in which he left his
work upon another fossil, only very
small face of bone being exposed
The animal was discovered in wall Of
green sandstone and was taken out in
three large blocks, which were carefully
cased, and with great deal of difficulty
hauled through the deep canyons and
shipped to the museum"
A wooden leg and a dog nearly
changed the course of European history.
In 1865, just prior to the war between
Prussia and Denmark, Bismarck was
staying at Biarritz One morning,
accompanied by huge dog, he was
walking along road which runs along
cliff, protected by a low wall, when
he met an old French naval captain
with a wooden leg, but powerfully
built, and Of quick temper. The
dog became unduly attentive to the
captains leg, and the Frenchmar
struck at the animal with the butt Of
his fishingrod. Bismarck used q
round German oath, and the sailor
followed with nautical emphasis. From
words the two came to blows, and in a
few minutes Bismarck found that
strong as he was, the Frenchman wa;
lifting him bodily upon the top of the
sea-wall. Another moment and he
would have been in the sea below, anc
the whole course of history would have
been changed. At the critical momen
came help-by the irony Of fate-in the
shape of an equerry Of Napoleon, who
rescued the German from his terrible
opponent. If that equerry could only
have known for what he had saved him
Jack-How are you going to spenC
H. .,,,, ,oaro Tor, IN, oOipo m mn