The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1893-04-06
CHANCES OF The WORLD.
How They Were Made, and the Animals
Belonging to Each.

brief description of the great fossil beds
of the John Days river region. An idea
as to how they were formed might be of
interest. To begin with, we must, of
course, draw somewhat on the imagina-
ton as to time, and go back into the
dark ages of the past, many. very many,
Thousand years ago, when man was un-
known upon at least this part of the
earth. We will picture to ourselves
vast region of luxuriant forests of trop-
ical and semi-tropical trees and plants;
rank growths of succulent herbage,
teeming with these strange types of
animal life. There were great lakes,
with rivers and creeks flowing into
them. Fearful rains at times fell upon
this region, causing those streams to
become swollen torrents, such as are at
present SO common in some portions of
the earth These ancient floods swept
down their debris of all kinds, including
the remains of vast numbers of queer
beasts, into the waters of lakes, as is the
case in regions of the earth today where
animal life is abundant. There they
become in time buried in the mud at
the bottom of the lake. There we will
leave them, for it is many ages, perhaps,
before they are again brought to the
| light of day. And what changes are
| wrought in this world while they are
lying there There come mighty con-
vulsions, which change the whole aspect
of nature. In places mountains are
! thrown up where the plain once was.
Great fissures are formed in the surface
of the earth, through which mighty
streams of lave pour out and cover the
face of this once lovely land. Then all
is quiet, dark and desolate. After q
while small streams of water again ap-
pear, running now from new-made
mountains through the parched and
barren waste. For long and dreary
years they murmur along; they wear
away the barren rock; new soil is made /;
rivers are again formed Ages pass, and
the rivers wear away the rocks; new
lakes are made; different form of life
| appears. Then again, these same fearful
tragedies of nature re-occur. The lava
runs down the mountain slopes; sitting
clouds of sickening vapors fill the air
volcanoes send down great showers OF
ashes upon the fearful scene; the lakes
are filled with them. Quiet is at last
restored, and then again begins natures
work of .reparation. The small streams
again resume their journey toward the
sea. These great upheavals have made
their task an easy one. They travel on
ward and unite with one another.
Large rivers are formed, but the lakes
are gone. In their stead wild and
rugged mountains rear their heads; but
the world is again at peace. Other ages
pass away and there comes man upon
the scene to search among these mighty
ruins and to draw as yet dim pictures o.
the ;wondrous powers of the Mighty One
who rules it all.
After drawing this feeble outline o
the causes producing such vast changes
upon the face of this region, we will
now deal with what is here today lef
us to see with our own eyes and to won
der as to where it all will lead.
In the first great upheaval of this re
gion, vast lake or series of lakes ex
| ISAOS0 ONOA a SACAb HOA bAOA VI WIS ~
gion. The contents of the beds of thes'
lakes, we now find in the older fossil
beds or the ones known as the Joh1
7 Day beds, that being the place wher
: they were first found. These beds cove
= quite an area along the great gorges o
that river and its tributaries, and con
> tain wonderful supply of very valua
j ~ l-ra ho1
: ing to the miocine, or middle period c
f the tertiary age. Here are found man
/. remains of strong beasts of long ago, an
: although some of these have kindred iy
ing upon the earth at present, their form
e have greatly changed. We find here tn
n little animal called the auchithereum Oh
t as it is sometimes called, the miohippui
from the miocine period, in which it
/, found. This animal is now conceded b
b all who believe in the evolution theor
e to be the ancestor of the horse, and r.
d mains of it are found in a somewht
e different form in a much older perio
n than the one of which we write. Thel
: were also animals of the rhinoceros kinC
It Cat-like animals were very numerou
O. A great many species are found, an
some are of great size. One in partict
e lar will mention was as large perhaI
e as the great man-eating. tiger of Indi;
n He had great canine teeth or tusks 81
IS inches long, held by massive jaw
a These mighty tusks were somewhat fla
g tened and in shape were little unlike
n dagger, with serrated edges 1. C., wit
edges like a sickle used for cutting grail