The Yellowstone journal., 1894-12-22
A BIG WHALE ON LAND
STRANGE DISCOVERIES MADE IN
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.

Skeleton of the Big Fish Unearthed In q
Street In Los Angeles-The Old Pros
pector's Discovery History Written In
the Hills and the Rocks.
Once while watching the excavation
Of street through one Of the steep hills
that constitute "A feature of the city OF
Los Angeles | saw something project
ing from the soil, which, when uncov.
cred by the workmen, proved TO be the
skeleton of whale that had been lying
there for untold ages. Its huge length
stretched across the street, its tail los;
beneath the fashionable houses of the
vicinity.
There was something irresistibly fas-
cinating i'll this idea-walking up a
street and running foul" as the sail
ors put it, of whale and whenever
passed that way | almost expected 10
hear some one shout, There she blows"'
and could see in my minds eye the
giant rising from the deep water that
once flowed over the now populous City
of the Angels and the surrounding hills.
Having had this slight experience
with whales on dry land, was not sur
prised when a friend related similI
experience to me and the astonishment
its discovery produced. He was an old
resident and in former years had been o
prospector, and at times the old fever
for discovery came upon him, upon
which he would wander off ON the edge
of the desert or up among the noun.
tains of southern California in search
of color.
On one Of these expeditions he fol
lowed up a dry wash, which in winte,
was roaring torrent, and which foI
ages had sent down the rock and gravel
Of the adjacent mountains to the val
ley below. finally turning into branch
canyon, which gradually grew narrower
and narrower until he found himself at
the top of the range near the divid
overlooking a deep amplitheater. On
the north side the mountain had beel
cut down vertically, and from where u
stood il looked as though a gigaufi
knife had cleft the mountain side, leay
ing the edge bare and the red cart.
filled with great bowlders ready to r. !
This ledge and the deposit at its bas.
attracted the attention of the prosp, ct
or, and coming to the latter he found |
among the heaps of stones huge bone. |
which might have passed for the liIna !
Of tree inlbe6dcd in the soil. Follow |
ing up the slope. he raised his eyes to |
the cliff and saw protruding from it |
other bones. Gradually, to his amaze
ment. they took shapar and he saw the
skeleton OF a gigantic whale stretched |
along the side of the mountain, stand
ing ont in strong relief against the rel
Barth. Some of the bones had fallen
down, but the greater number stood in
the natural position, as the monster ha
lied, and the whale that had once swuIn
over this spot and exposed its enormous
|ength to the hot sun now lay stretched
Along the ancient sea bottom. 1t had
been lifted by some mighty cataclysm
J, 500 feet into the air, the roots Of the
sreat trees clasping its bones, the wiz
er rains undermining it, while the $. a
hat was once its home had receded AMI
ay blue in the SIMMER haze 90 miles
way
The old prospector could hardly real
re Tor moment that the skeleton If
he monster was before him. Then, tai
ng his pick and attacking il. he became
whaler literally among the pines Of
he southern Sierras