Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1894-07-30
TEXAS BIGGEST STEER.
Animal Whose Horns Weigh $40 POUNDS.
Bones of an Enormous Beast Feuno
Twelve Feet Below the surface-hasto'
don Small Beside the Gisnt-Not fes
Named by ycientlsts

Bones of an Enormous Beast Found
Twelve Feet Below the surface-nasto
don Small Beside the Gisnt-Not he'
Named by Scientists
SHERMAN, TEX, July 29.-Uutil re.
Gently il has been generally supposed
that the buffalo was the largest animal
that ever roamed the prairles OF Iexas,
but it is now known that An animal
once inhabited this country oeside
which even the mastodon would Dc
much inferior in point OF size.
j. w. fash, while sinking well
April 81, on his farm, about Is miles
northeast of Sherman, on the banks OF
small stream known as Caney creek,
came upon the bones of prehistoric
animal 81 depth Of ~ feet from the
surface.
fash a. FIRST thought ne had struck
soft ROCK formation, the bones being so
large that thew mised him as TO the
true nature OF his find.
! A few strokes OF the pick, however,
convinced him that he was not digging
In rock, for from the place where he
| had been digging there came an odor so
| disagreeabIe that fish ceased work Tor
the time and called some OF his neigh
bors to get their opinions concerning his
startling discovery.
After discussing the matter, fash
concluded TO exhume the skeleton In as
complete condition as possible. Inls
proved TO be q somewhat difficult task,
as the smaller bones crumbled when ex-
posed to the air.
The remains were found In sandy
clay, and showed that that aulmal was
lying on its side when some disturbance
of the earth covered 1t with twelve feet
of dirt.
When the surrounding clay had been
sufficiently removed it was found that
the portion OF the skeleton which fash
had first struck with his pick was the
skull, which was three inches thick.
Other measurements show space OF
three feet between the eyes, and from
one corner tooth to the other is space
Of thirty inches.
The mouth was shaped pretty much
like that of cow, the teeth having the
same arrangement. The animal was
pretty well equipped for nastcating its
food, its teeth weighing from four and
half to 10 pounds. 1t is safe to say that
il the owner OF these immense grinders
ever suffered from toothache, the inhab-
itants OF this section at that time inva-
riably began to search for tall mber
The most extraordinary feature OF the
animal was It's horns, which firmly es-
tabish the fact that the animal to
which they belonged was. OF species
totally unknown TO Our histories. These
massive articles of the animals head
gear are similar in shape TO the horns
OF the Texas steer, but they grew out
of the center.of the bead like goats
horns, and were joined together by a
tough cartilage or bony substance for
space OF 80 inches above the head, at
which point they receded from each
other and curved backward. The tips
were four feet apart. Each horn is
feet inches long, &c inches In circum-
fersnce, aud the two weigh GAO pounds.
The hip bone is 7 feet long and 81
inches Ia circumference. The thigh
cone IS 81 inches long and 26 inches in
circumference. The knee joint OF the
fore leg measures ~ inches in circum-
ference.
The formation OF the hoof is exactly
like that OF an OK, and from the pastern
joint to the hoof the bones measure II
inches.
The height Of this colossal skeleton
when clothed in flesh could not have
been less than 16 feet, and from the
forehead to the end Of the spinal column
the monster measured "a feet.
Many OF the smaller bones crumbled
to dust whsn taken out, but conserva-
tive estimate Of the weight of all OF the
BODIES is 5000 pounds.
Tash, the discovered OF the skeleton,
is farmer Of small means, and his find
is proving a bonanza to him in a small
way. He is exhibiting the wonder and
charging Q small admission fee. he has
had numerous offers for the skeleton,
one Of 81, 900. but does not think OF sell
ing il.
No zooIogist has as yet named the
animal to which these huge bones be-
longed.
Hundreds OF people in this county
will vouch for the genuineness OF the
| bones aud the correctness OF their d.
ensiOns as given,