Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1895-01-03
A BIG WHALE ON LAND
BTRANeE DISCOVERIES MADE IN
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.


the Hills and the Rocks.
Once while watching the excavation
of street through one of the steep hills
that constitute feature of the city of
Los Angeles 1 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 lost
beneath the fashionable houses of the
vicinity.
There was something irresistibly fas-
cinating in this idea-walking up a
street and running FOUL" as the sail
ors put it, of whale, and whenever l
passed that way almost expected to
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 friend related similar
experience to me and the astonishment
it's discovery produced. He was an old
resident and in former years had been a
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 dry wash which in winter
was q roaring torrent, and which for
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 divide
overlooking deep amphitheater. On
the north side the mountain had been
cut down vertically, and from where he
stood it looked as though gigantic
knife had cleft the mountain side, leav-
ing the edge bare and the red earth
filled with great powders ready to roll
down after each winter rain.
This ledge and the deposit at its base
attracted the attention of the prospect.
or, and coming to the latter he found
among the heaps of stones huge bone,
which might have passed for the limt
of tree inbedded in the soil. Follow
ing up the slope, he raised his eyes tC
the cliff and saw protruding from il
other bones Gradually, to his amaze
ment they took shape, and he saw the
skeleton of a gigantic whale stretched
along the side of the mountain, stand
ing out in strong relief against the rec
earth. Some of the bones had falle1
down, but the greater number stood il
the natural position, as the monster hat
died, and the whale that had once swun
over this spot and exposed its enormous
length to the hot sun now lay stretched
along the ancient sea bottom 1t hat
been lifted by some mighty cataclysn
$500 feet into the air, the roots Of thu
great trees clasping its bones, the win
ter,rains undermining it, while the Sc;
that was once its home had receded an(
lay blue in the summer haze 20 mile
away.
The old prospector could hardly real
ize for moment that the skeleton O
the monster was before him. Then, TAX
ing his pick and attacking it, he becam
whaler literally among the pines o
the southern Sierras.
l have since seen portions of an
other whale in branch of the coas
range near San Juan Capistrano, ant
not far distant, in quicksand, wa
discovered the remains of large ele
phant allied to the mammoth, while tel
miles from San Juan l visited q bed O
large shells that covered acres of coun
try, so closely packed together that the,
were shoveled out in solid masses an,
ground up into lime.
Along the southern Sierras, especial
ly in the coast range, it is possible to g
whaling. fishing and she'll hunting iron
1000 to 5000 feet above the presen
level of the ocean and with positiv
assurance of finding the remains Q
some of these stranded animals. Tha
this extraordinary convulsion Of natur
did not occur so very long ago is evi
dent from the good preservation Of tn
bones, and ON the seashore shells az
found 40 feet above high water mar
almost identical with those living be
low them.
Several thousand years ago came th
birth of the coast range of mountains
They were forced upward, and wit
them the entire coast was elevated
Previous to this the ocean undoustedl
plowed over the orange groves of south
ern California, and the great desert
may have been arms of the sea fror
which projected isolated. peaks.
The island of Catalina probably aI
peared at this time, and upon its sum
NIT are found great deposits of shell
2,000 feet above the sea. With then
are found the teeth of gigantic shark
that must have been nearly 100 feet il
length, capable of attacking the larges
whales
The entire country of northern Cali
fornia presents the details of it's histor
in stone, and one familiar with thos
evidences may turn the leaves and rea
them as book. Among the hills tina
contained the bones Of these !eviathan
I found deposits Of fine clay, the bed O
an ancient lake in which were the re
mains of myriads of fishes that had bee
left by the water and buried in the bot
tom, to be found in after ages to tel
their story. Cor. Phiiadalnhia Times