The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-01-27
WHALES or MOUNTAIN TOPS.
Queer Guest of a Prospector Far Above
the "a Level.


From the san Francisco Cau.
was once invited to go fishing with
a friend OF geological Ieanings who as
sured me thar we would take some FISH
that would surprise me in the matter of
weight I Joined him early in the morn
ing and found to my astonishment that
ne was equipped with a pickax and SHOW
ell In the place Of a split bamboo. and in
stead of entering the water we climbed
a high mountain in the vicinity and hshed
with the tools, digging out some fine
/ specimens OF fossil FISH, that in the long
+ Walk home more than equaled my expec-
+ tations in the way of weight
Fishing on dry land may strike a lay
I man as surprising. but whaling in a
] mountain range, four or five thousand
! Feet above the sea, seems even more re-
I markable and can be enjoyed by the
J earnest seeker after novelties. Not long
since. in cutting through some of the
/ streets OF Los Angeles. the laborers
came upon the skeleton Of whale its
/ gigantic bones reaching away beneath
] house, showing that here at one time
the ocean, that is now twenty miles away.
rolled and the largest of living animals
swan.
/ A most remarkable sight was that
/ seen in the mountain north Of Los An
/ geles some years ago. A prospector in
walking in the range in search of gold
/ was suddenly amazed at seeing a land
/ slide had exposed the bones Of a gigantic
animal The jaw. which was twelve or
/ fourteen feet long, was lying on the
ground with q huge shoulder blade it
self more than a man could lift, while
away from it the remaining bones of
/ the whale could be traced for over 100
| feet. This was whaling on dry land be
] yond question, and many such dis
coVerles have been made in various lands
I and have always caused great excite
ment among the people in the vicinity.
One OF the most remarkable whales for
4 Its size was discovered in the flank OF the
/ Monte Pulgnasco, one of the Apennines.
I 1t was l,2l0 feet from the base of the
/ mountain and beneath a deposit of 900
/ feet, suggestive of the enormous time that
/ has elapsed since the whale swan in its
| native element. 1t had died and dropped
1 to the bottom. the bones lying there
| some time, as shown by oyster shells at
/ tached to the vertebra. Then came the
| tremendous unheaval that raised the
/ ooze and its contents high in the air.
/ forcing the water away Another skel-
/ eton was found 200 feet beneath the sum
! NIT OF the same mountain.
/ The city of Parts is located on de-
| posit of fossiliferous earth that was in
| the main built up at the bottom of some
/ ancient sea by the rain of infusoriae. Some
]
to make some alterations in his building,
[ cut a trench beneath and found, TO his
! amazement. some gigantic bones The
report was spread that the grave of
/ giant had been discovered, but further
/ investigation showed that it was whale
rorqual the largest of the tribe, and one
that extended under several buildings for
/ a distance Of seventy-fve feet
The Brighton CEngland cliffs bear
many large whales, and the remains Of
several have been found from time to
time-giants whose skeletons were literally
showed under by the ancient rain of
/ shells.
one of the most remarkable occur
| rences relating to whales on dry land
was observed and chronicled by Capt
! Pendleton at Deception Island. While
lying near cliff of ice, 500 feet or more
in hight, he saw a vast berg some $500
| feet in length and 100 feet in hight break
off from the ice and fall with a terrific
| conclusion into the water. When the
| berg assumed it's level the observers saw
| to their establishment, protruding from
the ice a huge whale of the sulphur-bot
| masthead of the ship standing out in
/ variety. 1t was over 200 feet above the
| bold relief. presenting a marvellous spec
! tacle and arousing much comment among
! the superstitious sailors, who considered
it little less than a miracle that whale
| should be seen in such a position.
The whale had in some way been i'm
/ prsoned in the berg, and was frozen
| solid a portion breaking off and falling
which the whalers secured. How old the
| specimen. was they could form no idea
Mammoth meat has been preserved this
way for thousands of years, and it was
| assumed that the whale was very old
| The flesh was so perfectly preserved that
/ the men fried out eight or ten barrels of
oil from It. and the birds, bears and other
animals fed for a long time on its re-
/ mains, which were left on the ice. Some
whaIers found the skeleton and some of
the flesh of large whale on Ragged
Island sixty feet or more from high water
mark, and mile and a half from the
water
1t is easy to understand now how large
whales are now resting on the SUBMITS
of mountains. where the earth has been
thrown up in huge ridges and the sea
turned hack, but how whales in
the flesh could be conveyed
there was puzzle to many
1t is. however. easily accounted for. Thus
the ship Sheerwater sighted in the Ant
arctic waters a large berg, in which, 1000
feet from the water, was whale nearly
all of its body standing out in bold relief.
/ The explanation was that about a GER
tain island near the South Pole wall of
ice had formed. down upon which snow
from the neighboring cliffs had blown
and accumulated. until finally, by sinking,
it was 100 or 200 feet thick Unto this
submerged ice Helu d la &c NHdlS was
blown or washed becoming encased in
ice and slowly frozen in. Finally an of
short gale detached the ice field ana it
blew OF as a berg and broke up. The
lower portion melted, and finally the berg
tipped over and the embedded whale was
carried 200 or 500 feet beneath the surface.
BY melting and other losses, the berg again
turned and the great ice mountain was
seen rising grandly in the air with the
whale projecting from it-a puzzle to those
who were not familiar with the various
methods of ice formation in the Antartir
Islands
For borrowing car fare a Chicago Judge
discharged juror, one of the panel in
breach of promise case. When court ada
journed one evening the juror approached
the attorney Of the plaintiff and asked
HIM for a quarter, stating that he was
without car fart to take him homo