Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1896-02-29
MILLIONS IN THE ICE.
AntediIuvian Beasts with Ivory Tustxs
Locked In the Frozen North.

Anteduuv1an Beasts with Ivory VuSk8
Locked In the Frozen North.
Wealth is waiting for the man who
shall have the courage to essay a certain
bold exploit. 1t is not gold, nor silver,
nor yet precious gems, but ivory-the
finest ivory in the world. Mines of it
exist, in which are stored quantities of
this valuable substance well nigh in
eAhaustible. This is no idle tale de-
signed to infanie the imagination. 1t
is cold fact, resting upon indisputable
authority. Let the most adventurous
spirit take advantage of the informa-
ton which is given by the famous
Lieut.. Schuetze, who was sent by the
United States government to bring back
to this country the bodies Of De Long
and his companions after the jeanette
disaster These Inflated men, it will
be remembered, persisted of starvation
and cold in the Lena delta. The Lena
rises in eastern Siberia and flows north
ward to the Arctic ocean. To the north
east of its mouth there is group of
islands known as New Siberia. It is on
these islands that the ivory mines are
to be found.
The Lena, however, has not one, but
many mouths. It's delta covers an area
of 5000 square miles. This frozen re-
gion was thoroughly explored by Lieut..
Schuetze in his search for the bodies.
Later he visited it again, bring
ing several thousand dollars
worth of gifts to the natives,
lac secured their confidence, and they
spoke to him of many things which
!
other stranger. They even told him
about the ivory mines and showed him
some tusks.
They were mammoth trsks. The
ivory mines are deposits of the tusks
of mammoths that lived in that region
thousands of years ago. All over
northern Siberia these huge animals
roamed in vast herds. The climate at
that time was comparatively mild. But
there came a sudden change. Fierce
winter swept over the land-a winter
permanent and destined never again
to resign its sway. The mammoths
sought shelter in the valleys, where
they huddled together until, over
whelmed by snowdrifts, they lay down
to die beneath feecy avaIanches which
were finally transformed into solid ice.
This ice, composing glaciers, was
swept through gorges toward the Arc
tic ocean, carrying the buried creatures.
Thus buried in ice, the mammoths
were likely to be preserved for an in
definite period. Such, in fact, was the
result, and to this day it occasionally
happens that the thawing of mass
OF ice by the short summers sun reveals
the carcass of one of the gigantic
beasts, its meat still fresh enough to be
fed to the dogs. Such thing occurred
in 1899. The mounted skeleton is now
IL the Imperial museum at st. Peters
burg. The animal was a small one,
comparatively speaking, being only
nine feet high and IS feet long.
When the Siberian natives had come
to know Mr.. Schuetze we'll they told
him about the ivory deposits in New
Siberia. The islands of the group, they
said, were 'sbuilt on mammoth bones
Subsequent observations by the lieu
tenant confirmed this statement
Mammoth ivory, be it understood, is
more highly valued than any other
kind. 1t is worth four dollars pound
in the crude. The tusk of big fellow
will measure IA feet in length, and will
weigh four times as much as the tusk
of a large elephant. The market de-
mand for ivoryis now supplied to
great extent from Siberia The mann.
moth tusks are carried enormous dis
tances overland to reach the nearest
railways. This kind of ivory is known
as fossil" ivory, though that is a mis-
nomer.-N. Y. journal