New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-06-13
HOUSEFUL OF FOSSILS.
THE GREAT COPE COLLECTION IN
PHILADELPHIA
'UABii;D IN APPARENT DISORDER IN THE
LATE SCIENTISTS HOUSE. SOME AWAIT
ING DISTRIBUTION To I.EGATEES
OTHERS A BUYER.

ING DISTRIBUTION To I.EGATEES.
OTHERS A BUYER
Jumbied about on floors. boxes and tables
half hidden by dust lighted bv windows that
nave not been washed in years. the mag
nlhcent fossil collection of the late Edward
Drinker Cope lies in his house az TWEEN
ty-hrst and Pine SITS. Philadelphia, waiting
the time when il will be divided among the
institutions to which il has been willed. The
most complete collection reptile fossils and the
most notable private collection in the Western
Hemisphere. if not in the world. gives little ndi
cation TO the uninitiated visitor of its real value
and OF its importance to science. Many OF the
sub-colections-;he fish skeletons, for Instance
are boxed up and stored 50 tightly in little hall
rooms than can hardly see further than the
door. The bottles and jars. the result Of forty
years Of earnest collecting crowded SO closely
on the shelves ana floor that only the
labels on the front row and can fern but 4 vague
idea Of their contents. Great sx-foot fossil bones
are fitted up in corners. and giant vertebrae too
long 10 lie straight in the little rooms they
oupy. twist themselves over the floors. one must
pick his way carefully over thigh bones and
shouder-blades To reach and examine the fossil
fishes ana slabs spread around in packing-boxes.
ORDER REALLY PREVAILS.
But through all the apparent disorder sort of
order prevails. The old German curator knows
where everything is. ana if you rub the dust
from I delicate east with a careless finger he
raises hurried ana ANXIOUS protest. The whole
house. seemingly nothing hut chaos tells of 4
scientist too busy To care f.; white paper labels
Polished Slass ana daily dustbrush. man whose
catalogue was all in his brains. who measured
The salient details and the relative importance of
each Kew acquisition at glance. and then pat it
away becaus- he liked to have ii. not necessarily
to look At. bccauSa his memory was true and
prompt and served him perfectly. hut he liked
he L
tered bones and among the boxes. to lift ! skull
or slab. and pat aside regiment Of jars in order
that some rare specimen. or. At any rate. some
specimen illustrating tia po!,.t h wanted To i'm
press might be found and explained. 30 really
earnest naturalist ever failed Of recognition by
Cope. no simulated love II nature ever deceived
him.
The little house is one of a block in the fash
ionable part Of town
PUSHING ITS OWNER OUT OF HIS HOME.
Professor Cope started the collection there-it
was then his hone-yrars ana years ago It grew
until his family had no roora. Finally it crowded
them out. The Professor preferred moving his
family "a moving his collection and SO they
found another homo. The specimens took all the
room. ana Went On growing untI il crowded il
self The owner. who was always at work on
some biological subject found himself henmcd
in at his Gosk. day by Gay hy breastvork OF sci
entit.c papers ard rnae2zincs with scarcely 81
how-ToCm fer his secretary. The two and the old
German curator. the three pe-rons who worked
there in the house were forced eventually 10
walk Sc wise between the lanes of tables and
boxes.
Only man situated - Cope was could have
made such collection. only i man with the fort
une he inherited from his father. Only one with
ms earnesiress and energy. with his willingness
10 sink his money in private expeditions and III,
practical knowledge - direct ther!-a man with
his firm grasp If results and briiiiancy in sum
ming thc:2 Up. When he died but l.ttle remained
OF ms fortune save the collection. and Dart Of
that-an important part-had been sold I'd NEE,
financial losses. In spite Of this reduction the
collection went on and the time Of his death
he had an expedition in the southwest part az
IeSas from which he hoped for much 1t was re-
called.
lie was naturalis; heart from the dav no
began 10 ASK questions. At seven h. drcv, r,c,
cfes or giampuSes and jelly:ish seen on a tri,, In
Boston-Sketches made with serious rur,ose- %, .
=isht and half NJ first visited the academy ~
natural sciences and took home q drawing 81
the skeleton II the ichthyosaurus Al ,ira,ao,
ne had read his first paper N the Academy az,
sa!amardeis. describing rare variety he hal
round tSpeIerpes lOngicau3ah Re;tilia We're
such humble subjects that he was AFRAID of being