Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1898-12-30

Evidences of n mighty battle which took
place 1000, 600 years ago. ave just been
received at the American Museum of Nat
ural History in New York, says a CORE
spondent from that city. It was fought
between two OF tho biggest animals that
ever lived, one herbivorous dinosaur
terrible IizarCi) about 80 feet long and
tall enough to- wade across the Hudson
river at Grants tomb without wetting his
head and thc other flesh eating dinosaur
probably 20 or 80 feet long and weighing
80 or 10 tons.
The details of this battle are as clearly
known as IL IL had happened yesterday.
and the body Of the monstrnus victim lies
outstretched in Central park, for DIR.
Workman, who has charge OF the museums
field work in paleontology, has read the
story of the fight in the skeleton which he
uncarthed and brought to New York, a
part of a shipment of two whole carloads
of huge bones.
The fight took place in what is now the
state of Wyoming, which was then the
shore OF q great inland sea which extend
ed in "a northerly and stoutherly direction
through the center OF the United States.
Hero among the tropical grass and palms
these huge and terrible animals lived and
waded. and here those that ate Gesh preyed
upon those that fed on vegetation, just as
the lesser animals do today. When the
huge dinoSaur, the skeleton nf which DIR.
Workman has found, was killed, IL sank
down in the soft ooze and there, as tho sea
rcceded, it slowly petrified and lay. for
=, 900, 600 years. And there it was IN
carthed and photographed. Along its enor-
nous tail bones DIR. Workman has found
deep ridges showing where its eneDy's
claws struck down and stripped off tho
flesh, and some of the lower vertebrae arc
entirely broken off, giving some idea of
the awful violence of the attack.
The flesh eating dinosaur, which was |
something the shape of an enormous kan |
and taken its Frey by surprise, as tiger |
falls on an OK, and by the fierceness of the |
overcame an animal twice its /
size. Inasmuch there is no evidence of /
the bones having attempted to mend them
selves, the attack must have caused the
death of the herbivorous animal.
Tho dinosaur, brontosaur, morosaur,
diplGdocus and others of the same order
lived and dominated the earth during
W hat are known as the Jurassic and the
late Triassic ages. Some of them were
only as large as cur common rabbit; Others
reached the great length of 40, so and 90
feet. Occasional fragmentary skeletons
have been found in Europe, Asia, Africa
and even Australia, but the greatest num-
Der and most perfect remains have been
iound in the Americas. The Bad Lands of
he west are found in places literally TO be
gnderlaid with the bones OF dinosaurs
They arc OF such curious shape and odd
formation that geclogists are enabled by
means OF them to draw no uncertain pic
ure of the conditions which existed on
,arth hruinG these early ages From the
ceth they are enabled To say just what
sind of food the animal lived on; from
he shape of the feet they can state the
sind cf ground he trod on; from another
ossil they are enabled 20 state that the
InimaIs had cannihalistic traits. The
oInplete skeleton OF the new dinosaur will
weigh probably 20, 600 pounds Compare
uch a monster with the skeleton Of N
nastodon, which VIII weigh probably
600 pounds, and the mention of great
tee girders To hold IL in position will not
eein sCperiiuous-
North America was once divided by n
"a " hich reached from the gulf of Mexico
0 the Arctic ocean. Its eastern shore lay
long the line where the Missouri river is
oyv Its western shore was rs FAR west as
-tah Ii was salt and had tides and cur
act the same as the Atlantic ocean. In
tier ages the gradual elevation Of the land
aused the close Of the northern and south