The record-union., 1899-09-20

earthed Which Are 5e41eVed TO
be New to Science-They VIII
be Shipped to the Various Col
1eges Represented by the Scien-
lists and the Carnegie Museum.
correspondence Of the Associated Press)
LARAMIE (Wyo.), Sept. 19.-Fifty-
eight American colleges and museums
will be enriched at the opening of the
college year by unprecedented acces-
sions of fossils, professors and students
from as many institutions having just
spent a month collecting the bones and
vegetable remains of millions of years
%from the hillside of Wyoming. Almost
a hundred enthusiasts came to this
city as the guests of Wilbur c. Knight
of the State University, and the work
of Quitting was done under his d1-
rectfon. Late in July a long cavalcade
wound it's lesiurely way out OF Lara
nrie for a forty days wandering in the
wilderness.
The visible results of the collecting
tour are evidence that every scientist
labored to good effect in the interests
of his institution. The first field of
consequence was encountered at Coop
er Creek Fossils We're found abundant
in red sandstone of the Fox Hills form
alton Several species were obtained
that are believed to be new to science.
Professor Knight found a variety of
pectlm and Professors Collie and Todd
discovered pieces of coral, an extreme
ly rare occurrence in this formation. Mr..
Vincent gathered two varieties of de-
ciduous leaves. This deposit has never
been described as occurring in the
Fox Hills.
While in camp the next day the ex-
pedition enjoyed an experience not GUS
tomary during midsummer The scien-
lists picked Alpine flowers on the edges
of snow fields, and pelted one an
other with snowballs at an elevation of
5000 feet.
The first shipment to Eastern col
leges was made from Rock Creek Sta
ton, and consisted mainly of shelled
forms of prehistoric life.
The scientists studied with intense
interest the classic Como Bluff, whence
Yale has drawn her dinosaur treasures
Twenty years ago Professor Marsh
opened up these quarries near Medicine
Bow, and placed the field work in the
hands of s. W. Silliston and w. H.
Reed. The former is now in charge of
the natural history department of the
University of Kansas, and Mr.. Reed is
at present collecting for the Carnegie
MNuseum.
NIn spite of the previous thorough
prospecting along the Como exposure,
several remarkable finds were made
The party from the Gustavus Adolphus
College of Minnesota opened the grave
of huge dinosaur. Several days were
given to the exposure while the expe-
dition moved on, and the results indi-
cate that a promising quarry has been
located for next seasons work. Pro-
fessors Edquest and Kempe promptly
posted a formal claim to their discov-
cry, which is sufficient to hold 1t
against all other scientific prospectors.
Professor Charlton and his assist
ants from Baylor University, in Texas,
located another dinosaur which be-
comes the distinctive property of their
institution. They also unearthed pie
siosaur, the first to be reported from
this formation in Wyoming.
Other scientists opened bed of palm
leaves which yielded some splendid ex-
amples, a bed of fossil plants related
TO our present trees, and over a half
dozen new fossils invertebrates, chief
among which was beautiful star fish
discovered by Professor Peck of Lafay-
cite College.
Professor Knight found at this point
a saurian Of large dimensions that re-
mains as yet unidentified None of
these animals can be removed till next
season. A choice saurian tooth was
picked up by Professor Brown of West
Virginia This tooth was black and
brilliantly polished, with both edges
definitely serrated.
Every member of the party secured
a section of a prehistoric squid fish
called the Belmmite. This black conf
cal fragment resembling a torpedo once
contained ink for defensive warfares.
Specimens Of this sepia sac have been
found in Wyoming still preserving the
ink through millions of years Profess
sor Beecher of Yale once wrote label
for such a specimen, using the ink it
had preserved SO successfully
&The second shipment of specimens
amounted to thirty boxes averaging
forty pounds in weight.
The expedition moved on to the
Freeze Out Hills, and spent several
10y . III tie tAeaIl OF TIE QlnOSaQf reg
ion. At sunrise each morning the hill
sides were covered with enthusiastic
scientists hammering at the exposed
rocks, or excavating in search of bones.
An hour later they We're struggling
down the hills with a huge fragment
Of a femur or rib. Among those who
were successful in prospecting at this
point We're Professors Yates and Brown
of Coe University and Professor Collie.
Professors knight and Barbour made
a joint discovery of great Importance.
It consisted of new fossils in the fresh
water Jurassic. Up TO this time no
fossils except dinosaurs had been found
in this formation. but those discov-
cred at this camp included Lameli-
branches, Gasteropods, fish bones and