The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-06-17

the new discovery in Wyoming eclips-
ing 1t in this respect by probably more
than 10000 pounds. The animal was
perhaps 20 feet in height at the hips
and 16 feet at the shoulders. Its femur
alone is slightly more than six feet in
length. A measurement of Its lumbar
vertebrate across the centrum is IL
inches, while corresponding Vertebfae
of the fossil recently discovered is over
Is inches in similar measurement. From
the bones disinterred the dinosaur N
Wyoming, in comparison to the one at
Yale, is in size about as three Is to
two.
The body of the dinosaur is compare
lively short, but extremely thick. Pro-
fessor Reed, in conjecturing as to the
probable appearance in life of the ami
NAL he is restoring, said:
An accurate idea of a living dino
saur is practically out of the question.
According to my opinion, I should say
that the animal now being brought to
light would weigh in life about so TONS
that he had neck 80 feet in length
and a tail perhaps go feet in length.
His ribs are about nine feet in length
and the cavity of his body, with the
lungs and entrails out. would make a
hall "a feet in length, 16 feet in width
and arched over probably II feet in
height Such a space, If properly ar
ranged, would seat at least 40 people
A round steak taken from ham of the
animal would have been at least -
feet in diameter, or more than 35 feet
in circumference, and would have had
a solid bone in the middle 12x14 inches,
with no hollow for marrow. "A set of
fours in cavalry could easily have rid
den abreast between his front and hind
legs, provided he had not objected.
Every time he put his foot down it COW
cred more than a square yard of
ground and must have fairly shaken
the earth. The smallness of the head
of this animal is peculiar thing. I
should say that the head of this mighty
dinosaur was probably not larger than
a 10-gallon key. He must have been a
very sluggish creature, as the cavity
for his brain would certainly not war
rant the belief that this organ weighed
to exceed four or five pounds
THE indications are indeed fiatter-
ing for our recovering the greater part
of the animals fossil remains, and it
will be an almost invaluable fossil
treasure There is no building large
enough in Laramie to contain it, and
when we get 1t together we probably
shall place it temporarily on the cam
pus.
"Our work has been interrupted by
snow. l have taken up the land on
which I found the. fossil under the
placer mining laws of the United States
and we shall work as rapidly as possi-
bic in restoring our great prize to a nor
NAL condition at Laramie
For many years Wyoming has been
known to contain some Of the worlds
most wonderful fossil fields. The first
discovery of fossils in the state dates
back to 1853 Since 1877 Wyoming has
been known to have the petrified re-
mains of the largest land animals that
have ever lived. 4
Professors Marsh of Yale and Cope
of the University of Pennsylvania be-
gan the study of these colossal ami
mails in 1877. Professor Cope continued
in their study until the time of his
DEATH less than two years ago. and
Professor Marsh was still at work up
on them when he too, died last year.
In the summer of 1894 the University
of Wyoming began work in the field to
secure a complete collection of fossil
remains of these great animals. Dur
ing the past three years Professor
Reed has spent his entire summers in
this work of collection, with result
that he has brought to the western
university more than SO tons of the
bones of these huge reptiles.
His recent great discovery is believed
to make the universitys collection of
reptilian fossils the greatest. in the
world. The Wyoming fossil beds, as
far as known, are confined to Albany
and Carbon counties, in the south cen
trail part of the state The bones are
usually found in banks of clay or marl
1t is not an unusual thing to find q
but occasionally in beds of sandstone.
bone bed four or five feet in thick
ness with the bones SO close together
and so mixed up that it is almost i'm
possible to take them out and restore
them to a normal place in the body.
At one time in the history of Wyo-
ming. biologists say, the state had nu-
merous fresh water lakes and climate
that was semi-tropical. At this time
these animals are believed to have in
habited these lakes and swamps in
myriads The dead animals sank into
the mud and their bones were covered
over with other deposits and became
petrified. The large beds are found
where at one time are supposed to
have been the mouths of great rivers
the animals after death having floated
down these rivers, where they We're
deposited in these estuaries. thus ac
counting for the vast deposits in GER
tain places.
1t is believed that through the geo.
logical ages these animals became COW
cred with perhaps 10000 feet of rock.
The process by which the Rocky noun
tains We're formed tilted these beds,
and subsequent erosion has thus
brought to light the burying grounds
of millions of years ago.
The history of this reptilian age in
which the dinosaur lived has been
faithfully although not fully written
in natures hieroglyphics IS found in
the vast burying grounds. The animals
of the period, although all lizardlike
We're yet widely different in character.
The seas were inhabited by fishes, tur-
ties and sea serpents. On the land were
herbiverous, carniverous, jumping, fly
ing and armored animals, all reptiian
in their nature. Associated with these
were a few mammals about the size of
a modern mouse and a few primitive
birds
The collection of reptilian fossils at
the University of Wyoming is second
in point of size and variety in the
world, its only superior being the one
collected by Professor Marsh at New
Haven. The collection embraces por-
lions of all the reptiles known to belong
to the reptlian age, and great many
animals that are new to science ana
not found elsewhere.
Among these fossil remains is tne
clio ~ wi n q,