The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-03-20
DEATH OF PROFESSOR MARSH
Yalc's Renowned ScIentist-Chair of

Caused the Establishment of Peabody
Museum.
Othniel c. Marsh, M. A., Phi. D., LII.
D., professor Of paleontology at Yale
university, curator of the geological col
lection at the same institution, and one
of the most famous geological scholars
in the world died at 9;55 o'clock Satur-
day morning at his residence on Pros
pect street, after weeks illness. The
cause of death was pneumonia.
Professor Marsh was sixty-seven
years old. He was probably Yale's most
famous scholar, his reputation on &C
count of his marvellous achievements in
paleontology being worldwide. In adj
dition to this his literary contributions
on the subject gave him renown which
caused him to be known as among the
greatest investigators and scholars of
the age. In addition to the degrees con-
ferred upon him by his alma mater,
Yale he received the degree of Phi. D.
from the University of Heidelberg in
1886, and in the same year Harvard
conferred upon him the degree Of IL D.
Professor Marsh was president of the
National Academy of Science, and a
member of the geological societies of
London and Germany; of the Royal
Irish Academy, the Royal Bavarian
Academy Of Science, and the Royal
Academies of Denmark and Belgium.
Last year he was awarded the prize of
the French Royal Academy of Science.
Professor Othniel Charles Marsh was
one of the most distinguished natural
lists of this country and of this age. His
original researches among Indian relics
in the West and among the remains of
birds and reptiles in the east added
greatly to scientific knowledge on these
subjects and his works have attained
to the rank Of the highest authority in
their own field
He was born at Lockport, N. Y, Oc-
tober 90, 1881. In 1860 he was graduated
at Yale university, and passed two
years at the Yale Scientific school, fit
ting himself for higher studies in. nat
ural history At first he became most
interested in the study of mineralogy,
but soon devoted himself with tremen-
QOuS dTQOT WHICH IellldliSu uHuliiiiii-
ished until his death, to the problems of
paleontology. He was fortunate in the
discovery of fossil reptile in the coal
formation of Nova Scotia, the Eosaurus
Acadianus which he reconstructed and
fully described. This gave him at once
positive rank and recognition among
scientists.
From 1862 to 1865 he studied zoology,
mineralogy and geology in Germany
under Professor Ehrenberg and other
eminent authorities in the Universities
Of Berlin, Heidelberg, and Breslau. Dur
ing his vacations he devoted himself to
original investigations in the Alps and
in the less-known parts of Germany. BY
the time he had completed his studies
abroad his fame had become firmly es-
tablished in this country, as well as In
Europe. A chair of Paleontology was
created especially for him at Yale, and
he accepted it in 1866 He remained In
this chair for thirty-three years. Dur
ing the entire period he strove earnestly
and in the most highly scientific method
to increase the stock of facts about the
fossil history of this continent, as we'll
as to multiply the means for the care
full study and classification of the speci
mems collected. In the latter field his |
greatest benefaction is the establish
ment of the Peabody Museum at Yale. |
He was the nephew of George Peabody,
and induced his uncle to give to Yale |
a fund that should be used for the cree |
ton and founding of great museum of |
natural history. Much work had been
done on the building and in the collec-
ton of specimens, but Professor Marsh |
died before the whole work was COM
pleted. as the fund had not accumulated
sufficiently to warrant the building OF
the central structure and one of the
wings. This will not be possible for sew
eral years yet, although the fund is
rapidly and the success of the
is assured. Until 1t shall be
it will not be possible to ex-
hibit and use for study the great mass
of specimens which Professor Marsh
himself brought from the Black Hills in
his famous excursion in that then new
field
Professor Marsh selected as his spec
al field of study the remains of eX-
tinct vertebrate animals, particularly
those found in the regions of the
Rocky Mountains. His first expedi-
ion led him in places so remote from
he army posts there the vanguard Of
American civilization, that they had
aever been visited before by white
men In some of his excursions he
lad very narrow escapes from death
1t the hands of savages or from the
terrible exposure to the weather, with
he temperature ranging more than 20
legrees below zero. He used to de-
light his classes at Yale, as well as sci
,ntific students and others who were
enough to listen to his lee |
ures or to his addresses by narrating
many of his adventures among the In
lians.
1t was on these expeditions that Pro-
essor Marsh learned so much about |
he outrages inflicted upon the lndi-
ms. He made representations to the :
that finally, after a long
with Secretary Delano, led J
o the retirement of the secretary and I
he redress of the grievances Of the I
ed men. This was in 1875. t
Professor Marshs studies and inves-
igations have brought to light more 6
han a thousand new species of ex- {
met vertebrates that We're not before '
noWn to have existed in this country. | c
lie published descriptions OF more Than
hrae hundred Of these DrincipalIV in j