The Portland daily press., 1900-08-24

DIGGING OUT A MAMMOTH.
An interesting Operation Carried on In
Kansas city.

In the small cave dug into the side OF
the clay bank at Flanagan Bros brick
yard, Second street and Lydia avenue, 20
feet from the base and nearly 40 from the
original summit, M. @. Long, curator of
the Public Library Museum, concluded
his search for the bones of what he firmly
believes to be mammoth of prehistoric
times. With small trowels the clay was
carefully removed from the remaining
fragments of the enormous tusk and
lower jawbone, but contrary to expecta-
tions the top of the skull was not found.
The work resulted in the removal of a
portion of the second tusk, one-han OF
the lower jaw and an immense knuckle
bone, probably from the thigh. These
pieces, with the exception of the teeth, are
much d1sintegrated and crumble away If
handled at all roughly. The molars,
however, glisten like new enamel and are
in a state of perfect preservation. At the
base the tusks are fully ten Inches in
diameter and may be cut with knife as
though composed of chalk.
The positions occupied by the different
portions OF the mammoth indicate clearly
the action of the glacial drift. The tusks
lie directly across each other and at
sharp angle from the jaws, while the
knuckle joint referred to, a bone fully
four feet long and four to six inches II
diameter at its smallest point. occupied
position near one of the tusks.
AS long ago as 1856 Russian. Ludlotf
by name, described some bones belonging
to what the Tartars called the ''Maman-
tu." This word by easy stages has come
down to the present generation as Nam
moth, and was given to the extinct ele
plant because of it's extraordinary size
The Siberians believed this animal to be
an immense mole passing It's life beneath
the ground and perishing when it saw
the light. There was logic in their reas-
oning, too, for no one had ever seen a
live mammoth and its remains always
we're found buried far beneath the earth's
surface.
The Chicago Academy of Sciences en-
joys the distinction of possessing the only
mounted mammoth skeleton in this
country 1T is also one of the largest OF
which anything is known, the high-bo
being i've feet one inch in length, or a
foot more than that of Jumbo. This
elephant was II feet high, so that apply
ing the rule OF three to the Chicago thigh
/ bone the living animal must have been Is
feet, eight inches in height
Sir Samuel Baker claimed to have seen
elephants in Africa that would exceed
! Jumbo's height by q foot or more. and
while that statement Is received with
caution, the fact remains that Thomas
Ba1nes measured specimens - feet high
Form this 10 would seem that there was
not so much difference after all between
the elephant and the mammoth.
The discovery of mammoth bones in
| the Kansas City brick yard has created
an amount of discussion not exceeded By
any similar event during the past eight
| or ten years, the nrst reason for this be-
| ing the immense size of the bones uncov-
cred. For many months small pieces OF
bone have been taken from the Flanagan
clay banks, but not a great deal of atten-
ton had been given these owing to the
state OF disintegration already attained.
1t was not until the large bones now be-
ing unearthed were seen prOtrudinQ from
the bluff that it was determined to make
an effort to restore them. This will re.
qulre weeks OF The hardest and most
painstaking labor on the part of Mr.
Long, who has the task in charge. AS
the pieces of bone were removed the posi-
ton IN which they were found was care
fully noted and the smallest bits wrapped
in paper and placed in boxes or baskets
| When the actual work begins of restoring
the skull and tusks to their original con
dition plaster of paris is employed to I'll
In the missing parts, or to strengthen
such portions as shall have crumbleC
away by exposure to the air
1t is not possible to find bones in {
good state of preservation in such damn
soil as that in which the present excava,
lions were made, said Mr.. Long. "Skele
tons uncovered in Alaska some year
ago, country where the earth was DIR,
and cold, were found to be in remarka
bly, sound condition, in at least one in
stance, flesh and fat still adhering to TIT
bones. The clay bank in which we yver
obliged to work has been damp. ever
wet, for ages, and by that means tn,
process OF disintegration has been hast
ened and the work of restoration mad,
unusually difficult
Flanagan Bros. made present to tn
Public Library Museum OF the remain
OF the prehistoric monster. Kansas Cit,
Star.