The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-08-14
KEPT GIANT GOIHS
How Patagonians Lived Thou
sands of Years Ago.
DR.. A. SMITH WOODWARD
Makes One oftheMoSt Remark
able Discoveries to Date.

able Discoveries to Date.
| The New York Herald says: What i.
perhaps the most remarkable discovery
that has been recorded up to date re
garding primeval man is announced or
such authority as to be entirely beyond
caviI or charge Of sensationaliem. It is
that natives Of Patagonia. savage OIL
semi-savage, did, some thousands OF
years ago, keep in captivity and domes-
ticate, for their meat and possibly for
their milk. certain gigantic sloths nearly
| related to the extinct megatherium. To
prove the fact DR.. A Smith Woodward
| a well known English investigator, and
| Dr. Moreno, of the National Museum of
Argentina, have laid before the Zoolog-
zeal Society of London specimens of the
bones and hides of the animals, which
were found in ancient stone walled sta
'bles, Enthusiastically such, together with
great stores of cut hay Ghe latter being
obviously fodder for the beasts, the
shoulder blade Of a man and implements
of human manufacture
There are reasons to believe that one
or more specimens Of this extraordinary
creature still live in Patagonia In order
to set at rest the controversy that has
arisen concerning them. and to, if pos
sible, capture a living specimen and
bring it back to civilization, c. Arthur
Pearson. the London publisher, is fitting
out an expedition which will very shortly
leave England. This expedition will be
in charge Of Mr.. Hesketh Pritchard,
assisted by Mr.. ]. B. Scrivenor, both
well known scientists. Mr.. Pritchard
says:
'I have visited the remains discovered
by DR.. Moreno, in company with many
OF the most eminent Of our biologists.
These gentlemen all agree that the giant
sloth of which they examined the skin
and other remains must have been Iiv-
ing within at the longest fifty years,
while several good authorities put the
limit at ten years. But more important
than this have special information from.
an uninpeachable source that fresh tracks
of great size have been seen within the
last two years"
The animal in question, TO which the
name 'grypotherium." or 'Sgriffin-beast,
has been given, was much like the me-
gadlserium, but only about one-half the
size. It was about as big as two large
oxen, measuring perhaps ten feet from
the Snout to the tip of the tail. and
weighing perhaps 5000 pounds Exceed
ingly stupid and clumsy, it was so slug
gish of movement that one might easily
imagine a whole day expended in lead
ing it to the water of a nearby stream
and another day consumed in leading it
back. 1t is probable, however, that water
as well as food was taken to its pen.
Certainly it is impossible to conceive of
a domesticated brute more uncouth and
strange. It was covered with long yell
Iowish hair. considerable quantities of
which were found in the STABLES afore-
said, together with such other accumula-
lations as proved long confinement.
Incredulots of some of the facts re-
naturalist and traveller. made a trip re-
Gently to Last Hope Inlet, in Southern
Patagonia, near which the remains were
discovered. and investigated the matter
for himself He came back convinced, |
bringing with him an additional piece
Of "grypotherium" hide, together with a
few claws of the animal. Since then DR..
Rudolph Havthal, geologist of the La
! lata Museum, has made further exca- |
vations on the spot and has obtained
many bones Of the beasts which were in |
such a remarkable frest state of pres
ervation that they were only very slight
" discolored, and had lost none of their
gelatine apparently. Remnants of carti- |
lage, dried ligaments and shrivelIed |
muscles were found attached TO them in |
some cases.
One reason for the excellent preserva- |
ton of the remains was simply that the |
natives who domesticated the huge sIoths |
built the pens for them lin this in |
stance. at all events in caverns exceed
ingly dry. Some Of the bones were so
white that they did not look as if they |
had been buried at all.
Caves as is well known. commonly af-
ford conditions most favorable for the
dry curing and safe keeping Of animal
skeletons, and much or the knowledge
possessed by science respecting the
earlier fauna Of the earth has been fur
nished by these natural places of stor-
age. All Of the material unearthed in
this case has been obtained BY digging
beneath the floor of an enormous cham
her, which seems to have been enclosed
formerly by rude walls built of rough
stones. The enclosure was in fact
stable or corral. in which the griffin
beasts" We're confined and in one corner
of it was discovered the great store Of
hay. evidently cut by the natives for
forage.
In digging three distinct strata were
found. First there was a thin surface
LAYER Of ashes. shells and bones Of va
rious no account animals Next came A
layer Of leaves, interspersed with ror-
tons Of llama skeletons and beneath
this was a stratum Of about three feet
thick composed mainly Of hrownish dust
and ''grypotherium' dropnings. intensely
dry and containing ''grypotheriun1'' bones
and hair, few large pieces % the hide
or the sloth. certain human remains
and the bones Of beasts identified as an
extinct species o. horse and a very large
creature II the cat tribe. likewise ex
unct This cat was about as big as a
modern Bengal tiger (nuch larger than
the existing jaguan and seems to have
correspondent in a sort u yvav 20 the ex-
unct cave Hon OF Europe. L was nearly
related 10 the modern ounce tFelis oncal.
Man was found represented in this
stratum by a shoulder blade which show
ed signs ~ disease and two avis made
from the leg bones % a dog. Other evi-
SnEDRfnnm |.