The Portland daily press., 1901-01-23
FOSSILS In WYOMING.
College Professors with a Free Pass to
the Fossil Fields.
(From the New York sun }


II will be remem bered that last year
h. l.. Lomax, general passenger agent OF
the Union Pacific railroad, invited every
university, college ana museum In the
country to accept free pass for profess
sor and one or two assistants over his
road from Chicago to Laramie, wy, and
return, 50 that they might visit the
great fossil fields OF that state, collect
specimens and study geology. Nearly 100
scientific men were able to avail them
selves OF this opportunity. Prof. knight
of the university of wyoming has recently
written an account of this expeditions
work in the field.
For about 80 years Wyoming has been
regarded as the most attractive Held In
the world for the study of vertebrate re-
mAins,, Many of the rarest and most
valuable specimens sn0wn to science have
been found in this field. 1t was here
that Prof. Marsh OF YaIs university So
cured his largest dinosaurs, which not
only made him famous, but gave wyom-
Ing the distinction OF possessing geologi-
cal grayeyards containing fossil remains
of the largest land animals that have ever
inhabited the earth.
On July 81 last year the wagon train
carrying the camp equipment, tae oulin-
ary supplies aud the geol ozsts started
across the laramie plains for the fossil
beds On the seson1 days march some
fossiliferous lands Of sandstone were
reached, camp was pitched, and every
man armed himself with pick, ak, nam
mer, shovel and sack and hurried for the
bluff where inveTtsbrate fossils were
found in abundance. In short time
the face OF the bluff was nearly covered
with collectors. AMI chips aud fragments
of stone were flying In all directionS. so
al 1T was almost unsafe to remain in
the neighborhood. The men labored
long and hard, and while most or them
returned tl supper, some became SO en-
thusiastic as to forget their meal until
darkness compelled them to 90 back to
camp.
BY the NTH day out the exretitio,,
which had Eeen on the march every day
except Sunday, had collected two tons OF
fossils, chiefly invertebrates aud fossil
leaves On the arrival Of the expe uion
at Como bluff, rendered famous by the
work of Prof. Marsh, enthusiasm was
untounded. IL was from this LOCALITY
that Yale university received its largest
amount Of dinosaur material.
IRE plun rises to a height OF 2tO 70 aO
feet and PARALLELS the Union Pacino rail-.
Toai for five or six mi es within half
mile of the ack The bluff is capped
with conRlomerate rock, just below which
ara the dinosaur beds plainly Visible from
raising trains. The members OF the ex-
pedition succeeded in finding great
many dinosaur bones and some open
quarries that gave promise OF being very
valuable,
sun further on the exp:d tion reached
Freezeout hills which is a new looaiity
for dinosaur collecting. Here the geon-
gist and paleonsologist found unbounded
opportunities. ibis being compara-
lively new field and the dinoslur beds
being exposed for a distan-e Of ten
miles on each side OF the camp, dinofaIr
hunting was the order OF the day. Long
before sunsst on the first days work at
this place men were returning TO camp
from every direotion loaded down with
bones; others were ssekiny teams to haul
heavy leads to camp and though they
worked diligently 1T was nearly 10 CLOCK
at night before the last load OF fossils was
brought in The next days work un-
earthei still larger quantity the entire
shipment from this point amounting to
several tons
So the work went on day after day un-
tn after 80 days in the field the expedi-
tiop raturned to Laramie all well aud In
the hest of spirits No accident had on-
Cured, and large collections were made
the results of the work done Rave en-
rished many museums and Will furnish
topics for numerous articles In the soien-
tihc journals.