Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1901-03-22
W'ashington Standard
THE OREGON FOSSIL BEDS.

OF { 1OiN ToS0iI q Coo.
The March number of Udrpr'S
Magazine gives an interesting and IN
structiye article by John {. Merriam
on the John Day Fossil Beds" Of
Eastern Oregon. The John Day IS
a stream falling into the Columbia
liyer few miles east OF The Dalles,
and npon Is crodri canyon walls the
scientist reads absorbing chapters of
the story ID the creation. No other
section of'the continent, perhaps in
the whole world, is richer in fossil re-
mains Of prehistoric animals. Collec-
tons from these beds have beds have
been gathered at much expense by all
the great colleges Of the country.
In the erosion OF their canyons"
says this article, "the John Day and
its tributaries have uncovered about
10000 feet Of strata, comprising eight
or more geological formations, which
represent as many distinct periods in
the history OF the country"
The story which nature has written
with great hand upon these rocky
walls covers Il period OF millions OF
years. There was day in tho dim
and distant past when the salt sea
rolled over the entire basin of the
Columbia river. Then the ocean bed
was lifted mp and there followed a
long period OF great lakes and dry
plains. Next came an ocean of mol
ten stone, thrown over the land and
water by volcanoes in the Cascade
range and probably from other great
vents farther to the eastward. Then
came "a second series of alternating
lakes and plains and finally the ex-
listing landscape, cut by persistent
abrading OF the streams ont OF the
debris accumulated in preceding ages"
The lie or man, when measured
against the ages here recorded, is
relatively more f1eeting than the brief
existence OF winged insect, born be-
meath the morning sun an doomed to
death before the hush OF evening falls
upon a sleeping world.
"The history of the ancient in
habitants of the country is furnished
us by the remains entombed in the
strata of successive periods at the
time of their accumulation. The ma.
jority of the fossils found are single
bones and teeth, or parts of skeletons
which apparently lay for a long time
upon the land before the shattered
and decayed fragments were carried
into the lakes, a few at a time, by
stream or rain wash, and buried in the
slowly accumulating deposits. Oc-
casionally entire skeletons discovered
are probably the remains of animals
which were drowned or mired in The
lake, or perhaps we're overtaken and
buried upon the land by ashes or mud
from volcanic eruptions."
We are told by the scientist that
compared with the existing fauna Of
this continent, the mammalia from
these beds are indeed strange as
semblage of creatures. None of the
species are living now, and even the
majority of the subfamilies are ex-
tiDct.
"At least three-fourths of all the
material collected consist of remains
of certain peculiar-hoofed animals
known as oreodons, curious forms
which do not closely resemble any
thing now living, though they are re-
lated to the deer and the hogs. The
numerous species varied in size from
that OF a dog to the dimensions of q
small COW.
"Not 80 common rs the oreodon
bones are those OF a small horse, about
as large as sheep, which, from the
absence OF any visible means of de.
tense, mast have trusted to his slender,
three. toed limbs to keep him out OF
danger.
"The largest animals yet discovered
in the John Day beds are the giant
elotheres, relatives of the living hog,
ranking among the largest known
mammals.
"Remains of near relatives of the
rhinoceros, the camel, the tapir and
the peccary, are we'll known from
these deposits. Wolves are repre-.
sented by more than dozen species
and the cat tribe by eight forms be-
longing to the family of sabretooths.
Elotherium remains are unknown in
these strata, but in their place we find
another giant, the mastodon, the
oldest representative of his race in this
country"
From these beds valuable collec.
lions have been gathered by the lead
ing eastern colleges, and also by the
universities of Oregon and Washington
Our own State has been deplorably
negligent of the opportunities pre-
sented by these rare fossil beds upor
its borders.
ARTIFICIAL PRECIOUS STONES
ingredients Used in Making Those That Deceiv
the Elect.