Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1903-11-25

AAAgN - NAeNAA ~ t
4here has come a huge skeleton OF
such remarkable proportions and
shape that thus far II has bafied all
attempts at classifying Il. and has
puzzled some OF tho best paleontolo-
gists In America.
The fact that these bones have come
down through thousands. and perhaps
millions. Of years from q time when
Alaska and the northern seas were a
tropical paradise. when the great arc.
tic region was a land OF lakes. rivers
and luxuriant vegetation, snakes them
one OF the most interesting paleon.
biological discoveries of recent years
Famous psychologists have agreed
chat in the days when these remarka
BILE bones were covered with flesh
what Is row a world Of ice and Fnow
was, a tropical lsud. Lizard-like rep.
tiles Of such p%rodigious proportions
that their heads reached into the tree
tops, roamed the earth. The huge
ich~thyosaurus, with the beak Of the
~porpoise. the teeth OF a crocodile, the
head OF a lizard. and the Vertebra OF
a fish, splashed In the warm waters.
Horned monsters, like the Legendary
dragons. battied with creatures whose
armored skulls could repei a batter
ing ram Winged things, half bird,
half reptile. cleft the air as do u
birds OF today. Gigantic c%rocodiles
and ~tortoises craWled on the shorts
OF the prlmeyal lakes and rivers. Air
sea, and land we're strangely tenanted
in those early periods Of the world
periods 20 which scientists believe
the new relics belong.
Found by Gold Hunters.
After lying for unnumbered cen.
turtles under the Ice OF the frozen
north. then exhumed by Alaskan gold
hunters. looked upon as the remains
OF a buried god by the Indians. fought
over and carried for hundreds OF
miles ON dog sleds. these remarkable
relics OF prehistoric ages have now
been brought 60 civilization and at
present are at st. Charles. Mich.
The largest OF these remains. which
has been classified Az the pelvic bone
OF some prehistoric giant. Is ten feet
across and Ave feet high. and though
Il Is quito dry II weighs 1900 pounds.
This huge bene has led authorities
TO believe hat the animal could have
been nom other than a b%rontosaurus,
that Il was nearly a hundred feet In
length, and weighed probably 80 tons.
One OF the ribs OF the animal meas
uros rs feet. another IL, and a single
yertebra found with the remains.
and supposed TO be the arst Vertebra
OF the tall. Is two and a half feet in
diameter aud weighs 60 pounds. Two
OF the thigh bones found are nearly
eight feet In height.
wv MMl Ah ANnlNNAN w AMN AAHN vi
It's bones is the skeleton more re
mark0ble than the ordinary discov
cries OF paleontoiogists. Around It's
discovery. It's dlsinterment. aud. anal
iy, lts journey on dos sleds up the
Yukon and over the Chilkoot pass 10
Skagway, are associated more thrill
Ing adventures than are probably
written In amy other archaeological
discovery in America.
Al the time OF the discovery OF the
gigantic bones. Dr. A. Patterson, a
graduate of tho University OF Mich
gan. aud a wellknown acknowledged.
was looking over some claims only a
few rods away from where the re
mains we're found The nrst sign Of
the skeActon was brought 10 Or. Pat
terson's notice by James Buck. of
Desarc. Ark, who was working the
claim on which the discovery was
made
I'm golng 10 have trouble In thaw-
lng out said Buck one day. i've
struck a piece OF slide rock as high
as a house.
Il Vas In the heart OF winter and
Buck was thawing ground for wash
inr when warm weather came,
A short time after he came back to
Or, Patterson and exc'tedly told him
that he had struck a huge bone The
rumor quickly spread up and down
BonanEa creek, P%r0spectors left
their work 70 come and view the
'hind." and scores Of wiling ands aid
cd In tho excavouOn
Remains Buded rhirty Feet
The remains were 80 feet down. sol
idly Embedded IN Ice aud frozen eArss
Inoh by inch the ground was thawed