The Weiser semi-weekly signal. (Weiser, Washington Co., Idaho) 1904-1911, 1904-07-23


Quartz Creek Described By william
Foster-Parts of Four Gigantic Ribs
of Another Specimen Found.
Mining for mastodons Is one of the
new industries of the Klondike, says
the Dawson News.
william Foster Of Dawson, who has
returned from a sixty mile jaunt to
the find of mastodon bones in Quartz
creek, describes the skeleton and his
Journey to It as follows:
We climbed down ladder in the
shaft thirty-eight feet deep and CROPPED
our way through the drifts with light
ed candles for about 100 feet, when we
came upon his royal highness ut the
end of this drift. He was facing with
his head in horizontal position at
least three feet above the floor of the
tunnel and looked to me as Ii he might
have kneeled down on his front legs
when he had some thousands of years
ago given up rhe ghost. One or his
tusks was still. frozen fast in the roof
of the tunnel, while the tusks and the
fore part of his head were suspended
in the open spice from which the gray
I'll had been removed after thawing
It out with ordinary steam points. The
iusks are about six feet long and sew
en inches in diameter where they are
firmly imbeddeG In the sockets of the
skull. They are curved upward and
taper gradually to their. upper ends,
which are about two inches thick.
The sensation of meeting this silent
monster of prehistoric origin in such
gravel, is something so novel, so inter
nsting and so awe inspiring that | can
not begin to describe it The specimen
Is indeed almost perfect, so far as the
skeleton is concerned, although there
is no hide or hair so far in evidence.
The skull is about FIVE feet long, the
immense eye sockets are perfect and a
large cavity in the top of the skull
marks the former resting place of its
gigantic brain. This cavity was also
filled with frozen gravel, which Char
ley Swanson dug out with the end of
his candles'ick and fingers.
In addition to this fine specimen
Swanson, Pearson and Vochelle, who
are working this claim for gold as well
as mastodons, have found parts of four
gigantic ribs which were taken from
the face cf the drift near the skull
Mr.. Swanpon and myself were in the
drift nearly all day, while we were
thawing cat the gravel so as to remove
the skull from its suspended position
on the floor of the tunnel, while Vo-
chelle took care OF the boiler near the
shaft The steam, laden with foul
odors from the phosphates of lime, per-
meated the atmosphere, and we were
compelled TO inhale this stencil while
removing the thawed gravel. Bowl
ders, muck and gravel rained down
upon our heads and bodies continually
while our candles, which We're almost
useless. were frequently extinguished
thereby and even knocked out of our
hands. The feeble gllnmer of single
candle would hardly penetrate the
steam laden air for distance of a
foot, so we were continually cropping
about in the steam looking for one an
other to get new light to enable the
driving of the steam points into the
gravel We employed seven steam
points at the same time and used the
greatest care In removing the thawed
gravel to prevent damaging this won
derful skeleton.
The safest way to move about in q
drift where gravel and powders ars
l.. ofnrl,f L.
your head close to the low ceiling
which allows the stuff to slide dowI
ones back and roll over one withou
having an opportunity to strike hare
blow at any point of ones anatomy.
The peculiar odor that has beer
escaping from this skeleton passed
through the tunnel and out of the
shaft distance of 100 feet and is ever
observed In the open air long dis
lance from the mine and led many t
think that by removing enough grave
the entire skeleton will be found wher'
the monster Is supposed to have falleI
down and died The under jaw Il
missing. and but two teeth remain il
the upper jaw Of the skull, but thes
are in splendid state of preservation
Although this claim is not suppose,
TO be rich I'm gold. II will produce !
fair output OF placer gold this season.
while I'm all the reports this famou
skeleton has been referred TO as tina
Of mastodon. IL Is really that OF
mammoth. or Siberian elephant Tn
Siberian elephant roamed about the ia
north In the prehistoric days when, =
the scientists say. the climate wa
quite temperate. IL was barry beast
It's coat ranging from four or hy
inches 10 fifteen inches In length. II
the theory Of scientific men that som
time during the long drift period th
mammOths were overcome by som
sudden catastrophe, probably by som
subsistence Of the land ana an ipyasi0
by the sea aud sll killed. ln 1872, nea
the mouth Of the river Lena, one wa