Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-04-24
ALDR|CH AFTER
BUFFALO SKULLS
Curator of Iowa Historical
Building Confident of secur-
ing Good Specimens
VALUABLE RELICS NEAR AMEs
Excellent Authorities State There
Were Undoubtedly Buffalo in Iowa
and That Their Bones Will BE
Found in Marshes Where They Went
for Brackish Water and Mired.
Special to Times-Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, April 24.-Curator AL
drich. of the historical building, mas
decided to send T. Van Hynins to
Ames to secure some buffalo skulls
He has decided to do it more especially
because of the discussion going on at
the present time in many of the coun-
try papers and periodicals as to wheth-
er or not buffalo ever inhabited the
state Of Iowa. Mr.. Aldrich says there
is not the slightest question but that
the buffalo were here in vast numbers
and he proposes while it is yet pos
sible to do SO to secure the skulls Of a
bull and COW buffalo for the histori-
cal building. In the July, 1903, issue OF
the Annals Of Iowa, there is an article
from the pen of T. e. I. Beal who is
a naturalist and comparative anatom-
ist of great ability and was formerly
with the State College at Ames. In it
he tells of discovering bone bed 1r
marsh two or three miles northeast OF
Ames where there was among vast
lot of bones one almost perfect skele-
ton. This discovery was made many
years ago; later Mr.. Aldrich visited the
same place with him and following
Mr.. BeaPs article he publishes in the
Annals a note on his visit to the spot.
Mr.. Aldrich is familiar with the loca-
ton Of the place and he proposes to
secure some Of the bones and skulls.
Both Professor Real and DIR. Charles
A. White, former state geologist and
an excellent authority state that there
is no question but that there We're buff
falo. in Iowa and that they roan1ed all
over this territory. DIR. White Says
their bones wifi be found in the
marshes where they naturally went for
the brackish water and got mired. In
these marshes the bones are preserved.
Professor Beal, Who is now in Wash
ington also states that there were buf-
falo bones found near the pumping sta
tiun at the State College while he was
there.
Curator Aldrich, while in the south
ern part of the state last week spent
some time with George c. Duffield.
who was one of the founders Of the
Agricultural Society. Mr.. Duffield says
there were buffalo in Iowa in the early
days and panther ALSO The agitation
over the question seems to have been
aroused at this time by the offer of r.
I. Garden, of Tracy, Iowa, to give $50
for proof that buffalo at any time in
habited the state. There have been
two or three who claim the $50. Mr..
Garden denies that there were any
panther in the state as well as buffalo.
Mr. Duffield, one of the oldest inhabi-'
tants Of the state says to his certain
knowledge, and the knowledge of 9TH
ers that there were as many as four or
five panther killed in the neighborhood
of his home near Keosauqua. On one
occasion when party Of men killed
panther he says they divided up the
parts as. trophies, one taking the head,
another the tail and Others paws and
the like.
The authorities at the State College
at Ames are making a study Of a phase
of the railroad rate question
and have written to the rail-
road commissioners for informa-
ton. They desire to know what the
railroads have ever done toward
making low rates Of what the commits
sion has ever done along the same line
on materials for use in building roads.
The information is sought by Thos.
II. Macdonald of the Iowa State
Highway Commissioners. The CON-
mission has answered that it has sew
eral times made low rates for such
material. Crush stone has been rated
at the same that soft coal gets which
is the lowest in the state and the low
est for coal in the United States. About
two years ago the commission made
the same rate as coal on any goods
consigned to public official and to be
used for the improvement of the pub
lie highways. This was made at rha
solicitation of the county supervisors
association. Vitrified brick to be used
for paving purposes is carried at 81
per cent Of class E.
Thru the efforts of the railroad COM
missioners office the cottagers who
wish to go to Lake Okoboji early will
be accommodated by the Milwaukee
opening its depot there by May Is.
Heretofore it has opened the depot
about the middle Of June.
According to the answer the rail-
road commissioners have given to the
Bosch Ryan Grain Company of Cedar
Rapids there is no law compelling a
railroad to furnish small cars to ship
pers on request. Furthermore the
tendency now is to build the cars big.
The Cedar Rapids firm claimed it asked
for a 10000 capacity car and after
waiting week and over got one, but
it was in poor condition and could not
be used. Then they asked for any kind
of car of 10000 or over and had to
wait another week, finally getting
car Of the size they asked. The firm
asked what it should do under such
circumstance and If it was compelled
to take 10000 and 100000 capacity cars
when they were not needed. There Is