The San Francisco call., 1908-03-08

/ list, like the lost Atlantis. and Is now
buried in the depths of sea. Perhaps
It may be that nature. In changing the
geography Of the earth, changed also
her method of procreating the great
monsters OF the tertiary age, for we
find them multiplying in rapid ratio.
and soon behold the tapir. the progeni-
tor of the elephant and all of our do
nestle barnyard animals. While the
herbarian animals were fiourishing the
carnivorous animals coexisted with
thenl for claws appeared in the mud
tracks, as well as the remains OF tigers.
dogs. bears and cats which had fallen
victims to fierce animal hunger.
Cold Winters Ahead
Every $1,000 years the earth swings
in or describes circle which changes
the angle at which the suns rays
strike the. surface. When we approach
the point nearest the sun, which is
called perihelion. 1t will be 21.0o0 years
before the earth reaches that point
again. We are now enjoying perihelion
winters, and the sun Is striking the
arctics at very fiat angle, thus CIV
ing most of its direct rays to the low
latitudes: but in 10.500 years we shall
have aphelion winters. That is. the
winters will take place when we are
farthest from the sun. and our summers
when we are nearest. This change will
produce short, hot summers, and long,
cold winters. These short. hot sum-
mers evaporate much water which falls
as snow in the north temperate zones;
and as the summers will be % days
shorter and the winters % days longer
and 20 degrees colder, the snow does
not melt even during the summer.
This theory is evolved by James
Crole and still furthef developed by
William wallace. If their calculations
are without error, the SHOWS fell to a
depth of about 1900 feet over the
northern half of America and lasted
10000 years.
This epoch is known as the glacial
epoch. 1t came gradually, and, as it
advanced. nature prepared her animals
for it by giving them thick coats OF
fur. So we have the shaggy mastodon
and the cave bear with all the others
who endured this long winter wearing
heavy feeces which primarily were
almost hairless. 1t has now been about
$4,000 years since the great field of ice
has melted
The beginning of the ice age marked
the close of the tertiary age, and we
enter what is called the ouarternary
epoch to which the ice age belonged.
Nature. through all her history. is con-
tinuously anticipating some future de-
VelopInPul. anu 50, do IL was at the
close of the cretaceous epoch, a new
kingdom came into existence. Man ap-
peared almost simultaneously In all
countries He left signs OF his pres
ence in the glacial drift at Trenton. n.
J., and his remains have been found
20 feet below the surface at Lansing,
Kan. in what must be q strata OF the
beginning of the quarternary epoch,
while here In California we find traces
Of bof 20 na
On Table mountain, In Calaveras
county, a skull, cemented In congfon-
Grated gravel, was removed from a
shaft which had been sunk for placer
gold 153 feet deep into an old. pre-
historic river, which must have flowed
ct about the close of the tertiary age.
The skull was imbedded first in II feet
of gravel belonging to the stream
which drained the landscape OF that
day. Then nature let loose one of her
mighty volcanoes and fiIled the valley
with lava. depositing four feet of lava
on top OF the gravel On this lava
waters from the uplands again found
of gravel. and the volcano belched
forth a second formation. This lava
was subsequently covered by 25 feet
Of gravel. There must have been a
period Of inertia on the parr
of the volcano to permit OF an
accumulation OF 25 feet of gravel;
but 1t was followed In time by another
flow OF lava Is feet thick. Then came
another ave feet OF gravel. which. In
turn was hidden by 30 feet of lava.
This last lava fow was covered by 3
feet of gravAl. which represented the
accumulation OF debris since the crater
which supplied the lava ceased to be
active.
The discovery OF this skull Ii gem
orally referred to by writer's on paleon-
toioxy as hoax. but fortunately the :
integrity of the discovery Is firmly
established BY chemical laws. There
should be So per cent OF organic mat
tar IL All bone This skull contained