New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1908-04-22
PRIZE OF A BOTAN|ST
Prehistoric Plant Found In Mex
leo by a Chicago Man.
ADVENTURES IN HIS QUEST.
Professor c. J. Chamberlain Survived
Three Earthquakes and Pursuit by
Tiger" but Discovered the Dioon,
Plant of the Geological Period.

Thrilling stories were told by Pro-
fessor Charles j. Chamberlain of the
University of Chicago, who returned
the other day to Chicago from bota-
nizing expedition in Mexico with re-
membranes of three earthquakes he
passed through unframed and an es-
cape from tiger which pursued him
for an hour along desolate mountain
trail. The Chicago botanist has also re-
turned with the prize he went to seek
on behalf of the Botanical Society of
America, the dioon, species of the
sage palm, which will furnish the little
sprays of green that are worn in honor
Of Palm Sunday.
Professor Chamberlain reioices far
more over his triumph in bringing back
the dioon than on his success in suryiv-
ing the earthquake and the tiger, says
a Chicago correspondent of the Kansas
City Star. The dioon is descended from
the geological period and not until re-
Gently has it been known that any
specimens of that rare and ancient
plant We're still in existence. But the
university has been eagerly discussing
stories which have leaked out about the
professors adventures
Three earthquakes are about enough
for one trip" declared Professor Cham
berlain, with laugh. as he turned
from showing a specimen of the dioon.
nut as big as mans head. to his col
league, Professor Land 81 ran afoul
Of one at Puebla, another on the rail-
road between Puebla and Jalapa and
the third at Militia.
1.-THE quake which passed over
while riding on the train was scarcely
noticeable to the passengers, although
1t did much damage to the surrounding
country. The shock at Militia was much
more disquieting. It came in the night
and woke me out Of a sound sleep. The
first thing felt when | woke up was
the bed rocking and twisting under me.
That didn't feel very pleasant. and it
was not at all helpful in the comfort
ing line to hear the brass candlestick
on the table at the head of the bed
dancing and Gathering around as If it
were bewitched
But the worst experience of all was
at Puebla. The first knew was that
the floor began to tilt and undulate
guess | was too green to realize that
the proper thing to do when you get
caught in an earthquake is to get out of
doors and away from the danger Of
topping walls, because | stayed right
where was and grabbed the edge of
the door to keep from being swayed
over
AS the floor waved and the walls
rocked the dishes and ornaments and
pictures with which the store was
filled were thrown to the floor, dashing
all around me. 1t certainly kept me
pretty busy for awhile lodging the
pieces and keeping on my feet. That
was the quake which did so much dam
age to ,Jalapa. 1t threw down one
house which was being built in Puebla
and killed three men, who were buried
under the falling walls
"A little while after the earthquake
i
one night when | heard noise made
by an animal a little behind me. but a
trif1e to the right. | pulled out my
knife, and my guide and halted and
faced the beast. 1t was black dark
ness, and we couldn't see six feet in
any direction. The guide said it was
tiger and that we had better look out,
but when we stopped the tiger did like
wise. The chapparal was so dense that
we couldn't chase the tiger, and it
wouldn't do any good to stay in our
tracks all night so we went on Then
we could hear the tiger stalking after
us.
During the next hour we halted a
dozen times when the beast got too
close to us, and every time we stopped
the tiger skunk back. 1t wasn't until we
got right up to the village that the tiger
ceased his pursuit.
The nut of the dioon pronounced
dye-o-on. with the accent on the first
syllable) which Professor Chamberlain
brought back is covered with green
ish gray shell, possessing a fuzzy exte-
rior. Inside every nut are sixty or sew
enty seeds, which are about as big as a
plum, hard and look like old ivory
The only place where the dioon is
known to have survived the destructive
influences of the centuries is a PRINT
tive section of old Mexico. where the
natives gather the nuts for the seeds.
which they carve into whistles and
toys.