Putnam patriot., 1909-04-23
The Wonderland of Alaska.
Circle City, Alaska. March ,

Nlitlf 'iAAf aihAkat hhitH @9s Buried in the earth for centuries in- ' numeIablc, protected from decay and dissolution by perpetual ice, there has ! been recently discovered in the won. l defland of Alaska, a specimen ef the ! giant nastodon which dsaffs all pre- vious specimens discovered, in ratio
 as do the known mastodon remains,
 dwarf the branch of the family now l existent, the elephant.
 The giant creature was first brought to light in i9us, while a gang of men
 were engaged in development work on
 mine near this place. The body has
 been ~o preserved through thousands
 of years. that the thick skin is Intact
 and covers the flesh. which seems as
 fresh today as II was on the day, ages
 ago. when death came in A cataelysm.
 This great mammal, the mastodon,
 was, during the Mioeene age, widely
 scattered over the earth. IL appears to have ranged from some distance south ot the equator to as far north as
 man has made his way
 The Miocene period witnessed their annihilnlion tn the eastern hemisphere, but in the western division their exist anee has been traced eonctusisely through The Pleocine period, and sci encc has now hecu satisfied that in cx. tfcme North Am. rica, they were To be found in bands ot considerable size, as late as the Pieistocene retiod. With the advent of the glacial and snow age when the whole earth north of the equa. cunceis able depth of snow and ice, Inc nearly complete extinction of all ani mal life in the north followed; their mcaser history and record oi their hab- | its are known only by the huge bones | and worries so widely scattered over the | earth, and heretofore II has not been | possible to secure and restore com. | plete specimen from single ind
 Unknown centuries before the first | creatures of the human family found Il | necessary to tifesomely shape their | rude weapons of defenee from the | worn roeks and stones of the sea shore, and battle for an existence among the l other creatures of the earth, those enor. nous, iiercc and gigantic mammals had passed away; they ieft no mark of having al one time existed, except as II Is to hc found today in some far corner of the world. Here and there few scattered relics are sometimes un- covered, and the huge fihs of blaeken- cd bones and enormous tusks of discol- ored Ivory rear themselves as do the de- reliet hulks of great ships wrecked up on an inhospitaele shore.
 Now, sfter unknown centuries oi time, the lure of gold has led man into hitherto unknown places, and his rest less. human activities have laid open page of natures book which WAS closed before time began. Enclosed in deep wrapping ot earth aud ice, with the dellsllal uf the yellow metal, for which men fisk their lives, comes again into light of day, this monster specimen Of prehistoric animal life.
 ~o rare has been lhe discovery aad ot so great aud aaasusi value Ia science in general, that the care necessary for its preservation has bcen taken and work Is now eolng forward whereby the specimen will be taken from the glacial bed and brought south tn the early spring.
 The work Is being undertaken hs John Trolling. prominent miner ef Alaska, and it Is confidently expected