The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1909-04-26
Remains Of Pyehistoric
Dinofherium Are Found

In the once Of Manager Hannahan.
Of the Alabama Chemical Company. on
Commerce street, reposs tne bones Of
an animal that could have used Jer-
ssy bull for a watch charm, had he
worried about q time piece.
Until yesterday It was supposed the
bones were those Of the great Dino
seur. but the biologists OF the phos-
plate company could not reconcile the
belief because with the other relics
found was great tus1r. Most people
have seen pictures OF the Dinoseur.
which could be described as a skin
covered black swan multiplied by six
thousand. but the monster had a very
small head compared to the rest OF his
anatomy and there never were any
tusks.
To get down to the truth of the mat
ter the men Of the phosphate company
were fiabbered" by their md. They
were mot sure what 1t was and did not
want to spring their surprise on the
animal historians until they knew
they were talking straight. That IL
why for nearly eighteen months the
bones OF the creature. or some of the
bones. were left In Mr.. Hannahan's of
noe. where they were shipped from the
phosphate beds OF Tennessee.
What the size Of the great creature
was will have to be determined later
by the scientists when they get going
good. but this much can be said con-
corning the proportions of the crea-
ture: the tip Of one Of its ribs. which
was sawed on and sent here, a two
foot piece Of bone, Is fourteen inches
thick and weighs forty pounds. In
this length Of bone there is slight
curve. scarcely an inch, and II the
curve can be truly taken as indicat-
ing that of the whole bone. the rib
alone was over thirty feet long.
The ivory tusk. although In the last
stages OF decomposition from age, hav-
Ing been under ground a possible
100000 years. Is still perfect in spots,
and is an ivory of the most exquisite
texture. being as devoid Of groth
markings as clear glass.
There are several sections OF the
vertebra Of the backbone in the Of
fce. but these seem to be from another
animal or nature was experimenting
when she built the beast, for they are
absurdly out OF proportion to the great
ribs. These vertebra bones are
large enough. measuring some twenty
inches in diameter. but II their office
was to support the ribs. they had to
work over time. II Is thought, how
ever, that the sections of back bone
found are from the neck OF the animal
or the part of the backbone close to
the tail.
Another fossil found with the other
relics of the skeleton, seems to be
part OF the pelvts. bat this was great
ly decayed and only a portion OF II
could be saved. 1t is more in keeping
with the ribs in size. but its shape can
only be guessed at
The piece of tusk proves that the
great creature was not a Dinoseur, for
the Dinoseur aid not have tusks, and
as the relics here were all found In
one group and were all found in that
vicinity Of the mine. 1t seems impossi-
BILE that the ivory could have come
from any other creature than the for
mer owner Of the great rib.
There IL another bone in the heap
of relics that suggests the belief that
the creature was of maratime inclina-
tions. Compared to the others it is
very small, and from its shape would
correspond in the animal to the human
finger tip bone, or, to make a stab at
long forgotten filings at grammar
school anatomy. what some people call