The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1910-01-16


~ be extinct, has just been
brought to civilization
This creature bears a close resemb-
lance to the famous brontosaurus of
the scientific books, a gigantic reptile
of lzard-like form.
1t is clearly possible that unknown
monsters may still be in existence. In
Africa large animal, the okapi until
recently unknown, has been discover
ed, and in South America remains of
the giant sloth have recently been
found, indicating that these creatures
lived in historic times, if not still ex-
listing.
1t is also significant that Professor
w. d. Matthew of the American Mu-
scum of Natural History of New
York, in statement printed else
where on this page, expresses his
opinion that 1T is not impossible that
some monsters commonly regarded as
extinct may have survived.
The report of the existence of the
new monster originated with Carl
Ha8enbeck of Hamburg, the most
successful hunter and trainer of wild
beasts in the world. and it has just
confirmation.
In his newly published book,
Beasts and Men," Hagenbeck, in a
chapter describing ais experiences in
South Africa, says:
Il received reports from two dis
tlnct sources of the existence of an
immense and wholly unknown ami
Rhodesia. Almost identical stories
reached me- first, through one of my
own travellers, and, secondly, through
an English gentleman who had been
~ Ia,
THE reports were thus quite indie
pendent of each other and, as a mat
ter of fact, the Englishman and my
traveller had made their way into Rho
desla from opposite directions, the one
from the southwest. The natives, 1t
seemed, had told both my informants
that in the depth of the great swamps
tnefe dWelt a huge monster, half cle-
phant, half dragon. This, however. is
not the only evidence of the existence
OF the animal.
IT is now several decades since
Menges, who is, of course perfectly
reliable, heard precisely similar
story from the negroes; and, still
more remarkable, on the walls of GER
tain caverns in Central Africa there
are to be found actual drawings of
this strange creature. From what I
nave heard of the animal, 1T seems to
me that 1t can only be some kind Of
dinosaur, seemingly akin to the bron-
tosaurus. As the stories come from
so many different sources, and all
tend to substantiate each other, I am
almost convinced that some such rep
tile must be still in existence.
At great expense, therefore, l sent
out an expedition to find the monster,
put, unfortunately. they were COM
PEELED to return home without having
proved anything, either one way or
the other. In the part of Africa
where the animal is said to exist
there are enormous swamps, hundreds
of square miles in extent, and nv
travellers were laid low with very Sc
we're attacks of fever. Moreover. that
region is infested with bloodthirsty
savages. who repeatedly attacked the
expedition and hindered it's advance.
notwithstanding this failure,
have not relinquished the hope of be-
ing able to present science with indis-
putable evidence of the existence of
the monster, And perhaps IL | sue
ceed IN this enterprise naturalists all
the world over will be reused to hunt
vigorously Tor other unknown ami
mails: for If this prodigious dinosaur,
whlch Is supposed to have been ex-
tinct for hundreds of thousands of
years be still in existence. what other
wonders may not be brought to light?"
This statement was received with
lncredullty by scientists, and the 20
ologists of the Rhodesia Museum de-
clarod that nothing could be gathered
from the natives respecting the al
legged dinosaur.
The Buluwayo Chronicle, the prin-
clpal newspaper of Buluwayo, the cap
ital OF Rhodesia. however, Immediate
~ received more than one commlmica-
tion from its correspondents on the
subject.
One correspondent stated that he
mad round two natives, both of whom
affirm in the most
uDsitiyp moppnr
that they them
selves had seen
the monster.
Neither of the
natives knew the
other says the
correspondent, but
|. \ !.
both were shown
q number OF /FR
sketches. some <SssHi45l
wholly imaginary \MYtHH8s
and others con- MMTf. iiisga5fMy
structed from IL (afgsssbigaD4 IN III .iti
Illustrations of pre- ElYK$HNkA q kli
historic reptiles. \#ftgMt 9TH
and both immedi- \fatAigyl N
ately picked one \EYifxFRERSgsl' XII
OF the sketches as \gaSsad1
closely resembling EHsMlas3i51
the monster they VSHfsrgHAt,5
had seen. Each, \FslPaaast l
however, called \xl5
the attention of WE
the sketcher to NJ
the fact that he "
had omitted to
give In his picture
what from their
description APP
peared to be pro-
pulsive flappers
According to
the natives, the
creature would
seem to possess
the head and tail
of a crocodile, tho
horns of n rhino-
ceros. the neck of
tho python and
the body of hip
popotamus."
This description GSWsss
bears q considera- -
BILE resemblance, ssSM
after allowing for xSs%Xz
the mistakes of an
uneducated OBJ Wxx@Hxl -
Scientific Scientific accounts c
of the supposed SsM
ly extinct brontos- LNk
aurus.
The brontosau- ~
rus derives his ~
name from two -
.,nrnSsr., meaning ~
lizard This -..
name was given
because the soient- ~