Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1911-05-11
'From the Literarr Dlgest

FROM the Literary Digest.
That the present type OF mailman
showing the characteristics we know
today. instead of those OF his ape-like
ancestors-is vastly older than has
been hitherto supposed is the lesson
deducted from the so-called fossil man
of Galley Hall, England, by DR.. Arthur
Keith. The skull of this man, who
must have lived, according to DIR.
Keith, at least 10000 years ago, is not
essentially different from that OF the
modern Briton. There are none of the
simian features about 1t that charac-
terize some of the prehistoric skulls
found on the European continent In
recent years. or the celebrated Pithe-
canthropus discovered in Java. DIR.
Keith. who Is conservator Of the nau-
scum at the Royal College OF Surgeons
London, writes of 1t in the Illustrated
London News, March 4. He first de-
scribes the discovery OF the Galley Hill
man in 1883. We read;
THE fossil remains Of the Galley
Hill man were discovered by Robert
Elliott. a printer in Camberwell and a
jealous collector OF everything which
throws light ON the prehistoric inhabi-
tants In the south of England. On a
day toward the end of September, 1883,
he and his son Richard set out to visit
certain gravel pits which were being
worked In the valley OF the Thames,
some miles above Gravesend. :
The gravel Is known to biologists as
the high level or 100-foot terrace. and
Is regarded by them, and with good
reason, as an ancient bed of the
Thames In the gravel the old, or
paleolithic, form of flint implements
are fOunds SO are remains of the mann
moth and OF other animals which exist
ed in England when the Glacial period
was at an end. In those days. Just as
-
entomhed. and in some cases preserved
| in its bed the many things which might
4 be caught in its flood.
-On reaching the Galley Hill pit. Mr..
\ Elliott found Jack AlIsop bglsily screen
ing gravel and keeping a sharp eye for
such things as psychologists value. Jack
had something OF particular interests
1 for his visitors-namely human skull
which he found in sandy clay LAYER
| OF the gravel, indicating the bottom of
Q pool OF the old river The skull wa q
eight feet from the surface Of the
gravel and two feet above the chalk
too deep to be accounted for bv sun
I posing 1t to be a burial Fortunately.
Matthew Hayes. now schoolmaster At
| Greenhlthe saw the skull when first
/ exposed, before Ii was removed. and he
noted that the everything gravel was ia
It's natural and undisturbed state. The
Skull was already uncovered and taken
*tA-s S1N SAAC gt1A<T zones OF the $kElctc1f
were still embedded In the sandy clay.
and were excavated BY Mr. Elliott with
sreat care they were soft and verv
Fragile. He also observed that The
everything gravel was Just as the an
Client Thames had laid it down. Err
Iner. the condition Of the bones. GER
tain primitive points ir structure. ana
the tact that remains OF similar tvne
pr man hAve been found on ssveral az
eASa0ns IA ancient strata on the ssnss
nnent. convince enc that the ranssssss
thus discovered by Mr.. Elliott vvn~a
those q man who lived In FnrIas 81
when the Thames. carrying pr0hahlw
larger Volume Of water than Il sss,es
ncu. flowed Oh land which vas ne 80
W. reex above ita present level
I How long ago ala thAs stnfe ~ s,.s..
obkAing No accurate esfiruafss s,,ss. q.
made Professor Keith tails -. pVe