White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1911-02-19
IN
NEVADA ROCKS
TRACKS DISCOVERED IN THk
QUARRY At STATE PRISON II
SUBJECT FOR SCIENTIFIC
INVESTIGATION.

Lately articles have appeared in
the state press. from time 10 time,
concerning tracks found in rocks IN
different sections of Nevada, That
the discoveries are nothing new will
be seen from the following article
taken from the Silver State Of Au-
gust 3, 1882
The discovery Of tracks in the
quarry at the state prison in Carson
created quite a furry among the To-
cal scientists and brought up several
eminent gentlemen from California
10 examine them critically. DIT.
Hardness brought materials for
taking photographs and also tracts
of them on canvas showing their di-
reciion and mutual relations They
viii be poured fun Of plaster of paris
and exact casts made OF them. Pro
fessor lie Compile. Of the state uni
versity Of California. spent some
time in examining the tracks. and
he SAYS that while they r very in
teresting they teach nothing new.
There are the tracks Of mammoth
and another track which he thinks Is
that of a man. He SAYS some per
sons are entirely convinced thal they
r human. bur he IS more cautious
While he believes them 70 be 50. still
there are doubts. The track Is so
large. being nearly - inches. that it
seems impossible that any human
being ever lived with a foot capable
Of making such an imprint II II
was a foot II vas wrapped IN some
thing soft and pliable. or a
sandal Of some SORT. The peculiar
outline Of the human foot i distinct
The curved outline the heel bending
inward, the broad bali and wide
front With the inward curve a. the
hollow on the inside Of the foot. are
sull there. The professor SAYS he
looked carefully 10 see il i could be
the foot print Of a bear OF some
animal but found no marks Of claws
or toes which would be part Of a
bear track He tried 10 imagine an
animal which stepped with his hind
foot into the track Of his fore foot
and made such an impression. but
he found nothing to indicate il Be-
ing asked i il might be a foot wrap
ped IN bark or skins as a defense
against cold. he thought not. be-
cause If i was cold the mud would
be frozen and there would have been
no impression. IL could hardly be
that The foot was wrapped 10 keep
The body from pressing il into the
the mud. as suowshoes are worn. for
then the outline Of the foot would
not be preserved On the whole the
human track j. q puzzle. One thing
remarkable about i Is the distance
betw 2 The lines Of the tracks made
by he right and the left foof-the
straddie-Which j. about eighteen
inches. The length Of The stride Is
thai 81 q common man. being less
thar three fee. bur the size Of the
foot and he distance between them
were those q 3 giant j vii be
considered carefully b. men Of
science everFW here. and no doubt
more lishf VII come The track Of
the mammoth i about such a one as
would be made hv The uns in Pro
fessor Wards collection ROW on e.
hihitiun il san Francisco The n-o-
TeSsor thinks he prints wsre prob
ably made on n hank perhaps near
The mouth OF ne river. and soon
after q flood came down and spread
q layer Of sand on them. which was
followed II wears By the Iarge de-
posi- which became he rock nov
seen there The professor assigns
The tracks 70 q period al least as far
hack as the glacial epoch. and thinks
perhaps they belong 70 III -nliaaene
There seems 70 be no great siEnff-
eance in he far o. finding human
tracks ~ they are human with
those Of the mammoth. because II has
been long known ma man appeared
on earth before the mammoth De-
cane extinct sill the discovery is
very Interesting 10 science and nav
lead u important results