The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1915-09-23
Hard to Rebuild Giant MastodOn.

The perpetrators and aides in the
section of vertebrate paleontology Of
the United States National Museum
are busy putting together the bones
and fragments of huge skeleton Of
mastodon recently secured near
Winamac, Ind, by the assistant cura-
tor of fossil mammals, James w. Gid
ley.
The laboratory where the skeleton
is being assembled, with it's corps Of
earnest workers, reminds one of a
lot of children working on a cut-up
picture puzzle, only the problem be-
fore the scientist and his assistants
is a more difficult one; it is three
dimension puzzle, with some Of the
pieces missing, and others broken in
to many small fragments, says a
Washington special. Nevertheless
they are forced to resort to system
similar to that employed on pic
ture puzzle in many ways, for a small
piece is first examined carefully, then
tried here and there, until presently
-eureka!-it fits exactly, or so
nearly so that it's position is. definite
ly determined, and then the assem-
bier takes UP another fragment with
renewed interest.
Nearly year ago mastodon skull
and several other bones were dug up
by a steam shovel in the course of
constructing drainage ditch In a
swampy deposit on the farm of H. H.
and w. D. Pattison, several miles
northwest of Winamac, Ind. These
bones were generously donated to the
United States National Museum by
the Pattison brothers, with the priv
ilege of making further search if de-
sired, and it was soon decided that a
further search would yield valuable
results. The remains of this mon
ster were found in good condition
although near the surface, having
laid without being disturbed for
thousands of years. in marly deposits
of an ancient swamp.
A small appropriation was secured
for further excavation in the local
ity of this find, with the result that
Mr.. Gidley has just returned to the
city with nearly all the other bones
of this gigantic mammal. PRACTICAL
ly a complete skeleton was found
except two large limb bones, many
of the foot bones, and the tusks, for
which a<further search may soon be
made. When mounted the museum
will possess one of the most COM
plete specimens of this great beast
Of the ages just preceding the pres
ent. There is small mastodon
specimen in the museum collections
secured in 1901 from the peat de-
posits near Church, Mich, but the
new one will overshadow it by over
two feet in height and several hun
>dred pounds in weight.
Will Stand Ten Feet.
It isSbelieved that this skeleton
will stand fully ten feet high. The
fine state of preservation of the bones
is due to the fact that it has lain con-
tinuously since it's entombment be-
meath the water level of the swamp
and thus has not been affected by
the oxidizing action of the air. Mr..
Gidley feels certain that with pa
tience and by draining the ditch, the
missing portions of the skeleton will
be found.
The specimen is believed to be
that of a full grown male, although
not an old individual, who livedsin
the Pleistocene age, probably $50 900
years ago. This animal, while it is
related to the elephant family, diff
fers in general proportions of the
skeleton, and through the character
of it's teeth, which, unlike the flat
grinding ones of the elephant, are
more of a rugose type, with pointed
corrugatiops calculated to have been
used in crushing as we'll as grinding
the coarse vegetable food on which
it lived. = The largest of the teeth
measures nearly seven inches in
length, and is about four inches
across, Weighing several pounds.
Prospects for continued excavation
and search are promising and Mr..
Gidley, with his corps of perpetrators,
is anxiously awaiting the time when
the missing pieces of their great puz-
zle may be found and put in place.
Easy to Spell.