Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-07-31
INDIANA SUPPLIES OLDEST
. KNOWN PUZZLE PICTURE
Bones of Mastodon Which Lived
About 10000 Years Ago I'M
earthed on Farm.
Animal Of Elephant Species Had
Teeth Seven Inches Long, Weigh
ing Several Pounds.

Indiana, that noble state which has
produced so many authors, actors. poll
ticians and other oddities, again has
come to bat with the Oldest known puz-
zle picture. According to the smith
sonian Institution. the age OF this pic
ture puzzle is something like 15e,oot
years, reaching far back into the joy
Gus period of Indiana politics known as
the pleistocene age, when the ptero-
dactyl tapped his wings and the saurus
and dinosaurs fed on some OF the most
valuable real estate in all Indianapolis
The puzzle is the head of bones that
once carried the mountain Of flesh
known as the mastodon. p. L. Bar
mum would have given seven circus
passes or a million or more dollars in
cash to have had a real live mastodor
in his side show, but they all died long
ago, before 'Barnum was born. This
particular pleistocene Jumbo was dug
up delicately by a steam shovel tha'
was ope rating on the farm OF H. II
and w. D. Pattison, several miles north.
east of Winamac, Ind. The shovel
turned UP a mastodonic skull and sew
eral other bones. and having no use fol-
them in Indiana, where boneheads are
not thought well Of the Pattisor
brothers turned the find over to the
scientists of the Smithsonian 1nstitu-
ton, with the privilege of making fur
Their search If desired.
Bones Badly Scattered.
Whereupon James w. Gidley. assist
ant curator of mammals. visited the
Pattison place and started to dig. He
found terrific lot of old bones an6
things lying there where the old ele-
plant had died 10000 years ago. Prac'
tically complete skeleton was found
but the bones were shifted around con
siderably, some of them broken ant
others out of place, which made the
job a picture puzzle task. Many of the
bones had to be fitted into place. ant
some of them had the scientists guess
ing for a time.
Two large limb bones are missing, also
several foot bones and the tusks, but
a further search may be made fol
these. However, the find is an exceed
ingly valuable one and the bones will
be mounted and imitation parts will bt
inserted In the skeleton wherever neces
Sary.
When mounted the museum will pos
sess one of the most complete spec1
mems of this great beast of the age!
just preceding the present. There is {
small mastodon specimen in the mu
scum collections secured in 1901 from
the peat deposits 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 High.
1t is believed this skeleton will stant
fully ten feet high. The fine state o
preservation Of the bones is due to tn,
fact that it has lain continuously since
it's entombment beneath the water leve
Of a swamp, and thus has not been af
fected by the oxidizing action of tn,
patience and by draining the swami
the missing portions of the Skeleton
will be found.
The specimen is believed to be tina
of full grown male. This animal
while it is related to the elephant fam
lily. differs in general proportions O.
the skeleton and through the character
of its teeth, which. unlike the fla
grinding ones Of the elephant, are NOR,
of rugose type with pointed corruga
lions calculated to have been used ii
crushing as we'll as grinding the coars.
vegetable food on which it lived. The
largest of the teeth measures nearly
seven inches in length and is abou
four inches across, weighing severa
pounds.
Prospects for continued excavation
and search are promising and Mr. Gid
ley with his corps of perpetrators 1.
anxiously awaiting the time when the
missing. pieces of their great puzzle
may be found and put in place.