The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1916-06-01
EXCAVATION OF FOSSIL
REMAINS ENLlSTlNG
GREAT INTEREST

ried on by Dali DeWeese from the
mari beds in Garden park for the Colo
rado Museum of Natural History in
Denver is enlisting a constantly in-
creasing interest. The work of dig
ging out the fossiiized skeleton of this
ancient mammal was begun six weeks
or two months ago and has been con-
tinued without interruption ever since
At present three men are engaged in
the task and they are likely to De en-
ployed in the undertaking several
months as Mr.. DeWeese predicts they
will not complete their work before
fall.
A large number of the bones, which
have to be very carefully boxed, have
already been shipped to the museum
course of the next few days. In the
last shipment to Denver were sixteen
sections of the spinalia, or vertebral
column, each of them as large as
bushel measure, and others are being
uncovered almost daily. Just what
kind of an animal these bones belong
ed to Mr.. De Weese has not definite
Iy determined, nor do the scientists
appear to know, although they appear
to have been part of the structural
organism of some representative of
the dinosaurian family. 1t is possible
that some specimen of mamalia of the
geologic ages unknown to science has
been discovered by Mr.. De Weese. If
SO the importance of his find will be
enhanced. The remains are embedded
in the stratum of the jurassic period
of geologic history and the monster
that is represented by them must have
lived several thousand years ago.
Thirty feet of the skeleton has been
taken out and how much more re-
mains to be uncovered is problemati-
cal, but it is believed that it is any
where from fifty to sixty feet in length
and possibly even longer.
Several prominent scientists have
already visited Mr.. DeWeese to in
spect the skeleton and a couple of
others, one of them from Chicago and
the other from New York, are expect
ed to arrive here shortly on a similar
mission. Mr.. Bradley of Denver, a
member of the board of directors of
the Colorado Muesum of Natural His
tory, was here on Monday and Tues
day of this week to inspect the work
of excavation. MIR. De Weese. being
desirous of keeping the skeleton in
Colorado, gave it to the state museum
without cost, although he could have
sold it to an eastern institution for
a large sum of money. The state
museum pays only for the actual work
of digging it out and shipping the
bones to Denver. more than ton of
which has already found its way to
that city. Mr. DeWeese devotes his
time to experimenting the uncovering
the fossil; remains without financial
compensation.
More than a year ago Mr.. DeWeese
discovered evidences of the remains
of some ande-deluvian monster, proba-
bly, one of the great saurians of that
period, in the lower triassic strata,
which has hitherto been supposed to
be devoid of anything of that kind
1t is to investigate and exploit this
find that scientists are expected here
shortly from several famous museums
and educational institutions in the
east.
A great many people visit the
scene OF the fossil excavations on
Garden Park every day; the number
averaging, according to Mr.. DeWeese
something like one hundred a week.
People living in the nefghborhood
flock there in scores, in fact, the un
dertaking is sort of seven-days
wonder to the residents of that local
ity. How Mr.. DeWeese made the
find is never-ending source of specu-
lation and inquiry to people who visit
the camp. 1t will. probably. be a
couple of years before the skeleton is
finally set up in the museum in Den
yer. The skeleton is a magnificent
one and is being taken out in splendid
condition. 1t is expected to bejntact
and complete when excavators fin
ish their work. Its possession will be
worth kings ransom to any museum
in the land.
CUT THIS QUILT is WORTH