The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-01-17
PEOPLE LIVED HERE
$4,000 YEARS AGO
So Think Biologists After Study of
Ancient Fossils
CAME HERE FOR THE CLIMATE
Fossils Were Unearthed at vero From
PIeistoeene Deposit, With Bones
of Many Extinct Animals.
eft. Pierce Tribune)

was inhabited by giant human beings
fully $4,000 years ago, when practic-
ally all of the North American CONT
nent except Florida was covered over
by a huge iceburg extending all the
way up into the very Arctic regions,
lis the opinion of DIR. E. H. Sellards,
Florida State geologist, and Prof. o. p.
Hay, research associate of the Car
negie Institution, Washington. Their
conclusions are based on extended
study of ancient human fossils I'M
earthed in the vicinity of Vero dur
ing the past two years. A sort of
post mortem examination of those re-
mains were held there the latter part
} of October last, and was reported in
detail in The Tribune at the time.
The following. from a recent issue
of the Florida Metropolis, reviews the
case Interestingly:
That human beings inhabited the
North American continent more than
1850 years ago has been conclu-
siyely proven through a recent dis
covery in this State by E. H. Sellards,
State geologist. and Prof. Oliver P.
: Hay, who have made a study of the
fossil. Though their opinions are not
fully concurred in by other scientists,
they are positive that their researches
have been thorough and there is no
room for a mistake.
The discovery was made several
! months ago, and though nothing OF
definite nature had been given out
until recently. it is now officially stat.
9 ed that human bones, intermingled
: with those of the mastodon, saber
. tooth tiger, and many other extinct
animals that formerly ranged this
! hemisphere, have been found. The
deposit was found near Vero.
u That the human beings were OF
/ enormous size is evidenced by the
= bones. 1t is thought some were ter
> or twelve feet in height Some excel
= lent speciments of the skeleton Of
: these gigantic men have been found
some of them locked in the deadly
iembrace of great animals, with
strange weapons of bone clutched in
skeleton hands foot long. II IL
thought the reason so many ANNA
bones had been found with those Of
the human skeletons is because they
. were possibly engaged in deadly fight:
with them and fell victims to the 81
!, perior strength of the animals after
they had wounded them.
Many Researchers at Work
After the deposit was found al
Vero six biologists and anthropolo
gists hurried there and began a re
search. After delving into the an
. cient caves and fitting together the
bones of the extinct animals into
:, weird skeletons they made areport in
= the January-February issue of the
: journal OF Geology.
G Mr.. Sellards is quoted as saying that
n the deposits was the oldest from
q which human remains have ever been
n taken. II this researth proves to be
4 all that the scientists think it is the
q world at large will be astounded to
!. know that the things which have LONG
|. been suspected are true.
n There are many who believe Boring
n Strait was crossed ages ago by in
+ lhabitants of European countries who
4 probably had to fee across Stanovoi
g Mountains of Serberia II is only a
q short stretch which could have been
made in an open gallery, and they
i. could have made their way from Alas
v ka and gradually worked down into
IT this uttermost part of the North
American hemisphere. seeking the
most natural thing in the world, which
would be the climate.
Y After Florida Climate?
& II is not at all impossible that PEG
v pie even then did not realize that the
c climate of this peninsula was super
Tor to that of any other country in
d the world Mr. Sellards is quoted as
3 saying in his advance sheets of the
IT report:
le The study of the fossils of thi.
stratum. although not yet completed
ID has brought to light considerable,
" number of extinct species, which sug
It. gest the reference of the deposit t.
the pleistocene period. This is tn,
. oldest deposit from which human re