The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1920-08-06
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SlkM sort of a dinosaur. Inasmuch as the
ShN dinosaur is a ffty-foot lizard that
dates back to the age of Reptiles
which antedates man on this earth by anywhere
from GO to 600 millions of years, The scientists are
naturally saying, with the country boy at the cir
Gus at sight of his first hippopotamus, Gosh, there
amt no SIGH animile !"
Still there was such an animal once. And
people are saying they have seen such an animal
now. Hence Captain Stevens expedition to
Africa.
The earlier reports have been corroborated by
two Belgian big game hunters, who report sighting
n huge beast Of terrifying proportions and at
tributes. Mr.. Gapelle, one Of the Belgians, says
his parry caught a glimpse of a huge beast rending
his way through the jungle verdure, which defed
geological analogy. He says it was in the general
shape of a lizard, probably fifty feet long, with
Il thick tail like a kangaroo's, a hump on its back,
and q terrifying horn on it's SnOut. The monster
was covered with scales, which were colored with
great blood-red spots from which radiated pale
green stripes.
A well-known English naturalist and collector,
has written to the press that there is every reason
10 believe there is such an animal living In the
heart of the unexplored iungles, If not great num-
bers of them. During his stay in Africa he heard
the story from so many different sources, he says,
that he is convinced there is some truth In i.
Fifteen years ago, when collecting In the
TransvaaI, I heard an interesting story Of a mon
ster, half snake, half beast. My informant, of the
RhOdesian police, who patrOlled near Barotseland,
said he had approached within a hundred yards
of it while 1t was lying asleep on the border OF a
swamp. 1t was, he declared, q hundred feet long,
and its strange appearance so frightened him that
1t awakened and glided into the swamp before he
could raise his gun. 1t travelled noiselessly and
with great speed.
The country round about was quite uneX-
plored. My friend told me that / was the first
to whom he had mentioned the story, as he was
afraid to tell his comrades because they would
have laughed ut him.
"Once again when l was on the French Kongo
seaboard / heard fearful stories from the native
hunters of the monster. / also heard the same
stories on the way to the Belgian Kongo, where
the present so-called brontOsaurus is supposed to
have been seen. When you hear stories from three
or four widely different sources ] believe there is
some truth in them. You must remember that If
you travel to Fernan Faz. and Settle Cana and go
up into the interior. most Of the country has never
been explored. What creatures live in its vast
mysteries we do not know. Whether the so-called
brontosaurus is a prehistoric survival or not l
would not care to say. l firmly believe the crea-
ture exists, but l believe it is an unknown creature
of more modern descent.
"The brOntOSaurus, or whatever the strange
creature is, makes use of it's legs and it's body
It glides. l should imagine it is a very dangerous
creature. But that it is not all a ~fairytale l am
certain. l have been there, and I have talked with
Nv WV ''h ~ p'pD - Ouiiui I'LL
an evil land because Of the huge monsters which
live in it's remote solitudes."
Walter Winans, an American living I'm Lon
don, the pistol champion and a big-game hunter,
also believes in the existence Of this creature.
'The late Carl Hagenbeck told me before the
war" Mr.. Winans said, shat two of his travellers.
on different expeditions and in different years.
had seen the brontOsaurus in swamps In central
Africa. / do not think 1t Is impossible that some
of the prehistoric animals have survived, and when
several explorers have seen glimpses Of what they
think must be such animals they are most prob.
ably right. 1t is not as If some one not used TO
recognizing them instantly saw wild animals for
the first time. These men are always on the
lookout for new species and know all the animals
by sight.
1T is possible that the sea-serpent is one Of
these so-called extinct reptiles, and that the dodo
may still exist somewhere not yet explored. The
quagga. too, which existed until a few years ago.
may still live In some unexplored part of Africo
and the mammoth and the cave bear still wander
I'm Siberia"
- MIR. Winans went further to satisfy the Eng.
Iish public and drew an outline of what this ami.
NAL probably looks like. With that picture, which
appeared in the Evening News, he appended this
bit of descriptive argument:
"The scientists draw this beast standing on its
.Ngs, rs a mammal would. Now no mammalian
animal has the combined heavy tail and long neck
this animal has. A kangaroo has the heavy tau
but it is built very light in front, with only short
rudimentary legs. 1t uses its tail as a third leg
In combination with its two hind legs and works
on a tripod so formed. The giraffe has a long
neck, but it is built light behind, and it's tail Is
so light that 1t practically has no weight I'm com.
parlson. The giraffe carries It's head high SO
as not TO put a leverage on 1t.
Now the brontosaurus is heavy both in the
tail and the neck, which, besides, are both very
long. If 1t stood as the scientists draw 1t. the tall
and neck would overbalance 1t and a slight pun