The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-08-21

the conclusion that in that partic-
ular promise the sacred book was
mistaken.
/. Many yards Of common burlap in
strips IS ready prepared before the
work Of removing specimens be-
gins. There is also a quantity OF
freshly mixed plaster of Paris. very
thinly diluted. The strips Of burlsp
are dipped in the liquid and quickly
laid over the outline of the fossil.
one thickness following another un-
til the object is finally so well
bandaged that crumbling is impos-
sible. When carefully instructed
even inexperienced workmen. Pro-
fessor Gidley has found. soon make
capable excavators. With the larger
specimens this work Of wrapping
was done first on the upper and eN-
posed half. After a wait Of a few
hours. when thoroughly dry and
set" the specimen was carefully
turned over and similar bandaginE
done ~ the lower side. Each unit
was later carefully packed and
boxed for shipment TO the National
Museum. The task OF unpacking IS
as yet but half complete.
The Curtis ranch in the San Pedro
Valley lies equi-dis;ant about
fourteen miles from Benson and
| Tombstone. Ariz. To the south is
Bisbee, forty-five miles away. DR..
Bryan and Professor Gldley had not
been at work long before report OF
their discoveries spread throughout
the country and soon they were be-
sieged with visitors. Popular in
terest in prehistoric Arizona outrsn
] a VII ~ be
! scientist had ever encountered.
On one Sunday alone they counted
more than 100 automobiles. some
Of them from half across the State
visitors attracted solely by reports
Of elephants, camels and giant arma-
dillos- The simple work OF unearth-
ing specimens had begun to take on
the character of field lectures in
natural history.
Il never had more attentive
listeners or, on the whole. more in
itelligcnt audiences than thos..
miners and stockmen." says Pro
fessor Gidley in recalling the eA-
! perience.
INTEREST ran so high that he was
obliged TO quit his work for two
days and visit nearby towns TO
/ lecture. The first was before the
| Business Mems Luncheon Club Of
! Bisbee and the second before the
| Business Womens Club of Douglas,
Ariz.
Speaking to the throngs n the
/ Curtis ranch, his talk would usually
begin in an attempt to answer
/ questions.
How did these bones get here.
anyway" was the most frequent
/ query. alternated occasionally with
one like this: Don't you think that
perhaps they could be old buffalo
I bones?"
When he had a sufficiently large
gathering about him he would usu-
ally begin by pointing TO the san
Pedro River bottom, not far OF. or
to the low flat-topped mountains on
either side.
When these bones were laid out
/ here" said he, there was no val
ley out here, and none OF these hills
was yet formed. II was an entirely
different kind of a country. 1t was
better watered then than now
There were big marshes scattered
over this region.
Some of these animals whose
bones We find here were mired.
Parts of their bodies were destroyed
and parts were covered by mud and
water. This whole region was I'LL
| ing up. How long il continued To-
build up there is no way of know
ing. perhaps thousands of years.
But il continued to I'LL until all of
IL was built up as high as that FIAT
1 hilltop you see over there.
That is how high. Perhaps Too
| feet higher than this. Well, this
spot we are standing on was built
up to that level with material wash
ed in.
Then a canyon began to cut in
tfrom the north. working back a lit
tie further each year. just as you
have seen them do since you have
been living here. After a while side
canyons began on either side and. as
they worked back. the original can
yon became so broad that it was n"
longer a canyon but a valley.
(ETHAT valley washed out
deeper and deeper until, at
this particular spot, IL
again exposed on the surface that
part which was on top at the time
this mastodon and glyptodont were
mired. Out there in the valley all
the other deposits OF that particular
time have long ago been washed
away and lost. Back there towards
the hillside IL hasn't washed deeply
enough yet to uncover that stratum.
But some day il will, perhaps hun
dreds of years from now.
1T Is easy enough to tell that
these bones are not Of cattle or buff
falo. They are wholly different We
have those bones. as well as other
living species and we can compare
them. None OF these bones are
those OF any animal living in this
part of the country today"
DO you mean to say" some one
in the audience would ask, that
there are more Of these bones under
every hill at this level all around
this valley"
Yes, in spots" would come the
answer. You see, on the fiat patch
OF an acre or two all at the same
level we find specimens thickly in a
space of three or four yards, then
nothing Tor considerable distance.
The lame would be true in all prob
ability under that hill Therefore
we make our search over the eN-
posed surface at this level AID con-
slider that, for the present at least,
II woulS, be too much labor TO re-
move all Of that thickness OF earth
Just in the hope thatwe would un-
cover anything more valuable