The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1922-04-18
FsAURTAN MONSTER
IN SILVER SPRINGS

Editor Star: have just returned !
from an extended auto trip through |
the state of Florida l think | need |
not mention the revelations that have |
engaged my close attention save only |
what found at Silver Springs. Your
readers are all familiar with that re-
markable natural phenomenon, but it |
is possible that they may not all be !
familiar with what to me was really I,
an astounding discovery. AS l was
being conducted over that pellucid
pool suddenly and abruptly called a
halt. / saw at a depth of perhaps
twenty feet a remarkable object un-
canny, and strange. / observed it, in
deed studied it, very carefully. and de-
termined that it was no inherent part
of the old Ocala rocks that underlie
this region. Its peculiar shape and
color revealed that it was clearly a
petrefaction and not fortuitous frag-
ment of rock. It was of the shape of a
huge alligator and of a length of
twenty feet, more or less, and strange
to say it was nearly all intact. I'm
fortunately the head was gone and
very likely portion of the tail. 4
few feet of the tail had become sep
arated but was lying directly in line
and less than a foot from the point of
separation. There it lay as plain to
view as if set up in museum. 1t re-
quired no stretch of the imagination to
identify it as one of the old saurian
monsters that sported in the steaming
waters of the Pliocene era in which it
was clear these rocks belong. Among
those ancient amphibian reptiles of
that age there was only one to which
it perfectly answered, that was the
icthyosaurus. needed no exhaustive
study to identify this as a fine petre-
faction of one of those ancient mon
sters. Presumably thousands of peo~
pie have looked upon this remarkable
i;creature, but am not able to find any
mention of it in any of the geological
reports of this. state, nor is any hint of
it found in any descriptions of Silver
Springs, tho I have made careful
search in public library of Jackson
vile. 1t may be set down as a scien-
tific4fact that here is one of the very
best exhibits in existence of that old
saurian montser, the icthyosaurus,
and in exactly the place assigned by
nature hundreds of thousands, per-
| haps millions of years ago. The icthy-
osaurus was a reptile, normally thirty
to 'thirty-fve feet long, a most vora-
cious monster, shaped like an alligator
but with fiippers instead of legs, arm
ed with aclarge head and powerful
jaws, and able to cope with any enemy
of the shallow waters. 1t was very
swift and lived entirely upon the les
ser animals, With one large telesco-
pie eye on each side, surrounded by
feight microscopic eyes, in point OF
keen vision it possessed a tremendous
advantage over the other denizens OF
the deep.
] From one Of the phosphate beds of
your region have an exceedingly fine
specimen of tooth of the ancient
mastodon which once inhabited this
region in great numbers. 1t is the up
per, back molar and in perfect state
of preservation. The mastodon was
an elephant about the same height OF
the Asiatic species, but somewhat
longer and more massive. 1t occupied
most of the territory of the United
States, extending somewhat into Can
lada. I have found well preserved re,
mains in Michigan 1t appears to me
that Florida should be very rich fielG
flor the paleontologist.
Perhaps it is due to say that have
ben, public lecturer for more thar
fifty years. MY line has been mostly
on geology and astronomy, with stere-
lopticon. Always gratis.
Franklin S. Dewey, M. S.,
| University of Michigan.
T Jacksonville, April II.
4 We thank Mr.. Dewey for his inter
esting article. The formation that he
aHudes to, with other curiosities of the
Silver river bed, has been described ir
the eOcala papers so often, that they
awaken very little notice here. A
number Of, years ago, young mar
who was born by and lived most OF
I his life along the Oklawaha and Sill
yer rivers, wrote descriptions of al
formations, legends, ETC., of the two
streams. Up to the time of his death
a few years ago, he had written scores
1 of such articles. Among others, he
put into print legend of an immense