Evening star., 1928-05-10
A FEW OLD BONES SPLIT
SCIENTISTS INTO TWO CAMPS
Geological Society Unlimbers
Artillery Of Ancient Ages to
Fix Demise of Floridian.
All Agree Man Is Dead, but
Time and Manner of Passing
Puzzles Divided Experts.

Puzzles Divided Experts.
washington scientists are splttins
into two sharply opposed camps over q
few handfuls of bones and arrowheadS
found on the Florida East Coast.
The battles of Viro, Melbourne and
New Smyrna. which broke out two
weeks ago when DR.. Ales Hrdlicka and
DR.. j. w. Gidley, both of the National
Museum stan. clashed on the platform
Of the National Academy of Sciences
are continuing with increasing vigor and
recruits are rushing to the aid of botl,
! sides from other branches of science
Some generations ago. II seems. a
native Flori0ian of no particular ac-
count departed from this world OF
| trouble
! II is over the exact manner and time
| of his taking of that the scientists are
/ irreconcilsble. Some think he died
! peacefully, with a mourning family
| about him. and was inferred with proper
ceremonies in conventional grave
Others think he was stepped on by a
rhinoceros. Still others think he got
| stuck in the mud and was torn to bits
by ravenous alligators.
A Few Years Difference.
Some think he died a few hundreds
or few thousands of years ago, Others
think that the date Of his demise was
closer to half million years In the
past
Both sides brought up their artillery
at special meeting of the Geological
Society of Washington at the Cosmos
Club last night
DR.. Gidley told Of excavatins near
Melbourne, Fla. and mcoverine three
beds geologically different The first
and lowest was composed largely OF sea
shells and sand. indicating that II was
an old ocean bottom. The second was
composed of fine white and light brown
sand. such as might have been blown
over the uncovered sea bottom when
the water receded, some of Ii hardened
to almost rock-like consistency. The
third, or surface. bed was composed of
ordinary swamp muck. The limits OF
all three beds were sharply distinguish
able
On the surface of the second bed
DR. Gidley found bones of various eX-
tinct animals. imprintS of the footsteps
in the sand. and some human remains
The animal bones with which the
human ones were associated we're those
of long extinct creatures-rhinoceri
cameis an extinct type Of elephant. the
glyptodon and the giant sloth. They
date from the Aftonian geological
period or the interval between the first
and second Ice ages in North America
Bones Fix Time.
DR.. o. P. Hay. paleontologist OF the
National Museum. told the Geological
Society that these particular bones
probably Ak the time of the deposit be-
cause the animals represented did not
survive into the second ice age. He
insisted that 80 or 40 instances are on
record where human remains or arti-
facts have been found among Aftonian
deposits In various parts OF North
America.
Now the standard theory. backed by
DR.. Hrdiicka and most American an
thropologists. Is that man preceded
Columbus to America only by few
thousand years: that he came by way
Of the Behring Sea and Alaska from
Siberia. and that he entered a cOnti-
nent where there was not the slightest
trace OF previous occupancy.
DR.. Hrdlicka. who was not present
last night, insists that this man In
Florida got among the rhinoceros bones
because properly sorrowing relatives
dug q grave for him and put him there.
II this Is true. DR.. Gidley says the
evidences Of the digging of the grave
still could be traced even after thou
sands of years The layers at that par
ticular spot would be disturbed and not
sharply defined. Besides. one human
skull has been found which Is crushed
exactly as If 1t had been stepped on
by an elephant or rhinoceros. All over
the surface OF the No. bed are cara
PAGES of turtles crushed In exactly the
same way. In one hollow are some
bones OF extinct animals and some
charcoal. presumably placed together
by intelligent creatures intent on cook
ing ueal
Bones FoSsiiized.
Besides. he Told the Geological So
cieiy. nobody dug graves for the ele-
phantS and their bones are In exactly
the same state OF fosgilization as those
of the man.
But DR.. Paul Bartsch. curator OF mol
Illgks at the National Museum, comes
10 the support of DR. Hrdlickas con-
tention with evidence from an unex-
pected source He has examined the re-
mains Of molllIsks taken from the same
layer. he told the society. and finds that
they are mostly those OF species living
TO the East Florida coast.
Il have spent nearly every Winter for
the last IS years In Florida" DR..
Hsrt1cI1 said, "snd ! have fown over
this country many times. II is puz-
zling question, but have tried 10 recon-
strIct a picture of what happened A
few thousand years ago this country was
literally swarmina With alligators. II
seems To me that what happened Is that
this poor fellow got stuck In the mud
of the present surface layer and that
several of these reptiles grabbed him,
fought over him tore him 10 pieces. and
dragged the bones 10 the bottom This
wculd explain why they are 80 widely
scattered
Some pottery Was found on the No 2
/ layer This, said DR. A. v. Kidder ot
the Carnegie Institution, Ia suspicious.
He contended hat the making of pot
terry dates back only few thousand
years before the Christian era ITO find
pottery In association with the bones of
very ptimstiye man" he said. is as
curious 10 the snthfopoiogist as glyp.
t0d0n in hts back yard would be 10 the
ge0logist"
But the condition of cultivated crops
In America shows that human beings
must have existed here very long
time said DR. Walter 7. swtnge plant
Dhysiol0gist oi the Department Of Agri-
! culture
/ OLD World grains. like wheat and
"