New Britain herald., 1930-03-08
NEVADA INHABITED
 10000 YEARS AGO
Scientists Find Crude Weapons
 Near Bones Of Monsters

Las Vegas, New, March S-A race of early Americans, believed to have pursued gigantic ground sloths 20,- 900 years ago, is in turn being hot ly pursued today. The pursuers arc not prehistoric monsters, but leading American scientists, zealously dig ging in a gypsum cave on the Col orado river, close to the Boulder Dam site.
 Not only the claws. bones, hair and hide of the long vanished sloth species but also remnants of q high ly developed human civilization in the same era were accidentally dis covered, imbeddcd in the gypsum. And the effort, started in a small manner, now spurs anthropologists and palacontotsgists 10 wrcst an even more thrilling chapter in civili. zation's beginnings from the gypsum.
 A university trained man was handling mining development work in the cave when long buried guano was found. It was sent to the Amer ican Museum of Natural History. pr. Barnum Brown declared it related to the huge ground sloths of a by gone era. Traces of these have been discovered elsewhere in Nevada and California.
 Dr. James Schcror, directed of the Southwest Museum at Los Angeles, secured a preliminary appropriation for exploration of the cave. NJ. F. Harrington, curator of the Southwest Museum, took charge of the explora- ations. After discovery, the party was joined by Dr. Chester Stock. Carnegie Institute and California h. sttute of Technology. author of au- thoritative trcatises on the prehis- toric ground sloth species Another member was Dr. F. l.. Furlong. palaeontologist, University of Cali fornia.
 Indians. under Harrington, de- sccnded into the cave, 50 feet un- derground. and under four feet of gypsum, discovered a claw, bones. hide and even the coarse brown hair of the Northotherium sloth, type recognized but little known. The First Weapons The party was thrilled by this dis civery. But more thrills were in store. for in the uncoyering of what had been the floor of a covern used by herd of ground sloths, spear ! heads, darts and feathers bound with sinew were found near the monsters bones.
 The modcrnly equipped scientific party was whisked back through | the ages 10 mankind's first step in developing an instrument 10 hurl a weapon. For these artigacts dated back to the atlatl. or dart thrower, grcat-Great- grandfather of the bow and arrow.
 i Well-shapcd and fooled spear and dart heads of flint were found. Some of the dart shafts, in good preserva- ton, were four feet long. Proof that the users had evolved from the primitive 10 an artistic stage wa: shown by the method in Which greer and red mineral paints were used tc decorate the shafts.
 History Back 10000 Years
 pr. Scherer is enthusiastic over what might be disclosed in the cay. ern.
 The sloth find is amazing" he says. But of particular importance was the finding of artifacts in almost direct association with the slotl bones and claw. In addition to the darts, there was beautifully made tWlne of yucca fiber and bound 1 feathers, apparently from the pray CT stick the Indians used to stick il their kill, or from the head dress O that period. And these were within eight inches of the bones.
 This gypsum cavern might alsc give us the mummified body of sloth, with darts in it. If this should De found, American history will b, pushed back 10000 years"
 The cave in which discovery wa made is about 200 by so feet. S, lar only a corner has been turned up by the searchers.
 The bones were positively identi fled as those of the Nothrotheriun sioth by triangular claw. His nea, relative. Mylodcn sloth, who's, Gargantuan footprints are found jr the yard of tho Nevada state prisor at Carson City, has a round clav and other characteristic differences
 The Northrothcrium creature wa, aoout as high as an elephant. ant about IS feet long, according tc scientists restorations. Its three. dlglted paws were used in gatherine Its herbiferous diet, and with the formidable claws, for defense Junsles and heavy forests were ifs habitat, it's claws and prehensiIe lips gathering food from the ground, and also from the lower branches ot 1 trees when the huge creature reared to it's hind quarters.
 Descendants of SIoths
 Changing weather and floral con. | ditions finally drove the beast from 2 world in which it no longer fitted Inc tree sloth and the ant cater arc among it's descendants.
 Scientists long knew of the havoc wrought to these animals by the sabcr-tooth tiger, wolves and other carnivorous beasts But near here Tn a gypsum cave, the world is learn lng that apparently the monsters had their human enemies, who battled the brutes either for food or in de. fcnse of their lives.