Year: 1875

that glitters.


A Mastodon Fourteen Feet High,


From the Dubuque Ta.) News.
| Prof. Woodman has now in his DOS


session and is arranging the bones of Q
specimen Of the extinct mastodon fam


lily, which are worthy Of examination by


all who have any curiosity or interest


in natures wonderful productions. We


have all read of the mastodon, and have


fancied him to be a mythical animal,


but now an opportunity is presented to


examine bones that will not only put


to rest any doubts as to the existence of


the giant beast, but will give something


like an idea of what his monstrous size


must have been. The professor has


xty.eight Zones in all, and is making


search for the remaining ones, which


will constitute the whole skeleton. In


purchasing what he now has, he also


purchased the exclusive right to dig in


the ground for the rest, SO that there is


but little doubt in a snort time our en-


er8etic professor will have all the bones


of the largest animal ever found in the


bosom of mother earth. About year


ago German farmer, living at Welton,


twenty five miles west of Davenport, on


the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific


railroad, in crossing small stream, no


ticed something projecting from the


bank of tho stream which excited his
curiosity. He procured spade and
crmmenced to unearth it, and discov-
cred, when he had it out, that it was n
huge bone Of some kind, but what kind
was beyond his ken. His curiosity was
now fully excited, for he felt that he
had struck a bonanza Of some kind
perhaps tho graveyard of some pre.Ad-
amic giants. He continued his explora-
tons, and within few feet of where
he found the first relic of some departed
mountain of animal life, he found a
number of other bones similar in pro.
portions to the first. The discovery
came to the ears Of our Woodman, who
is alive to anything that may reveal the
wonders of nature, particularly if it
comes from our own state. and be
opened negotiations with the old
farmer, which resulted in his becoming
the owner of the bones and Of the right
to search for more. Among those he
now has are many of tho prominent
ones, which will give an idea of the size
of the animal to which they belonged.
The shoulderblade, which appears as
perfect as if it came from the animal
yesterday. is three and half feet long
by three feet wide, and when turned up
presents a surface large enough for an
or1inary-sized family to dine on.


The lower bone of the hind leg, join
ing the knee with the foot, called by
naturalists the tibia, is ab.ut thirty.
three inches long, about thirty.two
inches around its largest end and is
heavy enough to load an ordinary man.
The parts of the backbone forming the
Joints are from ten to twelve inches
across and one bone alone, belonging
to the foot, is twenty eight inches
All the other bones are of like
tremendous proportions. When the
bones forming the pelvis arch are placed
in position they form an opening from
two ana 0no.half to three feet high,
which would easily admit the passage of
a barrel. The bones are all in mag-
niicent state of preservation. The
sockets in some of them are large |
enough for a wash bowl, and the small
est portion of the collection is sufficient
to convey an idea of the crest size of
the animal. 1t would be difficult just |
yet to give its exact proportions, but a
with bones found in other
places will enable us to Judge. The |
shoulder blade of DR.. Warren's masto-
non, found near Newburg, N. Y, does
not appear rs large as this one which
Prof. Woodman now has; and the
length OF DIR. Warren's animal is ascer-
tained to have been thirteen feet. That
would make the length of Prof. Wood
sons fully equal, and its height would
DO about fourteen feet. Now that will
DO considered a pretty fair sized ami
nal, and will rather eclipse all our
ancy stock of the present day for size,
But what will be said when it is stated
hat this animal, whose skeleton is now
1nder investigation, was only a calf


Yet this is a fact which is established
by the want of perfect Justification in
jhe joints, and at the end of the soap
lla or shoulder. blade. There is no
question that it was a very younganimal.
What it might be at its maturity we
nay guess, but can never know. 1t was
'ound about four feet from the surface,
N what geologists call the drift. From
Ill appearances the locality was the bed
,f stream, and to the fine sand in
which they were imbedded, no doubt is
attributable the splendid state of pres
arvation in which the bones were
found.