Rensselaer Standard, Volume 1, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 August 1879 — ONE MORE MASTODON: [ARTICLE]

ONE MORE MASTODON:

The Bones of a Giant Animal Discovered by a Mew Windsor Farmer’s Boy. ; ~ New York World. NkwbUbg. N. Y., /July 7.—Mr. Hugh fKelley is a farmer owning and working a form of 108 acres in the town of New Windsor, adjoining this city. Just east of the house, which is an oldfashioned two-story frame structure, is a marshy swale. Fifty years ago there was a pond here, which probably covered three acres of land. The swale runs north and south, and extends for several miles each way. The outlet is to the eastward, and empties into -the Otter kill, which flows into the Hudson River. The pond was drained, Mr. Kelley says, about fifty years ago, and since then the black muck ground has been used for raising garden truck. It is now planted with potatoes, and in order to help the crop along Mr. Kelley ou Saturday set his sons Willie and* James, youngmen of about sixteen aud eighteen years of age,, digging a drain on the western edge of the patch. Several bones were observed lying around loose upon the surface of the bog meadow, but nothing was thought of their appearance. But when Willie discovered on digging down about two feet beneath the surface the second join* of a fore leg which measures a foot and 10 inches in length he was amazed. Mr. Kelley concluded to stop digging and inform some of the neighbors. This was done, and on Bunday the excavating was continued and their labor was rewarded by finding nearly all the bones of a giant, mastodon. A trench about 30 feet long, 10 feet wide and 4 j feet deep has been dug so far and the men are yet at work endeavoring to recover what is needed to make up the whole frame or skeleton. Operations were resumed early this morning on a larger scale and several sections of the spine, two more ribs and other pieces nave been recovered to day. A spring of cool water has been struck and the diggers are troubled bailing it out. The black vein of muck is .said to be about twenty feet deep and rests on a bed of blue clay. As stated it at one time' formed the bed of a good sized pond, and it is conjectured, as in the cases of other mastodons found, that the animal waded in beyond his depth, got fast and perished. When the upper jaw of the skull was found there was great difficulty in getting it to the surface whole. It took five men to lift it out of the trench. It was found four feet sixinches below the surface. The lower jaw was four and a half feet below the surface, and some three feet distance from the upper jaw. It required two men to lift ic out. The backbone and spine were not over two feet under ground. Other pieces have been found in various portions of the trench.

The measurement of the principal bones already found are as follows: The skull, 2 feet 5} inches high; length of the upper jaw, 2 feet four inches; between tne eyes, 2 feet; depth of forehead, 18 inches; eye sockets, 7 inches in diameter: par holes, 18 inches in diameter. - The nostrils measure 6$ inches ib diameter and are two feet deep. There are eight teeth in the skull—two on each side of the upper and lower jaws—and all in the finest condition. The back teeth of the lower jaw measure 7 inches long on the surface and are 4 inches in width. The Kr and lower front teeth are 4| es long on the surface and 8£ inches wide. All the teeth protrude from the jawbone 1 £ inches. There are 8 points on each of the front teeth. The space between the rows of teeth on the roof of the upper jaw is 7£ inches, and at the lower jaw 6£ inches, In the center of the forehead fa a cavity measuring 11 inches long and 4 inches wide. The lower jaw was placed in position to-day and found to measure correspondingly large with the upper jaw, and completes the skull. Although not yet weighed, it fa estimated that the skull complete will tip the beam at no less than 600 pounds. One of the fore legs, including the shoulder-blade, is seven feet in length, and weighs, it is thought, 150 pounds. 'JThe first point of the hind leg measures 2 feet 5 inches and the second joint of the same leg 3 feet 4 inches. The only part of the other fore-leg yet found, ana which was the first piece discovered underground by Willie Kel • ley, measures 2 feet 10 inches and weighs about fifty pounds. At this hour twenty-six ribs nave been found, the longest measuring 3 feet 10 inches, with a width of 2 inches la the center. A dozen or more sections of the spihe have been unearthed, the largest being 10 inches wide and 16 inches long. A score or two other bones are among the lot, 6£ by 4£ inches. The marshy land or swale in which the mastodon was found fa of the same line or stretch of similar ground in which the mastodon or 1845, so thoroughly described by Dr. Warren, was discovered. This is the third unearthed since that year. The mastodon of 1845 was dug up three miles due north of Mr. Kelly’s farm, and on the farm of Mr. Brewster. Tne Brewster mastodon was sold for SIO,OOO, and fa now in Boston. The second one was discovered at Otteville, in this county, a few years ago.