Mysteries of Nature
By G. Frederick Wright, A. M. LL. D.
HUGE MAMMOTHS ENCASED IN ICE.
French Aviation
The mammoth is an extinct species
of elephant which was formerly
6pread all over Europe, northern Asia,
and North America as far south as
Mexico. In size he was somewhat
larger than the elephant. Whereas
Jumbo stood 11 feet high, the mam
moth skeleton recently set up In the
museum of the Chicago Academy of
Sciences stands 13 feet as mounted,
which would make him about 14 feet
high when alive. The tusks of the
mammoth were enormous. Those of
one recently found In Texas, and now
mounted In tho American Museum of
Natural History in New York city,
measure 13 feet and ten inches, and
would weigh 200 pounds apiece. The
mammoth had a trunk like suits of
hair the largest consisting of rough,
black bristles 18 Inches In length,
the next a coat of close-set hair from
nine to ten Inches long, and under
neath all a soft, reddish wool, about
five Inches long, forming a covering
which would shed water, and enable
the animal to stand any amount of
arctic cold.
At the present time the elephant
is limited to southern Asia and to cen
tral and' southern Africa. The Asl
atlc species, however, differ in many
respects from tho African. The Afrl
can elephant has much larger ears
than the Asiatic; so that they com
uletely cover the shoulder when
thrown back, Bometimes being three
and one-half feet wide. Its teeth are
also different from those of the AbI
atic species, and its tusks heavier
liut In both cases the tusks are much
smaller than are those of the mam
moth.
The elephant first appears in the
Middle Tertiary deposits of northern
India. From that center, still occu
pied by the species, It seems to have
spread outward to the limits of the
northern hemisphere. In the later
Tertiary period a species Is found fos
sil throughout Europe, while still later
the species known as the mammoth,
or, In technical terms, elephas prim
lgenius, was, as already said, spread
in great numbers over northern Asia
and North America as far south as the
Gulf of Mexico, and all over Europe
north of the Mediterranean. In these
regions he survived tho glacial peri
od, and lingered until some time aft
er the advent of man.
'
In Siberia the mammoth wandered
down the valley of all the large riv
ers running into the Arctic Ocean,
where so many of them left their car
casses that for centuries their tusks
have formed a most important ex
port to the Ivory markets of the
world. During the years 1872-73 as
many as 2,770 mammoth tusks, weigh:
lng from 140 to 1G0 pounds each, niak-
lug a total of 200 tons, were entered
at the London docks. Up to the pres
ent time Che Ivory hunters in northern
Siberia come back heavily laden with
this valuable material, and it forms u
constant means of barter with China.
The long string of camels which carry
tea from China across the Desert of
Gobi to Siberia return laden in no
small degree with fresh mammoth
tusks, brought up from the mouth of
the Yenisei, the Lena and the Indl
glrka river.
One of the most remarkable facts
concerning the distribution of the
mammoth Is brought to light In the
discovery of their skeletons In great
numbers upon the New Siberian Is
lands, far out beyond the mouth of
the Lena river, and 'it similar discov
eries on the Frlbilof Islands in Herlng
Sea. On the shores of Alaska north
of the Yukon river the bones of the
mammoth are very numerous In the
frozen soil. So fresh are the remains
that, as the sun thaws them out on
exposure, the air is tainted with the
odor of decaying flesh.
The remains of the mammoth are
found chiefly In post-glacial deposits.
wThey occur In the post-glacial river
gravels all over the north temperate
zone, and beneath the deposits of
loess (which are connected with the
cl'jse of the glacial period) in the Mis
souri valley. Hut the situation In
which they most frequently occur la
In peat bogs, where they seem to
have been mired soon after the glacial
period, and slowly enveloped with the
accumulating vegetable and earthy de
posits. Usually tho bones are con
slderably scattered, so that a good
deal of digging has to be done to get
all the Darts. In Siberia they arc
found In complete "preservation In the
Ice and frozen soil that cover the
northern portion of that vast area.
In 1803 Mr. Adams found an entire
carcass so perfectly preserved that
the flesh when thawed out was eager
ly devoured by wolves and bears. This
skeleton, with portions of the skin
and ligaments, is now mounted In the
museum of St. Petersburg. It ts nine
feet high and 16 feet long.
In 1846 a young Russian engineer
named Uenkendorf saw on of these
huge pnlmals Just as It was uncov
ered In the frozen bank of the Indl-
glrka river during a flood. In its
stomach were the chewed fragments
of the shoots and cones of fir and
plno trees, showing upon what the
animal lived. So vivid is his descrip
tion that it Is worth while to repro
duce it.
"Picture to yourself an elephant
with a body covered with thick fur,
about 13 feet In height, nnd lo In
length, with tusks 8 feet long, thick,
and curving outward at their ends, a
stout trunk of 6 feet in length, colos
sal limbs of l'i feet In thickness, and
a tall, naked up to the end, which
was covered with thick tufty hair.
The animal was fat, and well grown;
death had overtaken him in the full
ness of his powers. His parchment
like, large, nuked ears lay turned up
over the head; about the shoulders
and the back he had stiff hair, about
a foot in length, like a mane. The
long outer hair was deep brown, and
coarsely rooted. The top of the head
looked bo wild, and so penetrated
with pitch, that It resembled the rind
of an old oak tree. On the sides it
was cleaner, and under the outer hair
there appeared everywhere a wool,
very soft, warm and thick, and of a
fallow-brown color. The giant was
well protected against the cold.
"The whole appearance of the ani
mal was fearfully strange and wild.
It had not the shape of our present
elephants. As .compared with our In
dian elephants, its head was rough,
the braln-hnse low and narrow, but
the trunk and mouth were much lar
ger. The teeth were very powerful.
Our elephant Is an awkward animal,
but compared with this mammoth it
is an Arabian steed to a coarse, ugly
dray horse. I could not divest my
self of a feeling of fear as I ap
proached the head; the broken, wide
ly open eyes gave the animal an ap
pearance of life, as though It might
move in a moment and destroys us
with a roar. . . . The bad smell
of the body warned us that it was
time to save what we could, and the
swelling Hood, too, bade us hasten.
.... Hut I had the stomach tsep
arated and broiiKht on one side. K
was well filled, and the contents in
structive and well preserved. The
principal were young shoots of the fir
and pine; a quantity of young fir
cones, also In a chewed state, were
mixed with the moss." ....
Still more recently, even as late as
1902, a complete skeleton was found
on the banks of the Beresovka river
In northeastern Siberia. The entire
skin as well as the skeleton of this
has been brought to St. Petersburg
and, after being stuffed, has been
erected In the position in which it
was found. Evidently the animal was
browsing on the brink of a frozen
precipice, where the footing was more
Insecure than he supposed. While he
was stretching out for a tempting
morsel of herbage tho foundation
gave away beneath him and he slid
down backward, landing In a position
from which he could not extricate
himself, and was theer burled by fresh
avalanches from the precipice and by
the nccumlation of sediment from the
Btream and frozen up for preserva
tion.
The fresh condition of these skele
tons in. Siberia and Alaska, together
with the occurrence of skeletons in
connection with flint Implements
gives evidence that the animal con
tlnued to survive after the advent of
man, bo as to be for some time a con
temnorary of the human race on
both continents, points to the recent
extinction of the animal, and rnises
the very Interesting question as to
what causes could have led to this
result
Evidence that man and the mam
moth were for a considerable time
contemporaries comes from various
quarters. In Siberia twelve feet be
low the surface of a cliff which stands
13G feet above the present level of
the River Obi, a skeleton of a mam
moth was found, associated with nu
merous flint implements, indicatin
the presence of man, while the larg
bones of the animal were split in the
usual way of savages for extracting
the marrow.
In numerous places In Europe the
bonos of the animal have been found
both in the river gravel and In caves
associated in a similar manner with
flint implements, while the picture of
the mammoth carved upon a piece ol
ivory In prehistoric times found in a
cavo pf La Madeleine, Perigord
France, Is so lifelike that it must
have been made by one who was
familiar with the animal. In Wis
consin one of the mounds of the
mound builders so perfectly repre
sents the elephant that it is hardly
possible to doubt the familiarity ol
the builders with this animal.
A CLLnZK T - &AYA RP DIWGIhiLt
Indiarf Boy Kills Seven Wolf Cubs.
A lucky little Indian boy, 14 years
old, killed seven wolf cubs all In one
hole In the cleft of a rock on near Is
land, Lnke Temagaml. There is a
bounty of $15 per head on these an
imals.
Mr. Harry Woods, the genial fac
tor of the Hudson's bay company, in
nn Interesting letter to Mr. Parkinson
relates the Incident. He writes that
the necessary affidavits were sent on
to Ottawa and tho boy hns received
a check from the department for $103
Only recently a man out for a walk
near Fort William killed live little
wolves and got a $75 bounty. Snrnls
Canudlun.
White Races Conquer Leprosy.
The , main losHon of leproay Is some
what philosophic. All Europe for cfli
turles was covered with It, but the
quick, strong, reactive blood of thf
whlto race strangled the germs ol
death, so it la doubtful If whites could
ever bo peRtered much again. Yellow
races, of slower, weaker blood, urt
RtlU slowly stewing with it.
Will the Grande Semalne Aeronau-
tlque de la Champaguo fixed for Aug
ust 22 to 29 ba a success or n nascoi
That question U belug hotly delated
In England and other countries by all
who take an interest In aerial loco
motion. It Is evident that the success
of the great event must depend very
argely on the condition of tho at
mosphere. Unless another marked Im
provement la made in tlylng-niachlnes
within the next two months, enabling
them to live in a much stronger breeze
than they can face at the present mo
ment, a windy week would prove dis
astrous to the enterprise. Every pru
dent aviator would keep his aeroplane
boxed up in lta shed rather than run
the risk of having it wrecked. No
doubt the prizes are tempting. For
the Grand Prix de la Chnmpagno et
do la Vllle de Rhelms (the longdis
tance competition) there are six, of
which the first Is $10,000, the second,
$5,000; the third, $2,000, and the three
others $1,000 each; but to make it
worth whilo to attempt to gain any
one of them by remaining in the air
one, two, three or four hours, tho at-
mosphero must bo calm. For this
contest the or:1-' sizing committee has
left the competitors the choice, in
the order established by tho drawing
of lots, of the moment for their start
during the three days Sunday,
Wednesday and 'Friday, August 22,
25 and 27, between 9 a. m. and 5 p. m.
Hut It depends on the decision of the
controlling committee of the AerB
club of Franco whether more than
one aeroplane will be permitted In the
air over the ten-kilometer (six and one
fourth miles) circuit at the same time.
It Is all the more Important that, If
they are numerous, several competi
tors should be permitted to make their
trial together, because, though nora
Inally extended over threo whole
days, the time is In reality short.
To start on this enterprise with a rea
sonable chance of success the weath
er must not be blustery and the wind
not blowing wlih a velocity exceeding
25 kilometers (15J,i miles) an hour;
and there Is not more than one chance
In three that such a propitious condi
Hon of the atmosphere will prevail
during the wholo or even half of any
one of tho three days Indicated in
the program for the competition, or, at
any rate, between the hours of
a. m. and 5 p. m. That stipulation,
made with the object of enabling tho
paying public to return to Paris,
Rhelms, Chalons, etc., In good time
for dinner, must, militate against the
chances of the aviators to distinguish
themselves. The same remarks apply
with greater force to the regulations
of the Prix de Vitesse (the speed con
test) over 30 kilometers (19 miles),
for which tho start has to be made
either between 1 p. m. and 4 p. m.
on Monday, August 23. or between 1
p. m. and 3 p. in. on Sunday, August
29. It Is just between those hours
of tho day that there Is the least
chance of the atmosphere being calm.
t owever, the higher the speed of the
aeroplane the less effect the wind has
on It. The competition for tho special
record of the circuit (ten kilometers,
or six and one-fourth miles) Is nom
inally open drlng the wholo week,
the competitors being free to make
their trials nt any and every moment
between 9 a. m. and 6 p. ra. when
the circuit Is not otherwise occupied.
It Is probable that It will generally,
If not always, be otherwise occupied
when the atmosphere Is calm. Out
the aviators are granted the advan
tage of their time in covering the ten
kilometers In other competitions be
ing counted for this prize. As for tho
three other events on the program,
they are down for fixed days and
hours. The passenger-carrying com
petition is to come off on Monday,
August 23, between 4 p. m. and G
p. in., tho altitude contest is fixed
for 3 p. m. on Sunday, August 29, and
the Gordon Bennett Aviation cup, an
International speed competition over
20 kilometers (12 miles), Is to re
main open the whole of Saturday,
August 28, till 5 p. m. After what has
been already said, It la needless., to
Insist on the possibility, If not the
probability, of the condition of the
atmosphere Interfering with the buc
cess of these competitions.
There are in tho regulations a few
other stipulations which are open to
criticism. For Instance, In the passenger-carrying
trials each passenger
must weight at least 63 kilogrammes
(143 pounds), which is not excessive;
but tho pilot Is not to be permitted
to substitute ballast for living freight.
It seems unnecessary to impose on the
aviator tho necessity of risking any
other life than his own, especially
as very few of tho existing aeroplanes
are built to accommodate passengers,
though capable of carrying consider
able weight If propurly distributed
over tho machine so as not to Inter
fere with Its stability. Then to fix
tho nltltudo competition at exactly
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and perhaps dangerous enterprise.
There la another regulation which it
not moililied may militate against tho
success of the great aviation week.
Contrary to custom at most sporting
meetings, if only one competitor starts
to seek to win tho prize ho will get
none, and If two start It Is only the
first who will be rewarded, even it
there are half a dozen prizes at
tached to the event, as Is the case In
the long distance competition. In no
ense will the last man receive a prlo,
even it' being alone he is first with a
"fly over," or second, or third, etc.
And it may happen that the pilot on
starting will Imnglne he will be fol
lowed by a dozen others. lie may
achieve u great feat by remaining In
the air n very long time, beating all
records of time, distance and altitude,
yet if a strong breeze should then
Rp?lng up and prevent the other avia
tors from starting he would get noth
ing. It Is, however, true that tho
controlling committee Is empowered
by the regulations to permit, If It
thinks fit, tho simultaneous flight of
two or Beveral machines.
Then thero is the Gordon Dennett
cup, which Is tho great International
event of the week, though nil the
other competitions are open to avia
tors of every country without excep
tion. In this case there Is no restric
tion concerning the payment of tho
money prizo of $5,000 to tho success
ful pilot, even if he should have a
"lly over," or concerning tho award
ing of the cup to his club; but the
chances of all tho competitors being
equally favored by the state of the at
mosphere are very small. The chain
plons of the various nations, nnd there
are three English, three French, three
Italian, one American and one Aus
trian, are to start one after tho other
in tho order of their lots. In the case
of all the 11 champions presenting
themselves, and of only one being per
milted in the ulr at a time, tho com
petition would last at least five and
one half hours, because it Is not ex
cessive to allow half an hour for tho
start and the flight of 12 miles. It
Is therefore probable that several
champions will be permitted to be in
the nir at the same time, especially as
It Is extremely rare that there are
live and one-half hours In a day, be
twien 9 i. m. and 5 p. m., during
which tho atmosphere 13 sufficiently
calm to permit of successful aeroplane
(lights.
Exact Copy of Wrapper.
TXI OINTAHa OHMN. ( TORI OITT.
wi.wwijrTiiwny'u
w iini'i
m iimh'-..m - tin -r y-A-'-.. VVl J
Widow to Widowers.
Mr. Robert Marshall, a well-known
London police court missionary, re
cently received the following letter:
"Dear Sir: Heading of you some
times in newspapers, 1 take tho liberty
of asking if you know off a very re
speckable man wlshen to get married
again. I have benn a widow for years
now and am nil alone In the world.
Trusting to your honor nnd remaining
yours respeckable, Mrs. , middle
age."
Rare Combinations.-
"The time, the place and the girl.
How seldom we see them together!"
"And another raro combination Is
the man, the scheme and the coin."
A CKKTAIN MKTIIOIJ
ffimirlntfriMiuii. (1iiirrh'u mill ilM-nti-ry Ifthruslnff
i'nlnkilli-r (IVrrj Ktivls'l. Thin morlirliio ha n mi
mmiiU llio reputation lorovvr TUyi-ura.-iK.-. Sitaiiil jOc.
Silence Is Indeed golden to those
who are paid to keep quiet.
Lcwih' Simile P.milrr Kivestliemnoltpr what
he wanU, a rich, mcllow-tanling cigar.
People who admire us are always
pleasant company.
3 p. m, v Sunday, August 29, Is al- J
Flower Clocks.
"With a littlo time nnd labor, it
would bo possible to construct a gar
den whose flowers would combine to
make a first rate clock," said the
botanist.
"It Is 5 a. m. when the bow thistle
opens," he continued. "It Is 6:30
when the dandelion opens. It Is 7
when the whlto lily opens. It Is 8
when tho hawkweed opens.
At 11:12 a.m. the x sow thistle
closes. At noon precisely the yollow
goat's beard closes. At 2 p. m. tho
hawkweed closes. At G the whlto lily
closes. The dandelion., closes nt 8
slini'i). Since Pliny's tlmo forty-six
flowers havo been known to open nnd
bhut with great punctuality at certain
hours of tho day and night."
W. N. U., OMAHA, NO. 32-1909.
Amateurish.
tho first girl
"Am I
kissed?"
"You are I swear It!"
"I uccept your apology.'
you ever
Immigrants Into United States.
The total number of Immigrants
coining Into tho United States since
1820, the year of earliest record, ex
ceeds 26,000,000.
Duty of the Biographer.
A life that Is worth writing at all Is
worth writing minutely and truthfully.
Longfellow.
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