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TIIE OMAHA SUNDAY BEE: SEPTEMBER 24. 1911.
WORMS MILLION YEARS OLD
Washington Scientist Finds Thcra in
British Columbia Bocks.
LIKE TADPOLES iy APPEARANCE
i
Very row tit tin- Actunl Animal
Have Hern Uitrnrrrcil anil the
Latest l'lnd la nn lm
. portaat One.
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Dr Charle D. Wolcrtt, secretary cl
the Smithsonian institution at Washing
ton. 1 t!ie author of a recently published
paper on the loss1.! worms of British
Columbia, based upon tpeclmena collected
during Investigations commenced In that
part of Canada years ago. The paper It
entitled 'Middle Cambrian Annelids"
which in plain English means the worms
of both tlie earth and sea from one of
the oldest periods of geologic time. Noi
all worms resemble the plain homely
angle worm or 'lain worm," but many
of them living in the sea are covered with
long and beautiful Iridescent hairs, some
with scales like fUhes and still others
live, concealed In tubes from which pro
trude long frills of brilliantly . colored
tentacles.
Wlille the average reader may Imagine
worms not especially useful except as
aid to Uie gardener In loosening the soil,
aa bait for the disciples of Isaac Walton,
or to enable the early bird to break hla
fast; In geology they have an Important
part and enable tne scientific student to
estimate time and to" study the condi
tions of ltfe In tho past ages. In the
paper. Dr. Wolcott maiies his first report
on the annelids of yjritlsh Columbia. Aa
a rule, these worms , have been known
only by their trails and borings In tha
mud and sand deposits In the various
periods of geologic time. Very few of
the actual animals have ever been pre
served the most noted discoveries being
those in Bavaria and Monte Bolca. In
fact. Dr. Wolcott searched for several
year for such fossils In the shales of
British Columbia, but not one of these
animals, was found until the summer of
1310, when lie came across them In the
form of mudstone called by geologists
Burgess shale. These worms and other
fossils are pressed flat so that the animal
la represented by only a thin film which
la fortunatoly darker than the suale or
rock, and being unusually shiny Is thus
distinguishable. Even the fine details of
structure are shown and often the con
tents of these animals appears as a glis
tening allvery substance.
Despite the fact that these animals
are all worms or leeches, the forms vary
greatly; some are truly wornr-Uke, with
varying wings or segments, other have
nearly the appearance of tadpoles ' with
heads, tails and fins, some have a tubular
construction and tentacles; while others
with feathery spines or scale a exposed
In the rocks, present the petal-like ap
pearance of a chrysanthemum. The dif
ferent forms of the annelids as well as
their external and Internal characteris
tic are clearly shown by six plates made
from photographs of the actual fossils
taken by a system of reflected light. The
description Includes several new families
and genera, together with eighteen new
species, covering a most exhaustive list
of specimens taken from points along the
Canadian Pacific railroad, near Burgess
pass and Field. British Columbia. Nearly
all the specimens come from the Burgess
ahaJe, 3.800 feet above Field, or about
7,600 above sea level.
Dr. W'olcott's researches relate to
paleontology, which i the historical
bianch of geology and covers the collec
tion and study of animal and plant
fuund fossilised In rock. The object of
this science is to unfold th past history
of our world a It is thus revealed to u
by the remains of ancient ltfe Imbedded
In the layers of the earth crust. Dr.
Wolcott shows a new point bf view 1
opened by the study of the annelids or
fossil worms; the. fact that from one lo
cality eleven genera belonging to widely
different families were found, indicates
that the fundamental characteristic of
!t the classes were developed prior to the
middle Cambrian period, which la the old
est in the paleoiolc era. and 1 known to
scientists as the age of Invertebrate.
It Is absurd to venture a statement of
the age of these animal, but knowing
that they belonged to the middle Cam
brian period, we can estimate an age of
many million years a 'great ae for any
specimen but nature has preserved them
so well that biologists are now able to
compare them with the llf prevailing
today.
In the annelid paper the clentlflo
names, descriptions and life historic, of
these ancient worms are given, an thoe
Interested In such a technical treatise
will find much desirable Information In
this pamphlet, which Is publication No.
:14 of the Smithsonian miscellaneous
collections.
SEE THE MAN IN THE CAB
He Rale Power that MoTti tne
Train, and HI Responsibility
1 Great.
When you saw him last he was sitting
quietly In his seat back of the big boiler
watching tha crowd hurry down the plat
form to business and friend a strong
unromantlc figure in oily overall. PTob.
ably you did not give him a second
glance, but a few minutes since he had
held your, life and hundred of other
live literally In hi hand.
' Engine driving makes automobile driv
ing mere play. If you are able to buy,
or borrow money enough to buy an auto
mobile you may have the Joy of facing
death wherever you may choose and the
policeman Is not watching, but you are
mercifully prevented frem letting many
other share your fate. The engineer ha
no such limitations. Ha Is at the mercy
ef' mankind, nature, and his time-card,
but a trainload of people Is the stake for
which he plays. Of himself he cannot
think. Face to face with the lnevltable
nnes of the next moment. If dluster
come through another' carelessness, he
must be the first to Buffer. If he himself
rrs, there Is no one to share the blame.
He Is the incarnation of responsibility
that can neither be shared nor shifted.
Tou will find the man In the cab
throughout the world. He stands face to
face with responsibility, sometimes gain.
In2 honor or wealth, but always at the
cost of bejng master of the lives of oth
ers. It is a lonesome Job, this being the
men In the cab. Lensomeness "l part of
the cost of power. The higher you climb
the less you can hop for companion
ship. The heavier and the more Immedi
ate the responsibility, the less can a
mn delegate hla tasks or escape the
tragedies of nl own mistakes. The pri
vate loliller cn always hare in vic
tories, but the commanding officer alone
Lear the weight of defeat.
Th average man seldom thinks of the
load which power brines. The captain of
Industry, on whose foresight and energy.
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You men who are stifling yourselves in the congested, tearing-downhealth city
9
s! tSi
mi
This is the country y6u want to bring your children up in. It's the place where
bodies grow strong and healthy; where mindsfind peace; where there is every chance
for a thorough schooling and every opportunity, for you and your children to get the
greatest good things out of life.
In every western state there are communities in which a
five acre farm, intelligently cultivated, will give you a
comfortable living. , It is the purpose of the Omaha
Land Show to tell you where this land is, how it can be
secured, and how it can be farmed in that way which will
give you prosperity and assure your established future.
Come to the Land Show and learn how to get hack
to nature, where health and happiness await you
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prosperity and livelihood of thousand of
families depend; the political leader who
must bear the brunt of defeat which
others have caused; the employer who
can share his success with many, but
who mutt face bankruptcy alone these
are no mere children of cood fortune.
t A v.,.tu Incident o Uf? ltJLta lb tta la Ui cabj uey kUnd, facejuiaj uie ji " leftm " M ft"CU .
to face with responsibility, hardened with
the fate of many, but expecting help
from none.
The next time you look up from your
novel to complain that the train Is lat.
remember the man In the cab. Train do
not run themselves. It 1 a human life
safely through pac. And th next time
you envy th man of power and position
think of th loneliness of his responsi
bility, th friendliness of hi success.
nd th risk he faces while you, and
those like you are at ease.
If leadership seems easy, just try being
Potato Hill Philosophy.
A woman who would much rather be a
man can't hope to give much satisfaction
either as a man or as a woman.
When visitors can't say a baby is
handsome they say It has a fine head,
and this compliment Is puid whether the
hfad If perfect or of the shape, of u
gourd
best .neighborhood In the world, which
would indicate that the people are pretty
decent everywhere.
' Ever occur to you that the pompous
fools who talk so much about the sin of
divorce should talk more about septl
caemiea poisoning? A lot et that goes on
Your bad habits are exaggerated; an
other, reason for having as few a pos
sible. If you are seen coming out of a
aw you coming out twenty times.
Every little while we hear that a new
devil ha appeared to pester men. But It
1 always the same old devil. And the
devil I not so hard to handle as Is gen
erally believed. He has nothing to ofter
you that pays aa well as behaving your
self. And I believe the devil admire a
min who has sense enough to bat fully.
