Cherokee Phoenix

Extraordinary Animal Remains. Soem two or three years ago, the newpapers from the south west announc

Published August, 5, 1829

Page 2 Column 2b

Extraordinary Animal Remains. Soem two or three years ago, the newpapers from the south west announced the discovery, in the valley of the Mississippi, of the remains of some hugh animal, such as eye had never seen, nor ear heard of, and in comparison of which, even the Mammoth must have been but a pretty small concern. The story was altogether too great for belief. But still it was true, as we had ocular demonstration yesterday -- a gentlemen having requested us to examine some of the bones, now exhibiting at No. 330 Roadway, a few doors above the Masonic Hall. The largest is one side of an under jaw-bone, which is 20 feet long, by three feet wide, and weighs 1200 pounds. There are a variety of other bones, including ten or fifteen feet of the vertebrae, of back-bone, which is sixteen inches in diameter, and the passage for the spinal marrow, nine by six inches. The ribs are nine feet long, and the other bones in proportion. As to the size of the animal which has left such extraordinary remains of its physical structure, we are not sufficiently skilled in Osteology to determine. It must, however, have been of a magnitude of which we can scarely form a conception; and in a zoological point of view, it is much to be regretted that the whole skeleton was not extracted from the earth, in which it must have been for so many thousand years embedded. But the labor of desembowelling the bones now here, was herculean, as they were buried seventeen feet below the surface of the earth; and the water made upon the excavators so fast, that a steam engine must have been procured to discharge it. The discovery was owing to one of the bones protruding above the earth. Until, the discovery of these bones, those of the Mammoth were the largest of any land animal of which the relics remain. The tradition of the Indians respecting the mammoth, as related by by Mr. Jefferson, is well known. 'In ancient times' said the Deleware Chief to the Governor of Virginia, 'a herd of these tremendous animals came to the Big-bone licks, and began a universal destruction of bears, deers, elks, buffaloes, and other animals which had been created for the use of the Indians. The Great Man above, looking down and seeing this, was to enraged, that he sized his lightning, descended on earth, seated himself on a neighboring mountain, on a rock which has seat and the print of this feet are still to be seen and hurled his bolts among them till the whole were slaughtered, except the big bull, who, presenting his forehead to the shafts, shook them off as they fell, but missing one at length, it wounded him in the side, whereon springing round, he bounded over the Ohio, over the Wabash, the Illinois, and finally over the Great Lakes, where he is living at this day.' It was probably the Indians 'big bull' who left the hugh bones which we have been attempting to describe, and which the curious will find it worth while to go and examine.

N.Y. Com. Adv.