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Show 2A Sun Advocate, Price, Utah Tuesday, October 4, 1988 From mastodon to mammoth- BySTEVE CHRISTENSEN Managing editor When backhoe operator Chris Nielson scooped up the femur of an ancient elephant at Huntington Reservoir on Aug. 8, he had no idea of the significance of his find. However, realizing he had found something important, Nielson stopped working in the immediate area and called authorities. State Paleontolgist David Gillette was notified early in the morning on the day In Loving Memory f TONY SILVAGNI He died Oct . 5, 1987 We will always remember you Clara Silvagni and Family : s L!CLIP& SAVE CABLE CHANNEL 14 "Your Local Information Station a HOURLY SCHEDULE FEATURE MINUTES PAST HOUR Something New EVERY DAY on Cable Channel 14 CLI P & SAVE following once-in-a-lifetim- the discovery. He and colleagues were at Huntington Reservoir by early afternoon. Gillette said upon reaching site he immediately declared the find mastodon," because of the elevation of the Huntington Reservoir. Asking Nielson for help, Gillette asked a scoop of material be skimmed from the area near the place the femur was found. Immediate paydirt the scoop unearthed the skull. The second scoop, several feet away, turned up another bone. At this point Gillette knew they had a major find on their hands. Reinforcements were sent for and the excavation process was underway. Workers left the site Aug. 9 still believing the find was a mastodon. Not until Aug. 10 did Gillette realize his mistake. After uncovering the skull and looking at the teeth Gillette said Skeleton (Continued from Page 1A) plastic to allow a small amount of air to enter. The drying process is expected to take at least six months. The problem, Gillette explains, is a tendency for the bones to crack and for the thin bones, such as ribs, to turn to pretzels. It is hoped that by allowing the bones to dry over a period of months the problems can be minimized. Once the drying process is complete attention can then turn to making molds. The process is to apply thin coats of a rubber material in a soaked condition. By applying several coats it will eventually be possible to peel the rubber off, leaving a perfect mold, Gillette said. Gillette said he has been involved in this type of endeavor before, and offered his services American Red Cross experience e qualified was allowed to par- he was shocked to find it to be a mammoth." At 9,000 feet in elevation, it was far higher in ticipate excavation The once-in-a-lifeti- experience. mountains than any previous mammoth discovery. The highest prior to the Huntington Reservoir mammoth the was 7,200 feet in the The discovery will have ramification for many years to come, as scientists continue to learn from materials found at the excavation site, Gillette said. No one really knows much about it at this point. A wood sample found near the mammoth was dated at 9,440 years old, but is probably more recent than the mammoths death. Mammoths are believed to have become extinct about 11,000 years ago. At this point Gillette said he believes this mammoth died 10,500 to 11,000 years ago. work proceeded quickly, in order to minimize inconvenience to the construction crew, who graciously worked around the project, Gillette said. The project took five days to complete and even though the workers hurried, Gillette said it couldnt have gone better. The key was cooperation by everyone involved. Almost fun to speculate, Gillette said. Perhaps this was the very last mammoth on earth and lived long after all other and mammoths were gone of its now we have possession remains. Of course, Gillette Its immediately a plan was devised and everyone set about accomplishing the work. Approximately 4,500 people visited the site while the excavation was in progress, Gillette said. Everyone who was CEU to oversee the project to its conclusion. He said it is possible to make a replica that is so perfect it would take a scientist to tell the difference, and then perhaps only with a knife or a hammer. Cost of a mold will be about $15,000, Gillette said. Cost of a replica mammoth will run somewhere in the area of $35,000, but Gillette stressed that is a very rough guess at this point. He also suggested there might be money available to help communities with the project of reconstructing the Eventually, said District Ranger Ira Hatch, a decision will be made where the skeleton will be housed and a permanent loan will be made by the Forest Service to that This Lunch: yearss theme, 9-1-5 does not. We hope school districts across our state will take this opportunity to make the public aware of their school lunch program by inviting parents, school board members, the superintendent, mayor, legislators, media representatives and others to lunch. Debbie Olsen, specialist for Child Nutrition Programs, State Office of Education, explains 9-- School Harvest of emphasizes the vital Your Health, role of good nutrition in attaining and then sustaining physical fitness and health. Good nutrition is not only basic to physical fitness, said Winawer, but is also equally vital to successful learning. The student who eats properly is likely to be happier and achieve more in school than one who By ARVA SMITH Staff writer Inc. All rights Copyright 1988 Inc. No reserved. All property of be hereof part may reproduced without prior written consent. USPS 5263-800- 0 Published Every Tuesday and Inc. Thursday by the 74 W. Main, Price, Utah 84501. 2 Phone (801) 437-073- FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS E xt. 20 Phone Dan Stockburger, General Manager Steve Christensen, Editor Second Class Postage Paid at Price, Utah Post Office MCMlEftOFTHE Member of Utah Press Association and National Newspaper Association Subscription Rate: In Carbon and Emery counties, $2S per year, published twice weekly. In Utah, outside area, $27 per year. Out of state, $30. that the American School Food Service Association is offering three different official menus all of which are low in sodium. fa$ and calories. The Universal Menu to be served throughout the nation on Oct. 12, consists of deli turkey sandwich with green lettuce, potato wedges, calico fruit salad, autumn spice square, milk, or two other similar menus. Senator Hatch to the rescue An Sun Advocate The mammoth also had a serious case of arthritis. Some of its back vertebrae were actually fused together. Much more will be learned in the future as analysis continues. A major question yet to be answered is what kind of mammoth this is. It is not a wooly mammoth, Gillette said, and is probably a Colombian. There were four different subspecies. Gillette promised to keep the public apprised as more information becomes available. Petersen said that while the museum expansion will soon be underway, there is still time to make whatever adjustments might be necessary to meet all specifications. He said the museum already meets most of the criteria, including a very competent staff. He said scientists from around the world will be welcome in Price to study the mammoth. He also said the museum will make available space to allow replicas of the mammoth to be made and will help other areas get those replicas in place. jurisdiction over the skeleton and will continue to, forever. School lunch Students throughout Utah will join their counterparts all over America in celebrating National School Lunch Week Oct. according to H.H. Winawer, director of Child Nutrition Programs for the Utah State Office of Education. as mammoths go. Its teeth were worn badly and it was on its last set of teeth. Mammoths replaced their initial teeth twice during their lifetime. mammoth ( Continued from Page 1A) institution. Hatch said it is not his decision to make, but the feeling of Forest Service officials is that a discovery of this nature should remain as close to the place where it was found as logically possible. mammoth. said, that will never te known, Another thing the scieot&s have found through initial study, Gillette said, is that the mammoth was very old, as far involuntarily separated army couple expecting their first baby in December and a worried grandmother-to-b- e added up to a big problem until Senator Orrin Hatch came to the rescue. The story began when Scott Martin, who grew up in Salt Lake City, joined the U.S. Army three years ago. He was sent to Heidelberg, Germany. While stationed there he met and married Lee Raabe, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, also a member of the armed forces. He is a military policeman. She is a secretary. Their happiness turned to gloom in July when Scott was transferred back to the United States. He was stationed at Ft. Jackson, S.C. while Lee remained behind in Germany. Scott appealed to his mother Lonnie Cato, who with her husband Ray Cato, had moved to Carbon County. Cato said she did not know exactly where to go for help but wrote letters to the two senators and President Ronald Reagan. A representative of the president phoned and said they would look into the matter. Sen. Gam sent a letter asking for more information. But Sen. Hatch went to work, said Cato. Hatch went to the Pentagon and the result was that Lee Martin will be reunited with her husband within 60 days. We expect that she will be back in the United States this month because she will not be allowed to fly after the end of October because of the baby being due quite early in December, Cato said. Cato said she has been told it is the policy of the armed forces to keep married couples together but there apparently had been a slip-up. Come visit tho new Energy Von Are you tired of the high cost of electricity to heat your home and water? Come see the newest and most energy-efficiegas appliances. Get in on the special deals made when the Energy Van is in town! nt t rSave Up To 15 OFF on ill LP. and Natural Gas Appliances Eipirts 103111 Tr - Enter Our Save Up To Vi Price On Cylinder Fills With This Coupon 0 Uj el lie mil nlj Free Drawing "WE CARE" Name. Address . Phone 1 I Barbecue Grill Lantern 1 Pancake Grill Oct. 7 Price retrain Bulk riant Eaitaf rrice 437 0373 Oct. 10 Green River atyrift 544-347- 4 $ |