Show 0 SKELETON MAEKET UNCLE SAM IS THE CHAMPION BONE COLLECTOR OF THE WORLD Specimens From the Lowest Fishes to the Human Species Found In the XationaJ Jilaseum Bones Used as Fertilizers afar ket Value of Skeletons Funk islandthat is a part of it has been reproduced for exhibition at the National museum at Washington It was on that lonely rock 32 miles off tho coast of Newfoundland that the now extinct great auk had its principal roust Fifty years ago the last individual of tho species perished It is represented now by a skeleton worth 600 standing stand-ing by a heap of bird remains such as chiefly compose the surface soil of Funk island while alongside is an egg of the fowl valued at 1500 together with the inner skin of another egg Tho National Na-tional museum possesses nearly all of the great auk bones in existence They are tho most costly bones in the world The finest collection of skeletons in the world is also stored at the National museum They run upward from the lowest fishes through tho reptiles and birds to man Human bones are much cheaper than those of many other animals ani-mals One can buy a nicely articulated skeleton of a man for 840 or of a woman for 50sex makes some difference in tho pricewhereas the skeleton of a gorilla costs 300 of a whale 150 of an elephant 400 of a lion 75 of a horso 70 of a cat 12 and of a python 75The The bones of a human being are nearly near-ly onequarter water during the life of tho individual They are chiefly composed com-posed of phosphate of lime but contain a good deal of animal matter and other elements In the skeleton of a man are nearly four pounds of tho metal calcium cal-cium which is many times more valuable valu-able than gold being worth 300 an ounce Thus in the osseous framework of the average tramp may bo found material ma-terial with a market valuo of about 18000 if it could bo separated It is only in bones that phosphate of limo is found in anything like a puro state Everybody knows tho value of that material as a fertilizer but it is only recently that human skeletons have been imported into this country to grow crops with Not long ago a shipment ship-ment was made from Mexico to the United States of 10 carloads of human bones said to have been obtained from ancient mounds in southern Mexico but more probably gathered from various vari-ous old and abandoned cemeteries As these remains were fragments of unas borted skeletons it was estimated that 50000 individuals were represented in Mir Jet This would not be considered a novelty novel-ty in Europe Years ago English farmers farm-ers used human bones to some extent to fertilize their land The battlefield of Waterloo was for a time tho base of supplies sup-plies and this was supplemented by cargoes of mummies from Egypt ground to a fino powder In ancient Egyptian tombs are found great numbers of copper boxes opening at one end by a slide which contain mummies of cats hawks ibises and I now and then snakes and small croco diles Mummies are a recognized commercial com-mercial article in that country today For a long time locomotives were run between Cairo and Suez with no other fuel Corpses of royal personages 8000 years old and upward fetch high prices A year ago the Austrian bark Vila was deserted by her crew Later she was picked up as a derelict off Capo Batteras Her cargo was found to consist con-sist in large part of bones and of these onefourth were human The rest was composed mainly of the bones of horses and cattle Cn one corner of her hold was a great heap of human skulls Nobody No-body knows to this day why the crew deserted the vessel in midocean She was worth 40000 including her freight Tho bones had been collected in deserts and cemeteries of Egypt The preparation of human skeletons for market mar-ket is quite an industry The chief enter en-ter for this branch of commercial jctiv ity is Paris where three concerns aro engaged in the business on a considerable scale They obtain the requisite supplies of raw material in the shape of bodies from public institutions most of them being those of paupers and criminals In the United States the existing laws would not permit the establishment of a factory for bleaching aud preparing human skeletons The only sort of rikeleton produced here is of the family type which is kept in the closet To supply tho demand in this country about 1500 skeletons are imported annually an-nually This reckoning does not include minor parts such as skulls and thighbones thigh-bones These are in great request by secret se-cret societies being absolutely indispensable indis-pensable for initiatory ceremonies One may purchase a cranium and crossbones for only 10 But if you want something some-thing really fancy in the way of a skull you must pay 40 It is worth the money however being beautifully disarticulated dis-articulated so that each particular bone may bo studied separately including even the little bones of the ear You can buy a very good skeleton complete for 40 A plain skull costs only 6 By students of obstetrics there is a ppecial demand for the pelvis whch conies at 7 Clubs organized to defy superstitious beliefs affect the use of skulls for drinking cups and young men who aro studying for the medical profession indulge a ghastly humor by employing similar receptacles to hold tobacco The demand for human bones always exceeds the supplyNew York World |