| Show EXPLAINS MAINS MONSTERS TRACKS ON ROOFS OF U UTAH A H r MINES OF An article appearing In the cur cur- current current rent Issue of or Natural n by Prof William pter- pter Peter con son lon director and geologIst or of o the Agricultural r Experiment station or of orthe the Utah Agricultural college Logan lah describes and at- at ac accounts counts fOr tor th the appearance of ot the ot of o prehistoric dinosaurs In inthe Inthe the tho roots roofs of or Utah coal mines Peterson says In part To To I view tp ler fhe h he pC gC p ancient Cretaceous Is not an en- en en entirely new c but to those tracks from beneath b neath Instead of from above Is ts somewhat of a 0 no noell ell This Is a privilege open to Interested In the ancient life lito of or the tho Cretaceous sea seas of OC Utah amid Colorado It 11 was as the tho writer writers s good fort fortune uno to spend three thrle sum sum- summers sum summers mers eners In tn a detailed survey and In- In inspection In o of the coal deposits of Utah While he was sas the underground workings of otman man of the mines attention aSS aa called to certain protUberances from the cool seam scam root roof A del deti- definite nite shape had been recognized In the case of some of these though most mot of them were spoken ot of as carbuncles heads and other similar terms In areas where there here the coal cOBI w was a low lov inese protuberances had to 10 DC oc rim rim- re removed moved od to give ghe room for the mine for tor some Of ot them pro pro- proJected projected pro projected as much S as a a foot toot below tie roof root ot of the coal roal seam soam In som places tho the projections ap- ap appear appear ap appear pear In groups while In OtherS other are afe solitary T LEIr l I IV MUD JUD Arter Inspecting bund hundreds eds of those these protuberances the a riter agrees with some ome of ot time the mine foremen and end superintendents superintendent that these peculiar formations up- up Undoubtedly un undoubtedly had hd their origin lIS as 11 aels ot or ancient monsters which or around the I border lorder of ot the the- the Cretaceous seas The tracks seem eem to have havo been made at nt a time when ben the peat accumulation I was as covered yo Ith itha Il a toot foot or mor more of mud The la laer er ero o of mud was aaa not nol sufficiently thick to support lIpport Live lh I weight eight of ot the tho nfl nfl- animal ani animal mal over Sr It t The Tho feet san through the he mud inches ee or 0 e even en u more 1 more than Ihan a 0 foot I at Into th the h soft sort bIding peat underneath Some mud pushed Into the peat as liS the tho ani- ani animal ani animal aal mal inal brought down Its weight and andas a as It 11 drew dref I out Its toot root the foot root footprint footprint print would be with lIh mutt mua from Crom above e As time lime went on na- na nature natures na nature's ture tures tures ture's dl distillation reduced the peat peatI I to coal coCi anti and the mud with peP peP-III its Ita track was vy s com ened Into solid fOP o In moat plo la tho coal I Is easily from the tie root roof lea leaving IlIg the shaped tack extending partially or w holly as a definite appendage tromP Crom the ceiling When hen the tIle coal Loat LoatIs Is completely complete removed remo the appear In arlous various In some eases caes the footprints footprint project onlY wa a through the tho loot loor and anti 1 0 ti others 1 01 others herl 1 they y so tar far that III t a clear space pace Is la shown hon between bel the portion porton of ot the trick b hi the toes And time root roof I 0 na 1 II l I Interesting 1 to note nole that far tar as ac a observed cd the tho largest treks track are the tho ones which protrude farthest from the tle rock root roof The materIal filling tilling the track arles aris slightly but hut Is for tor the time most pal t tan an shale shalo o or argillaceous tone ALO G PATHS The The animals seem oem to have walked for tor the tho most part parr along trails trolle or definite path paths It as as noted that some of or these those paths arp 20 or 30 feet In width ad the exposures e In many entries end and rooms of or the coal cOlli mines show then theft to be comparatively ely ly straight In alignment The tracks In lo the tM path paths are clearly outlined and only wh n none none one of the animals has tra traveled vel d independently docs does eVelY evem y become distinct In several places It has happened that an entry of the coal mine ha has J ll ap- ap ap approximately proximately the tho path of ot a Il single animal thus thua t exposing epping several p pf the tracks fo foi measurement and comparison Seven 03 pal lard are sho l shown n In the tho old pal pal- lard mine on the property of ot the Fuel ruel company on the Denver Denver Rio Glando railroad about eight miles north norh of Thompson Springs Spring These ar arp among the larges 01 o sets sen ed cd N SHIPPED In In a entry o of the tho thomine mine track tracks ot similar size sizo are found Cound and b c courtesy of ot the oll one of Qt these thes was taken down and end shipped to the time Geology museUm of ot the tho Utah tati at Logan The track lX eps lires tires 31 Inches between the d do o of the toe toes and 32 Inches from the he lIe heel to o the tile front of ot the middle toe too rear ear r ear the point or of the toes are aro from trum to S Inches In diameter ter and the toes are so pointed a as to Indicate at be presence of ot rather claws a the end of each ath toe too Dr Dr W V Y D 0 Matthews Malthe s of ot the thc I Am American Museum Interprets the I track as having ho Int been made by Iy y a member of o the tho family I of dinosaurs aur of or which the Tron- Tron is 11 tIme the largest known knon tYpe Ho Ito further describes de the tho as the climax pt mf e of the giant flesh eating flesh It I 1 t length o of 47 feet tet and In bulk must hilI hae ha e equalled the mammoth mastodon o oi the largest living 11 ii Ing elephants The Tho massive 0 hind l limbs limb support support- supportIng supporting I ing ng the whole hole weight ot or the bod exceeded the tho limbs of or the tho 11 ent In bulk anti and In a ai i standing position the animal anlin as astrom from 1 to 20 feet high as against ii 11 feet Ceet or so o for tor the largest African African can tan elephant or of the southern mammoth 1 the he head was as Coul out reet eel t three Inches long three four Inches deep and two t foot Inches wide bide I Ide The TIme long deep po jaws s are are re armed with from three to six inches long The front limbs I were s ere small anti were acre used only In capturing and gathering In jo food rite fhe breast breas bulk built of or the pod od 1011 slow alow mo movement an and that foo obtained from tb ahal- ahal shallow low v water sater ater Jt o f the fhe be late lale Cretaceous 50 oa |
