FIRST HOME OF MANKIND

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, 30 September 1927, Page 7

FIRST HOME OF MANKIND

CLAIMS OF AMERICA. FOUR MILLION YEARS AGO Denver, Sept. 12. Evidence that the most ancient man yet discovered in the world lived in what is now North America in a virtual Carden of Eden 4,000,000 years ago has been uncovered by Dr. Harold J. Cook, celebrated Denver paleontologist.

In view of the belief held by scientists lor years that America was devoid of remains ol prehistoric man, Or. Look s discoveries are lookeu upon as the most important ever made by archeologists on this continent.

Some two million years before the lee age enveloped the northern hemisphere in a mantle ol continuous snow ana ice—and that was i,2uU,OW years ago—(.l northern United States, Canada and Alaska was a veritable paradise, it was shown by lossils uncovered by Dr. Cook and his associates num Hie Colorado Museum 01 .Natural History in Denver. Palm trees grew in Alaska which at that time was not separated Horn Asia by water as it is now. The whole area was a riot of luxuriant tropical plants, a fantasy of strange beasts, there were awe-inspiring mammoths weighing many tons, cats the size of cattle, dogs larger than horses, huge salamanders, the giant rhinocerosis, elephants, camels and all manner of tropical birds- One skull was found of a weird beast which had a head four feet long and a Ui;ain not larger than two hen’s eggs. Six horns, in pairs projected from the skull. Amidst all this tropical profusion man ‘ lived and apparently prospered.

So certain are scientists that man did live in America at that time that the “first American man’’ recently was named Hesperopithecus Haroldcookii, “the ape man of the west found by Harold Cook."

Dr. Cook’s discovery of evidence and remains of man was made at Agate Springs, Nebraska, apparently the centre of life in America during the quarternary century. Deep down in a quarry, rods and rods of fossilised prehistoric animal bones were found. Among them, Dr. ' Cook came upon none implements obviously fashioned by human liana. The most important discovery, however, was a tooth, the charactertistic of which showed it to be even more human tnan that of the pithecanthropus age man discovered in Java.

because ol its association with the prehistoric animal bones and with the fossilised tools, scientists believe that the tooth belonged at one time to a man living ages ago, so far back in fact that in comparison to him the American Indians were the veriest newcomers and Columbus was a mere intruder- it is but a matter of time, Dr. Cook believes, until much more complete remains of the Hesperopithecus Haroldcookn will be found So far, Dr. Cook said, deposits of prebistoric remains 111 Aemasi-m. Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, New Mexico and California have only been scratched. But the mere scratching has disgorged a stupendous amount of evidence, most of which has been mounted in American museums. Fifty thousand horses’ teeth, presupposing the existence of ten qt thousands of horses in the immediate area, for instance, were found personally by Dr, Cook at the Agate Springs quarry in Western Nebraska.

Similar remains were found in Northern Colqxado, Tillman County, Oklahoma, and in Union County, New Mexico.