The Frostburg spirit., November 06, 1913, Image 8

About The Frostburg spirit. (Frostburg, Md.) 1913-1915

Image provided by: University of Maryland, College Park, MD

                
FOUR-FOOT UZARD
EXCITES CUMBERLAND
Tropical Creature is Let Loose
by Blast at Kilns of the Old
Cement Mill.
A -reptile four feet long-, supposedly
of the iguana family and known only
,in the* tropics, was unearthed by a
blast Saturday at the old cement mill
kilns in this city, The rock formation
in the hillside in which the kilns had
been set was being removed. The
reptile was alive, but soon expired
from the effects of the blast. How it
came here and how long it was in the
rocks is problematical. It measures
one foot, five inches across the hind
legs when stretched their full length.
The find caused much excitement and
hundreds of people viewed the reptile,
which is being treated with formalde
hyde in the hopes of preserving it.
Raymond Armbruster, who is con
ducting the governmentresearch work
here-forthe Smithsonian Institution,
and Edward Harris, a botanist, were
called to the-scene. They pronounc
ed the reptile a tree - lizard whose
habitat is tropical America. Some of
of the cement kilns blasted out were
erected as far back as 1838, and the
others many years afterwards. Noth
ing like it has ever been seen in this
locality, and it is likely that it had
been hidden in the crevice of the
for many years. It came to the sur
face wh-en solid earth and rock were
removed.
The iguana was turned over to Ed
ward Harris, Sr., and during the af
ternoon and evening, yesterday, the
Harris home was besieged by persons
who desired to view the body. It is'
rather a terrifying-looking creature,
the kind that is pictured in the mind
of an individual who might have the
mania-potu. However, it is harmless.
There is much conjecture as to how
it reached Cumberland." One theory
is that it got in with a carload of South
American hides. The Wills Creek
tannery is.near the place the reptile
was discovered. Another is that it
was let loose from a carload of bana
nas, while still others think that it
may have escaped from a show pass
ing through,
The reptile has a lizardlike form
and a long tail. The tongue is thick,
flesh}', not extensile, and is notched
at the tip. They have rows of small
teeth on the palate, and their jaw
teeth are remarkable both for their
form and for their mode of insertion,
not being- lodged in different pockets,
but fixed in a kind of furrow along
the internal face of the jaw-bone, ad
hering by one side of the bony sur
face of the root. The food of the
iguana consists chiefly of leaves and
fruit. They are all natives of warm
climates. The back exhibits a row of
elevated, compressed, pointed scales
along its whole length, continued to
the extremity of the tail; while under
the throat is a great dewlaplike
pouch. The feet have long toes, not
webbed, with sharp claws, well adapt
ed for climbing trees, while the com
pressed tail is an organ of progres
sion used in swimming. The reptile
lives mostly among trees. It attains
a length of four or five feet. It is of
greenish-yellow color, mottled with
green, the tail ringed with brown. It
is esteemed as a delicate article of
food, and is used by all classes of peo
ple. It is Often caught by the means
of a noose thrown over its head; dogs 1
have also been trained to hunt it in
some of, the West India keys, Where it
has not opportunity of taking refuge
among trees, The eggs—about the
size of those of a pigeon, but with no
hard shell, and laid in the sand—are
eaten and are good food. The true
iguanas are all American Cumber
land News, Nov. 3rd.
More Information About the
Strange Reptile.
The Daily News in its issue of
Tuesday hands out some additional ,
information about the strange reptile
referred to in the foregoing para
graphs, and later information clears
up the mystery as to whence it came.
The story stirred up almost as
excitement in some quarters as the
Savage Mountain panther storj', “
to the Meyersdale
Republican, has verified by Mr.
Shocke} v , who says he saw the pan
ther. Mr. Shockey recently took an- ,
other man to the place where he saw
the panther, showed him the identical
spot where he saw the huge animal
crouching in the road, and the spot -
was still there, which, of course is all <
the proof that the most skeptical ,
should require, as such stories, like
many others, are supposed to be taken
largely on blind faith.
The Cumberland reptile story, how- <
ever, has been pretty badly spoiled by <
the following, which appeared in >
Tuesday’s Daily News: )
It was reported to a Daily News
man last nig'ht by M. B. Howard, a '
showman, that the mysterious “igu- \
ana” found on Sunday at the cement |
mill kilns was his property, it having i
died here about the first of October ,
while being shipped with other curios
of Howard’s from Ohio to the fairs 1
throughout Maryland and Pennsyl- i
Vania. He stated *that the animal had \
died and been kept on ice during his >
abseiled, and upon his arrival here re- i
cently he instructed one of his show
men to bury the animal, which was 1
done he claims, at the point it was j l
found. He further stated that he had
four of these same animals with his i
exhibit shows which he bought in j t
New York from an importer of animals I
and curios, and that the other three j '
died during the'year in Ohio, at dif-j
fereut points where he held shows, {
the last one dying here as stated. f
Howard has a number of freaks of j J
nature and odd-looking animals stored | /
in this city, and expects to hold a
store show.here during the holidays,
at which time he will exhibit all his
animals, . both alive stuffed.
Howard and his wife, who are visit
ing in this city, are high wire walkers
of some renown, and as a side line
run shows at fair and street carnivals.
He termed the iguana as being a
genuine “Chinese dragon,” which
grow to be from Bto 12 feet long, are
exceptionally ferocious and combative,
using their tails to strike their vic
tims dead.
When seen by the Daily News man
last night, Howard gave the forego
ing statement in regard to the finding
of the iguana on Sunday, showed
newspaper cuts and articles of the
wire act he and his wife perform at
different cities in the United States,
and to convince the reporter that he
handled uncanny and rep
tiles, took him back into a dark kitch
en, where he took from a large box a
real live six-foot python. At this
point the newspaper man “got his
story” and got out, without.delay.
The iguana is now being stuffed by
a taxidermist, and will bq[ retained by
Dr. Edward Harris.
Rare Treat at Frostburg Opera
House.
The Lyman H. Howe pictures shown
at the Frostburg Opera House, Mon
day night, were pronounced a rare
treat by all who saw them. The pic
tures were easily 'The most scenic
ever shown in Frostburg, and if they
ever come this way again, everybody
will go to see them and see that their
friends also go. The production was
a happy combination of the awe-in
spiring, comic and educational, and
no words can describe the great beauty
of the land, water and fire scenes, nor
the thrills they produced. The comic
portion of the production was inde
scribably funny, and like the other
features, in a class by itself, and the
class the highest in its line.
Be a Booster, not a knocker. Sub
scribe for your home paper. tf.
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G. E. PEARCE DRUG CO. $
Stale News la Daily Papers.
It isthejoroud boast of daily news
papers that they alone furnish news
while it is news, but such is far from
being the case. Many are the times
when they are away behind the week
ly newspapers in publishing the news.
Here is a case in point:? ,
Three weeks ago The Spirit pub
lished an item stating that Nelson J.
Folk, of Garrett county, would be
come a citizen of Frostburg at an
early date, giving full particulars of
Mr. Folk’s intentions, etc. The week
following, The .Spirit’s item was re
printed in the Oakland Republican,
but without credit, and this week it
appeared in two Cumberland daily
papers, credited to the Oakland pa,per
which had swiped it bodily from The
Frostburg Spirit. That is publishing
news while it is as fresh as a stale
egg that was stolen in mistake for a
good one.
Western Maryland Lines
Effective Nov, 1,1913
TRUNK LINE
INTERCHANGEABLE
MILEAGE TICKETS
Good Over Important
TDastern Roads.
Will be honored over Western
Maryland and also over
P. & E. E. Lines
to and from
PITTSBURGH.
On sale at
Principal Stations.
> vTHE FROSTBURG SPIRIT, FROSTBURG, MD
i The First National Bank t
4 y
FROSTBURG, MD. C
Capital and Surplus - - - - $125,000.00
Assets (over) - $1,350,000.00
4 INTEREST PAID ON SAVINGS ACCOUNTS \
i Depository of the United States y
Depository of the State of Maryland
HS Officers Directors W
ROBERDEAU ANNAN - - President Henderson Duncan Sinclair
W$ OLIN BEALL Cashier Timothy Griffith Daniel Annan \
iff Roberdeau Annan 11 jf
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