[Letterhead: Cottage Hotel, Vernal, Utah]



Aug. 24, 1911

Dr. Wm. J. Holland

Carnegie Museum

Pittsburg, Pa.



My dear Dr. Holland:-

I recd a letter from you a few days ago in which you made anxious inquiries about our Dinosaur skeletons.

I must first, however, relieve your anxiety about Mr. Peterson. He suffered excruciating agony until we got the doctor there. Morphine was the one thing needful and with him it almost had to be administered hypodermically. In two or three days he was mending very rapidly and is now getting along nicely.

The fore limb of No. 1 which lay in front of No. 40 has proven to be complete, that is we think all the toes are present and most of them nearly in place. Scapula & Coracoid, Humerus, Radius & Ulna, Carpals, Metacarpals & phalanges were practically articulated. We design to take up Radius Ulna & foot in block in exact position found. I think it will throw light on natural position of foot. I do not mean of course, that every toe bone is in the exact position of life.

We have traced neck of No. 40 either to 3rd Cervical or axis. It is running in splendid rock, and our hopes are high. There is probably in one or two places a little displacement of cervical but not so as to materially lengthen or shorten series.

This is not a scientific paper and intended for publication but its just a guess for fun and between you, No. 40, and I. But there is one thing that looks mighty good to my own private personal mentality -- the neck of No. 40 like everything else in the quarry which is unanchored had a tendency to take an eastward direction and was flexed downward with relation to the body of the animal. Well when we get down to about the 9th or 10th cervical from the body -- when we get to the small vertebrae near where the head ought to be, and to the vertebrae which ought to point straight east with the current -- what do they do? They turn straight downward. I[t] looks as if they struck a snag or else something heavier was attached and dragged. What in the duce could it be. There is one guess. There is a current theory that Brontosaurs, like some other Dinosaurs had heads. Following out Hay's reasoning they did have heads for Dinosaurs were reptiles and reptiles have heads -- normally.

Now if this should prove true and [sketch] the head has kept the fore neck from taking the usual east and west position just say Douglass was a shrewd observer and reasoner. If not say it was only a wild guess and don't say anything. We must be charitable, see.

No, I did not mean to tell you that I had seen anterior cervicals and head but that that must still be dug out to make skeleton complete &c.

Well we ought to know any day now and I would not be surprised, to find, when I return to camp that the problem were solved whether the head is in place or not. We can't help feeling somewhat disappointed if it is not there in place but it is what we might well expect when large necks are severed from bodies. And then hope would not be lost for skull might have been detached when neck was in position or at any place from there to where atlas now lies. It might have even rolled on further [sketch].

Will keep you informed.



In haste E. Douglass