Abstract Introduction Basic Geology Orgin of the Iron Industry George Washington
American Revolution Mining Dinosaurs Tales From Today The Future Acknowledgements

Appendix C.— The Diary of J. B. Hatcher of the U.S. Geological Survey,
October, 1887 - January, 1888
(transcribed from a copy of the original handwritten diary)

October 1887
4 Left New Haven for Washington.
5 Spent the day in Washington, left for Long
[no entries in diary for October 6-13]
14 Returned to Washington.
15 Engaged boarding place and occupied room.
16 Sunday
17 Numerous teeth.
18 Numerous teeth, one gastropod in group of bivalves.
19 Numerous teeth of cetaceae and reptiles; several bivalves & one vertebra. [sic]
20 Rained all day.
21 Very muddy. Several teeth, pieces of skull, centrum or epiphysis of vertebra, fish vertebra, two shells.
22 Worked on piece of skull.
23 Sunday
24 Three vertebrae, one rib, several fragments of bones, many teeth, two bivalves.
25 Rained.
26 "
27 "
28 "
29 Very muddy.
30 Sunday
31 Many bones, teeth, shells, &c
November 1887
1 Many bones, teeth, shells, &c
2 Many bones, teeth, shells, &c
3 Many bones, teeth, shells, &c
4 Many bones, teeth, shells, &c
5 Many bones, teeth, shells, &c
6 Sunday
7 Spent the day packing.
8 Many bones, teeth, shells, &c
9 Many bones, teeth, shells, &c
10 Rained
11 Many bones, teeth, shells, &c
12 Went to see a new locality on the farm of Mr. Worthington, Good Hope. Spent the afternoon packing.
13 Sunday
14 Spent the day examining R.R. cut at Rive's Sta. Found two casts of shells.
15 Spent the day examining R.R. cut at Rive's Sta.
16 Examined new reservoir.
17 Went to Baltimore, Saw Prof. Uhler of Peabody Institute & learned from him what I could of fossil-bearing localities of the "Potomac." Visited brick yard at Balto. and Iron mines south of Hanover. Found nothing.
18 Among the iron mined about Hanover, Found a silicified section of stem of cycad or palm.
19 Rained
20 Sunday.
21 Went to Jessup's Cut on B&O R.R. Received from Dr. A. S. Linthicum one phalanx & fragments of some limb bone taken from iron ore bed on his place. Found nothing in the cut.
22 Went to Contees on B&O R.R. Received from Station Agent one phalanx which he said he took out of the iron ore beds, but it seems to be Quaternary. Bought of Mr. Joseph Miller one tibia and fibula? of some reptile. Visited all the mines in this locality and made inquiries around the miners.
23 Went to Muirkirk, found several pieces of bones in iron ore dumps on premises of C. E. Coffin.
24 Thanksgiving & rainy.
25 Rock cut of iron ore bank in the vicinity of Beltsville and Muirkirk with Mr. McGee.
26 Visited paint mines at Hanover & went to see Mr. Hobbs about a foot which it was said he had found, he had given it to Mr. Ellicot [sic] of Balto.
27 Sunday: Visited Piney Branch to look for stone implements. No success.
28 Rained & I interviewed Mr. McGee for advice as to how I should proceed. We tried without success to find Mr. Coffin's collections of fossil bone made from his iron ore beds at Muirkirk and presented to Smithsonian in or about 1874.
29 Several pieces of bones from iron ore beds at Muirkirk, one vertebra & patella nearly complete.
30 Went to Muirkirk to see Mr. Coffin, found he would be [away] from home until Saturday.
December 1887
1 In Washington.
2 Went to Aquia Cr. in Virginia to see quarries. There are plant impressions in abundance & I found the impression of the wings and carapax [sic] of some insect (beetle).
3 In Washington.
4 Sunday. Went out to Muirkirk to see Mr. Coffin about pulsometer.
5 Four vertebrae, piece of skull, tooth, many pieces of bones.
6 Started two men to diging [sic] in the old bank. One piece of skull with two teeth, one or two other small pieces of skulls, one vertebra & several pieces of bones.
7 Several vertebrae, phalanges & fragments of other bones.
8 Several vertebrae, pieces of skulls & fragments of other bones.
9 One small vertebrae and one lange, one phalanx, one limb bone, one piece of pelvis, 3 teeth, 59 cycad stumps [sic] pine or cedar cones.
10 Rained
11 Sunday
12 5 phalanges, one limb bone, & many fragments, several pieces of skulls with teeth, 24 Sequoia cones.
13 One vertebra, & several pieces of bones, several Sequoia cones
14 One vertebrae, one phalangx [sic], one limb bone & several pieces, two teeth, 24 Sequoia cones.
15 Rained
16 One vertebra, one terminal phalanx, several pieces of bones & several Sequoia cones.
17 Two vertebrae, 4 phalanges, several limb bones, pieces of skulls & teeth, one fish vertebra, several Sequoia cones.
18 Sunday.
19 Too much snow.
20 Rained. I worked in National Museum.
21 Wet. I worked in National Museum.
22 Several pieces of bones and Sequoia cones. Commenced work with Engine & cars.
23 1 large femur, 1 vertebra and 1 phalanx, several Sequoia cones.
24 Men laid off for Christmas.
25 Sunday
26 Celebrating Christmas.
27 I went to work but the men did not come.
28 Rained
29 I went to work but no one came.
30 2 limb bones, 1 vertebra, several Sequoia cones.
31 Snowed.
January 1888
1 Sunday.
2 New Year
3 One piece of skull with four teeth, 4 metatarsals, 1 phalanx, and several pieces of bones. 16 Sequoia cones.
4 ;2 pieces of skulls, metapodial (3) bones, 1 radius, several pieces of bones, Sequoia cones &c.
5 1 femur, 2 metapodial bones, 2 phalanges, 2 vertebrae, several pieces of bones and Sequoia cones.
6 3 phalanges, 2 vertebrae, 2 metapodial bones, 1 piece of skull, several pieces of bones, Sequoia cones &c.
7 2 vertebrae, 1 phalanx, several pieces of bones, Sequoia cones &c.
8 Sunday Prof. Marsh arrived at Washington.
9 1 limb bone, 1 tooth, 3 sequoia cones. Commenced snowing about noon.
10 Accompanied Marsh to Good Hope Hill.
11 Accompanied Marsh to Muirkirk and Contees and Hanover.
12 Packed two boxes of fossils at office of Survey to be shipped to New Haven.
13 Rained.
14 Went to Beltsville, Muirkirk and Contees, found nothing but piece of vertebra from new locality at Contees.
15 Went to Marlboro, Md., visited marl banks and found many shells and three teeth.
16 In Washington.
17 Went to Muirkirk to see Mr. Coffin.
18 Went with Prof. Marsh to Balto. and saw Prof. Uhler of Peabody Institute and with him we went to Johns Hopkins and saw Tyson's cycads from the Potomac and from thence we went to Federal Hill. Note the strong similarity between the section of sandstone at iron ore and paint bank of Mr. Hobb's at Hanover and that at Federal Hill, Balto.
19 Two sacral vertebrae.
20 Went to Mt. Vernon and White House Bluff. Spent the evening with Prof. Marsh and took dinner with him.
21 Part of turtle. Prof. Marsh returned to N. Haven.
22 Sunday.
23 Went to the State Agriculture College of Maryland. Nothing there of interest.
24 Went to Muirkirk and Jessup's, at the first place got one metapodial bone and some other fragments.
25 Snowed.
26 1 tooth, 1 limb bone, several pieces of bones, Sequoia cones &c. Cold and windy and snow drifting badly.
27 1 tooth, several vertebrae, limb and feet bones and Sequoia cones.
28 Several bones.
29 Sunday. Went to Richmond. Left an abundance of snow at Washington & found none at Richmond.
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