366 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [1886. 



ON AN UNDESCKIBED METEORIC IRON FROM EAST TENNESSEE. 



Plates IV and V. 



BY F. A. GENTH. 



The history of this interesting meteoric iron is very meagre. 

 In August, 1867, I received from the late Dr. Isaac Lea a small 

 fragment, weighing about five grams, with the request to deter- 

 mine whether or not it was meteoric iron. The analysis (1), 

 finished August 11, 1867, proving it to be meteoric iron, induced 

 Dr. Lea to purchase the specimen. 



Under date of May 11, 1868, the lite Julius E. Raht, of Cleve- 

 land, Tenn., wrote me : "I send you to-day a small piece (it 

 weighed 44 grams. F. A. G.) of meteoric iron, which was broken 

 off from a mass, weighing fifty pounds, which fell about eight 

 5'^ears ago near the State line of Georgia, ten miles from here 

 (Cleveland, Tenn.). The piece has been sold into Mississippi." 



In the fall of the year 1868, the late Dr. James L. Smith, of 

 Louisville, Ky., the celebrated investigator of meteorites, on his 

 return from Europe, wrote to Dr. Isaac Lea, congratulating him 

 on the acquisition of the Mississippi meteorite, regretting at the 

 same time that his absence in Europe had prevented him from 

 securing it for his own cabinet. 



It now remained in the possession of Dr. Lea, until he presented 

 it to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. The 

 Museum record of the Academy simply notes the date of its 

 reception, on October 24, 1876, that it was from the mountains 

 of East Tennessee, and that it weighed 254 pounds. All my 

 efforts to obtain fuller information about its fall and discovery 

 have proved unsuccessful. 



The discrepancy between the weight given by Mr. Raht and 

 the actual weight of the mass, must be charged to incorrect 

 information received by Mr. Raht; this is insignificant, however, 

 compared with the proof which Dr. Smith's letter gives to the 

 fact that his Mississippi meteorite is identical with the one which 

 Mr. Raht stated to have been sold into that State. 



The mass shows on one corner the place where the 44 grams 

 which Mr. Raht sent me had been broken off. 



It is an irregularly shaped, somewhat triangular mass, the 

 largest diameter being about 45 cm,, the height about 40 cm. and 

 its greatest thickness about 22 cm. 



