METEORITES OF NORTH AMERICA. 153 



CYNTHIANA. 



HarriBon County, Kentucky. 



Latitude 38° 23' N., longitude 84° 17' W. 



Stone. Gray chondrite (Cg) of Brezina; Parnallite (type 44) of Meunier. 



Fell 4 p. m., January 23, 1877. 



Weight, 6 kgs. (13.2 lbs). , 



This meteorite was first described by Smith 2 as follows: 



I have called this the Cynthiana stone, although it fell 9 miles from that place in Harrison County, Cynthiana being 

 the nearest important point to the place where it fell. 



At about 4 p. m. on January 23, 1877, a brilliant meteor was seen traversing Monroe County, Indiana, in a southeast 

 direction at about 35° above the horizon; it was also seen by several persons in Decatur County of the same State, 

 latitude 39° 27' N, longitude 85° 28' W., where it disappeared just as it seemed to touch the earth not more than a 

 quarter of a mile distant. It really fell about 60 miles away. Apparently it was not seen in the State of Ohio, but in 

 the State of Kentucky it was observed over a considerable area. The phenomenon culminated in the usual noises 

 heard in the heavens. Fortunately one observer, an intelligent farmer, heard a solid body strike the ground ; he walked 

 immediately to the spot and dug the stone out of the ground from a depth of 13 inches. 



The stone weighs C kg.; it is wedge shaped, with one portion very extensively and regularly pitted, while the rest 

 is comparatively smooth. The crust is dull black and is as perfect as when the stone fell. There was a fresh broken 

 spot of 2 or 3 sq. cm. which was evidently made prior to the fall, for a few small specks of melted matter adhered to the 

 surface. In texture the meteorite belongs to the harder brecciated variety, and when broken presents a mottled surface 

 identical with that of the Parnallee stone, which it resembles in every other particular. The specific gravity of the 

 two meteorites is identical, viz, 3.41. 



The stony material freed from metallic iron consisted of — 



Matter soluble in HC1 56. 50 



Matter insoluble in HC1 43. 50 



100. 00 



Some of the soluble part was composed of troilite which I could not separate mechanically; it is deducted in the 



following analysis: 



* Si0 3 FeO AJA CaO MgO 



Soluble part: 33.65 30.83 0.11' trace 34.61 =99.20 



Si0 2 FeO A1 2 3 CaO MgO CrO Na^O 

 Insoluble part: 57.60 11.42 0.43 5.70 23.97 0.38 1.24 =100.74 



The nickel iron (5.93 per cent of Jhe whole) contains: 



Fe Ni Co 



90.64 8.35 0.73 =99.72 



The minerals in this stone are quite easily distinguished by the eye but are very much more conspicuous under a 

 moderate magnifying power, especially the round and distinct concretions of a light-yellow bronzite. The troilite and 

 metallic specks and filaments are also easily seen. 



No attempt was made to separate the stony minerals in sufficient quantity for analysis; quantitative tests were made 

 to distinonish their character. From the chemical examination previously made I deduce the following as about the 

 proportion of the mineral constituents: 



Olivine minerals 50. 00 



Bronzite and pyroxene minerals 38. 00 



Nickel iron 6. 00 



Troilite 5. 50 



Chrome iron 0. 52 



100. 02 



There wer« no distinct crystals of minerals visible either to the unaided eye or with a lens. 



Little or nothing of importance has been added to Smith's account of this meteorite. It 

 is somewhat distributed, Harvard possessing 4,093 grams. This is largely a single stone (3,113 

 grams), evidently possessing orientation as shown by Huntington's 6 description, as follows: 



Dull gray, with white grains and some iron. This specimen shows a distinct front, consisting of a nearly flat 

 surface covered with a dull-black crust full of small, round pittings. The crust has flowed back in deep furrows piling 

 up into a point behind. Quite a large piece has been broken from one edge of the specimen. 



