METEORITES OF NORTH AMERICA. 343 



Mr. Dinsmore's attention was excited by hearing a noise which at first resembled the discharge of platoons of sol- 

 diers, but soon became more rapid in succession. The air was perfectly calm; and the sky was clear, with the excep- 

 tion of a small whitish cloud apparently aboiit 40 feet square, nearly in his zenith, from which the noise seemed to 

 proceed. After the explosion, this little cloud appeared to be in rapid spiral motion downwards, as if about to fall 

 on him and made a noise like a whirlwind among leaves. At this moment the stone fell among some sheep which 

 were thereby much frightened, jumped, and ran into the woods. This circumstance assisted Mr. Dinsmore in finding 

 the spot where the stone struck, which was about 40 paces in front of the place where he was standing. The aero- 

 lite penetrated the earth about 6 inches and there meeting another stone was broken into fragments. When first taken 

 up, which was about one hour after its fall, it exhaled a strong sulphurous odor. The whole mass previous to its frac- 

 ture probably weighed between 4 and 6 pounds. Other fragments of the same meteoric stone are said to have been 

 found several miles from Nobleboro. 



A chemical examination of a fragment of the stone was made by Webster 2 and published in 

 the Philosophical Magazine. His account is as follows : 



This aerolite fell at Nobleboro, in the State of Maine, on August 7, 1823, between 4 and 5 o'clock p. m. (Here 

 follows an abstract from Professor Cleaveland's report of an interview by some second party — "a gentleman of intelli- 

 gence" — with Mr. A. Dinsmore, who was at work near the place where the aerolite struck.) 



I obtained a specimen of the meteorite from Dr. Geo. Hayward. Externally the specimen was in part covered 

 with a thin, semivitrified crust or enamel of a black color, the surface of which was irregular and marked with num- 

 erous depressions, presenting every appearance of having been subjected to intense heat. The crust was hard, yield- 

 ing with difficulty to the knife. The quantity of this crust afforded by the small fragments examined was not suffi- 

 cient to allow of any separate analysis of it. 



The mass of the specimen had a light gray color interspersed with oblong spots of white, having the aspect of 

 decomposed leucite and giving it a porphyritic appearance. Throughout the stone minute points of a yellow sub- 

 stance, resembling olivine, were distributed, with microscopic points of a yellow color, which I took for sulphuretted 

 iron. The cement by which these substances were united was of an earthy aspect and soft texture, readily broken 

 down by the fingers. The general appearance of the mass was precisely like that of some of the volcanic tuffas. 



The specific gravity was remarkably low, being but 2.08. 



Before the blowpipe it exhaled a sulphurous odor, but was not fused. 



The substance was reduced to powder and subjected to a magnet of considerable power, but no attractable par- 

 ticles were separated. A portion was heated to redness on a platinum spoon; it emitted the sulphurous odor, and 

 its weight was diminished rather more than 21 per cent; the residue acquired a brown color; it was again presented 

 to the magnet, but nothing was attracted. [Here follows a detailed description of the process of analysis.] 



The composition of this meteoric mass is therefore: 



S Silex Al Lime Mg Cr Fe Ni Loss 



18.3 29.5 4.7 trace 24.8 4.0 14.9 2.3 1.5 =100.00 



Brayley 3 remarked that the meteorite resembled those of Luotolax, Jonzac, and Juvenas. 

 Chladni 4 opposed this view, however, on account of the presence of nickel in Nobleboro and 

 other differences of composition. 



Partsch 5 described the meteorite as very similar to Luotolax. It differs only, he says, in 

 being less coherent. 



Shepard 6 gave the following description : 



The crust is a perfectly fused and shining glass similar to the Juvenas and Stannern stones. The color of the 

 interior is a light ash gray. When examined by the aid of a lens, it is found to be highly composite in character, 

 although the small fragment in my possession shows neither nickel-iron nor magnetic pyrites. The most abundant 

 ingredient is howardite, through which are disseminated grains of greenish transparent olivinoid, white particles of 

 anorthite, black grains of chantonnite, and a red-colored, vitreous, hard mineral which appears to be either garnet or 

 idocrase. 



Buchner 7 gave the specific gravity 3.092, as determined by Rumler, and remarks that the 

 value 2.08, given by Webster, is probably a typographical error for 3.08. He also doubted the 

 correctness of Webster's analysis. 



Maskelyne 8 gave the following note: 



Since the text was in press I have had an opportunity, through the civility of Professor Shepard, of inspecting a 

 small fragment of the Nobleboro stone. It is a curious aerolite. More like Bialystok than Maessing or Manegaum, 

 it is rich in a very black and opaque substance (probably two such substances), one of which is like the dark augite 

 in the Eukritic aerolites, and especially in Juvenas. There is much of a colorless mineral as well as of olivine, of every 

 tint from pale yellow to yellowish-brown; and the opaque white mineral above alluded to is abundant. There is also 

 a small amount of iron, and of what seems to be troihte. The crust is an enamel with fine luster. The transparent, 

 colorless mineral may possibly be a feldspar (anorthite?), but it requires further scrutiny. 



