372 MEMOIRS NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, VOL. XIII. 



Following the directions of Professor Ward, a few cuts were made parallel to one of the edges and commencing 

 just within the edge of the deep pitting mentioned above. On polishing and etching these cut surfaces we found that 

 the iron was octahedral in structure, with well-marked Widmannstatten figures. A feature of this iron is the fact that 

 it etches so readily that the Widmannstatten figures were slightly outlined on an ordinary polished surface, without 

 the use of acid or any other solvent. 



The etched surfaces have numerous fissures from 0.5 to 1.5 mm. in width and from 5 to 65 mm. in length, partly 

 filled with troilito but mainly with schreibersite. These fissures occur at various angles toward each other, thus break- 

 ing to some extent the regularity of the Widmannstatten figures, and are invariably entirely surrounded by kamacite 

 bands. The kamacite bands average from 1.5 to 2 mm. in width, with the broadest bands generally surrounding the 

 schreibersite-filled fissures. The plessite patches which are quite prominent on the etched surfaces show clearly the 

 alternating layers of kamacite and taenite (so-called Laphamite lines), a feature that was first distinguished in another 

 Michigan iron, that of Grand Rapids. On no section were rounded troilite nodules, so characteristic of iron meteorites, 

 found. 



The character of the etched surface of this meteorite in many respects resembles that of Cuernavaca, but the kama- 

 cite blades are much broador and longer than in Cuernavaca, thus making the figures much more prominent. 



An analysis of this meteorite, made for Professor Ward by Prof. J. E. Whitfield, of Philadelphia, gave the fol- 

 lowing results: 



Fe 89. 386 



Ni 8. 180 



97. 566 



Specific gravity, 7.6. 



From the close proximity of the farm, on which this meteorite was found , to Reed City we will designat3 it as the 

 "Reed City Meteorite." 



The main mass of this iron was returned to the Michigan Agricultural College, while the smaller end and one slice, 

 weighing 2.9 kilograms, were added to the Ward-Coonley Collection of Meteorites. 



Brezina 2 grouped the meteorite with Cacaria and Hammond as a Hammond octahedrite, 

 the characteristic of which is "lamellae blended with dark or black points." 



Cohen 3 regards the members of this group as octahedrites which have received their peculiar 

 structure through softening. This ho states has occurred only in a moderate degree in Reed 

 City. He also remarks that Reed City is peculiar in an alteration zone found along the natural 

 border which has originated subsequent to the latter. This alteration zone is darker and duller 

 than the interior which retains a weak oriented sheen. 



The meteorite is chiefly preserved at the Michigan Agricultural College. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY. 



1. 1903: Preston. Reed City meteorite. Proc. Rochester Acad. Sci., vol. 4, pp. 89-91. (With plate.) AlsoJourn. 



Geol., vol. 11, pp. 230-233. 



2. 1904: Bbezina. The Ward-Coonley collection of meteorites, p. 102. 



3. 1905: Cohen. Meteoritenkunde, Heft 3, pp. 399 and 400. 



Rensselaer County. See Tomnannock Cieek. 



RICHMOND. 



Chesterfield County, Virginia. 



Latitude 37° 33' N., longitude 77° 25' W. 



Stone. Crystalline spherical chondrite (Cck.) of Brezina; Richmondite (type 39) of Meunier. 



Fell 8.30 a. m., June 4. 1828. 



Weight, one stone of about 2 kgs. (4 lbs.). 



The first account of this meteorite was given by Cocke, 1 as follows: 



The fact that stones have fallen from the atmosphere is now universally admitted by men of science, but as there 

 may still be some persons not acquainted with the evidence who may entertain doubts on the subject it may not be 

 amiss to make known the facts connected with an instance of this sort that occurred in Chesterfield County, Virginia, 

 about 7 miles southwest of Richmond, on the 4th of June last — this case is as well attested as any of the kind I ever 

 recollect to have heard of. 



Being in Richmond at the time and hearing of the fall, I made some inquiry and obtained a piece of the stone 

 about the size of a pigeon's egg. This resembled so much the only specimen of a meteoric stone I had ever seen that my 

 anxiety to see the whole stone and to learn the facts relating to its fall was increased. It was very much like a fragment 



