METEORITES OF NORTH AMERICA. 427 



Meunier • described Staunton as follows: 



The metal takes a very good polish, but nevertheless contains numerous small black inclusions. 



No pyrrhotine is visible and the graphite is very inconsiderable. Schreibersite is not wanting. The figures are 

 beautiful and a trifle peculiar. The kamacite bands are of quite uniform thickness but of very variable size. The 

 taenite is very thin and continuous, forming a network in the plessite which is not very abundant but perfectly 

 characteristic. 



In his 1895 catalogue Brezina 10 expressed the belief that the fourth mass should be 

 regarded a different fall from the others, his reasons being stated as follows: 



Staunton I, II, III, V, the first two found in 1SG9, I-III described in 1871, and V described in 1887, agree very 

 well together and show short, straight, and much swollen lamellae, without hatching. The taenite is normal to very 

 abundant; fields numerous but small, and filled with dark plessite or comblike ridges, or more frequently with schrei- 

 bersitic or half-blended central skeletons, the former almost exclusively confined to the smallest areas, while the 

 latter belong to the larger areas. Occasionally grains of cohenite occur in the kamacite, the latter being mostly gran- 

 ular and finely hatched. 



Staunton IV, found 1858, described 1878, must be distinguished from the other masses — I, II, III, V — since from 

 their structure they are evidently from another fall than this one. Staunton IV is a mass of 69 kg. weight, whose 

 etching figures show long, straight, and somewhat hatched but not swollen lamella. The taenite is well developed, 

 and the fields almost exclusively filled with combs resembling kamacite, or very rarely with dark plessite. The 

 Reichenbach lamellae are very numerous in the swathing kamacite. Troilite nodules of from 3 to 5 cm. diameter 

 occur. The kamacite is granular and strewed with crystals of rhabdite. The chemical investigation of Weinschenk 

 distinguished two sorts of tsenite, the one flexible, the other brittle. Staunton IV is, moreover, from an unknown 

 locality, while the four other masses of this name were found in the immediate neighborhood of Staunton, 1 to 5 miles 

 distant, whither they were brought for sale by a negro. 



Cohen " found that Staunton took on more or less permanent magnetism. He also deter- 

 mined the specific gravity of a piece weighing 160 grams to be 7.8279. 



Ramsay 12 in 1896 reported an examination of the Staunton iron for argon and helium, 

 with the following result : 



I have examined the gas which is inclosed in meteoric iron (Staunton, Virginia, specimen). * * * We have 

 obtained 45 c. c. of a gas some per cents of which disappeared on detonation with oxygen. The residue being 

 submitted to electric sparks in presence of caustic soda underwent a slight contraction. The residue was dried with 

 caustic soda, and I found by means of the spectroscope that it consists of argon, of which it shows all the charac- 

 teristic marks. 



We also observed the yellow line of helium, and on comparing it with a sample of pure helium, the identity was 

 certain. It does not coincide with the D lines of sodium. 



It is interesting to find the presence of argon in a substance foreign to the earth, though it has not been recog- 

 nized in the sun. 



It must be remarked in conclusion that there are no lines except those of argon and helium. 



Campbell and Howe 13 reported a new mass in 1903, as follows: 

 In the list of accessions to the mineral collection of Washington and Lee University during the session of 1870-71 

 occurs the following note: "From Wm. N. Wilson, Esq., Augusta County, Virginia, a fine specimen of meteoric iron." 

 There is no doubt but that the above entry refers to the meteorite now under consideration, inasmuch as it is the 

 only one in the university collection which has no label, and there is no meteorite with the foregoing label. Since 

 1880 the history of this meteorite is definitely known. From 18S6 to 1894 the meteorite was in charge of Prof. W. G. 

 Brown. A fragment was cut from one end by him for analysis, the surface etched and photographed, but Professor 

 Brown's analysis has not been published. 



The question has naturally arisen as to whether this meteorite is from the same fall as the so-called Staunton 

 meteorite which has been several times analyzed and in which Sir William Ramsay found the presence of helium. 

 The meteorite was sent to Prof. Henry A. Ward, to be again cut, and an analysis of it was made for him by Mr. J. E. 

 Whitfield. A fragment was also sent to Dr. Ramsay and examined by him for gases. 



The analysis by Whitfield is as follows: Calculated 



to 100. 



Fe '. 89. 850 91. 376 



Ni 7.560 7.689 



Co 600 .610 



Cu 065 .066 



P 158 .161 



S 006 .006 



C 046 .047 



Si 045 .045 



Oxide 1.560 



99. 890 100. 00 



