METEOKITES OF NORTH AMERICA. 431 



The percentages indicate an abundant development of taenite. The comparatively high percentage of copper 

 is noteworthy, which, however, was always free from iron, since it was doubly precipitated. The chromium is referred 

 to daubreelite, although the correctness of this assumption is questionable, since from the analysis not sufficient sul- 

 phur was obtained to compute the total chromium from the daubreelite. 



Specific gravity (Leick), 7.7308; for the nickel iron, 7.7570. 



The meteorite is chiefly (1,410 grams) preserved in the Ward-Coonley Collection. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY. 



1. 1899: Rust. Overland Monthly, pp. 11 and 12. 



2. 1901: Cohen. Mitth. naturwiss. Verein Greifswald. 



Taney County. See Mincy. 



TAZEWELL. 



Claiborne County, Tennessee. 



Here also Knoxville. 



Latitude 36° 26' N., longitude 83° 34' W. 



Iron. Finest octahedrite (Off), of Brezina; Tazewellite (type 13), of Meunier. 



Found 1853; described 1854. 



Weight, 27 kgs. (60 lbs.). 



The first mention of this meteorite was by Smith, 1 as follows: 



The meteoric iron was found in east Tennessee a short while ago, and weighed originally over 60 pounds. It is 

 a highly interesting one, and has furnished for the first time the solid protochlorid of iron found in a fissure. It is also 

 rich in the phosphuret of iron and nickel, and furnishes material for a full investigation of this latter mineral. The 

 examination is nearly complete, and when finished a full history of the meteorite will be given. 



Shepard 2 shortly after gave an account of the meteorite as follows : 



For the specimens of the highly interesting mass here described I am indebted to Prof. J . B . Mitchell, of the East Ten- 

 nessee University at Knoxville. Though but a fragment of three and fifteen-sixteenths pounds (having been detached 

 from a mass originally weighing 60 pounds), it nevertheless has much the appearance of an independent meteorite. 

 Its shape is that of an elongated three-sided pyramid whose axis is slightly oblique and whose upper edges are obscurely 

 truncated so as to resemble an imperfectly forme"d six-sided pyramid of corundum. The height of the mass is 4 inches. 

 The base is triangular and nearly smooth, presenting, however, a cleavage surface partially coated by brown oxide of iron. 

 By this face it was originally connected with the larger mass of which it doubtless formed one of the sharpest extremities. 

 It is certainly very remarkable that the cleavage should have been effected without leaving any hackly projections, the 

 more so as the mass itself by no means yields to a similar cleavage in any direction whatever. Possibly the cleavage 

 was occasioned by the interposition of a seam of pyrites in the direction in which it took place. At any rate its occur- 

 rence shows that these lumps, though generally composed of very tough and strongly coherent materials, are neverthe- 

 less susceptible of cleavage in certain directions, and that they may occasionally explode or subdivide into numerous 

 fragments without the necessity of any very considerable force. 



The upper planes of the pyramid are indented and somewhat undulating as is usual in meteoric irons, but there 

 is no thick incrustation of peroxide; on the contrary it merely possesses for a coating a thin brownish-black pellicle 

 which is much covered also by firmly adhering clay. 



The iron is highly crystalline in its texture, a fact which may be seen in a few spots upon the surface even through 

 the coating itself. It is exceedingly tough, breaking with the greatest difficulty and having a hackly surface in which 

 no crystallization is apparent. The fresh surface is much whiter than pure iron and it retains its color and luster appar- 

 ently without change from ordinary exposure to the air. Its specific gravity is 7.30. 



A part of the broad cleavage surface (or base of the pyramid) above described was polished and acted upon by 

 dilute hydrochloric acid. The corrosion was very partial but it revealed a perfectly crystalline structure in the iron. 

 The subsequent application of nitric acid rendered it still more striking. The Widmannstattian figures are somewhat 

 peculiar. While there is a general ground subdivided by innumerable thin and perfectly straight lines into small 

 equilateral triangles and oblique-angled parallelograms of similar areas in size, presenting a picture on the whole closely 

 resembling the Guildford (North Carolina) iron , there are also irregularly disposed veins or interrupted seams of a sh inin g 

 white metal one-twentieth of an inch in thickness and each from one-half to three-quarters of an inch long. These 

 occur on the whole pretty near together and impart a singular aspect to the surface, inasmuch as the veins do not 

 coincide in direction with the fine lines above mentioned, nor do they follow any parallelism with one another. 



Neither of the acids employed attack this substance in the slightest degree any more than they do the thin lines 

 producing the small and regular areas. But closely associated with the larger veins are noticeable small particles of 

 magnetic pyrites which, as usual, are decomposed by the acid. 



Having separated a few grains of this metal or ore forming the seams and heated it with acids I convinced myself 

 that it is identical with the substance which I discovered as entering into the composition of the Seneca Falls (New 

 York) meteoric iron and which I denominated Partschite. 



