1905.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 883 



shale have been found adhering to small fragments of limestone and 

 sandstone, or in one small specimen which I found including them, 

 showing conclusively that this iron oxide was in a liquid or fused state 

 when it fell to the earth. In this specimen there are sealed together, 

 as sealing wax would hold them, three small angular fragments of 

 sandstone, and another piece of iron shale which I have is firmly adher- 

 ent to a piece of limestone, upon which it evidently fell when in a melted 

 condition. The latter specimen shows the green hydroxide of nickel. 

 The result of my careful search has been the conclusion that there is not 

 the slightest evidence in favor of the meteor having been part iron and 

 part stone. 



It is only fair to state, however, that upon one of my recent visits to 

 the crater, or accurately on June 24, 1905, 1 found on the surface of the 

 plain, about a mile and a half west of the mountain, a very remarkable 

 aerolite or meteoric stone. This is as different from all the other meteoric 

 specimens which we have examined, which have come from this locality, 

 as one specimen can be from another. It is subangular in shape, having 

 on one side a rather sharply pointed protuberance, with a generally 

 round and smooth smiace which is covered by quite a heavy film of 

 oxide of iron. Two corners were broken off when I found it. The 

 fracture exhibited was very fresh, in fact almost as fresh as the fracture 

 produced by me when knocking off a piece of it for analysis, which was 

 made by Mr. H. H. Alexander and is as follows: SiOj 37.32%; Fe 

 22.30%; Ni 1.65%; Mfi^ 2.53%; CaO 2.96%; MgO 23.02%; S 2.34%. 

 See also description and analysis of the stone which will be hereafter 

 published by Dr. ^lallet. 



It has some curious markings, looking as if it possibly had received a 

 blow before it entered the earth's atmosphere, these markings being 

 covered with the same film of oxide of iron which cover the rest of the 

 aerolite. A comparison of this analysis with the analysis of the Canon 

 Diablo meteoric iron shows the wide difference between the two, and 

 the fact that it does not contain a trace of platinum or iridium and 

 relatively small percentages of iron and nickel, while every specimen 

 which has been examined of the meteoric iron or iron shale found in 

 this locality contains the first mentioned metals, is very significant 

 and IS in favor of the theory that the aerolite or meteoric stone speci- 

 men is not in any way connected with the others. 



Now comes a story which is at least very interesting, for as a coin- 

 cidence, if such it is, it is very remarkable. Two years ago, about 

 January 15, 1904, while two of our employees at Coon Mountain were 

 watching the camp — we had suspended operatioas during the winter — 



