WILLAMETTE METEORITE. 147 



of ten miles above our earth, would undergo a pressure of 7,700 

 pounds upon each cubic inch of its front surface. Only iron would 

 sustain such pressure, and even this, as in the beautiful instance of 

 Cabin Creek, is irresistibly affected. 



To the light given forth by the glowing melted surface, with 

 that of the stream of ignited particles flowing away behind the 

 flying mass, must be added the enormously greater light of pro- 

 ambient air, itself heated by the compression mentioned. The 

 light thus given out can be almost as little conceived of, as des- 

 cribed. It is well known that the apparent size of any meteorite in 

 its aerial flight is very much greater than is the real diameter of the 

 solid mass. Numerous instances will be readily recalled where 

 a meteorite (the part that fell) was but a few inches in diameter, 

 while the same in its passage through the heavens appeared as a 

 globe of several feet in diameter. Thus we have the astonishing 

 light effects in well observed meteorite falls where the whole 

 country for miles on either side of its course is illuminated with 

 the light of mid-day. The Athens meteor (Oct. 18, 1863) is said to 

 have thus momentarily lighted all Greece. How great and 

 dazzling and wonderful was probably the illumination within a 

 radius of many hundred miles when Willamette fell. With what 

 aerial commotion, explosion and pyrotechnics must this great mass 

 have traversed the atmosphere and screechingly sought its final 

 home, "losing itself in the continuous woods where rolls the 

 Oregon." 



The weight of the mass remains to be determined. Its shape 

 makes its cubing a little difficult ; and the difficulty is notably 

 increased by the many and voluminous hollows. Assuming the 

 average depth of these in the base at 10 inches, we may assume 

 the total weight of the mass is probably lessened by fully one- 

 fourth by reason of them. The mean of several careful com- 

 putations, based upon numerous measures taken around the mass, 

 and with knowledge of the specific gravity of the iron, makes the 

 meteorite weigh about 27,000 lbs. or 13^ tons. Before many 

 months have passed we may probably have the great mass on 

 scales, and thus know its exact weight. If our above estimate is 

 correct, Willamette ranks in weight as the fourth among meteor- 

 ites known to science, the larger of the two masses of Chupaderos 

 weighing about 15)4 tons. 



An etched section of the Willamette iron shows it to belong to 



