430 



METEORS. 



the Journal of Science in 1854), was the cylin- 

 drical mass previously mentioned, found about 

 60 miles north of Santa Rosa. Mr. Smith 

 says: 



In a letter dated September 8, 1868, Dr. Butcher 

 writes, from information received from the son of Dr. 

 Long, who had resided many years at Santa Eosa, 

 that, in the fall of the year 1837, there appeared over 

 the town a most brilliant meteor, having a northwest 

 direction. He describes it as most beautiful, light- 

 ing up the whole horizon, with a trail of brilliant 

 light following in its progress. Shortly after its dis- 

 appearance among the distant mountains, they heard 

 a rumbling sound, immediately followed by a tre- 

 mendous explosion. 



From the report he thought it fell and exploded as 

 it reached the earth, somewhere between Santa Kosa 

 and the mountains, a distance of some 35 miles, and 

 the next day he started with friends to examine the 

 route, hoping to find it. After two days' severe and 

 rouo-h riding they abandoned the search, and returned 

 to town. Shortly afterward, an Indian brought a 

 piece weighing 10 or 12 Ibs. into Santa Eosa, sup- 

 posing it to be silver, having found it some 90 miles 

 northwest of the town, being in the same direction 

 in which Dr. Long and his friends had been explor- 

 ing, the doctor having been deceived as to distance, 

 \\Q only going to the base of the mountain, instead 

 of crossing it and then following the valley for some 

 40 miles farther, where I think his search would have 

 been a success. 



Dr. Butcher now undertook the search, after which 

 he writes : " I have returned fully successful, and am 

 making preparations to send on the iron. In making 

 my arrangements, I hired eight Mexicans and two 

 Indians as guides, and started into the mountains in a 

 northwest direction, the same as taken by Dr. Long, 

 and found the iron about 90 miles from Santa Eosa. As 

 no vehicle could go into the mountains by the route 

 we entered, I spent two days in exploring a new road, 

 whereby the ox-teams could bring them out, and get 

 them to Santa Eosa. They consist of eight pieces, 

 varying from 290 Ibs., which is the smallest, to 654 

 Ibs., which is the largest, making a total of nearly 

 4,000 Ibs. Before the explosion the weight must 

 have been much greater, as it is not probable that I 

 have secured the whole, and we know some was 

 taken away by the Indians, who thought they found 

 large masses of silver, and carried their specimens to 

 Santa Kosa. It appears there is on record a statement 

 of the meteor having passed over the city in 1837, 

 and one of my guides relates as a fact that, at that 

 time (1837), a Lepan Indian was riding one of their 

 small ponies through the valley, when his stirrup 

 struck against one of the masses, causing a ringing 

 sound like silver. He dismounted, and was confirmed 

 in his opinion of silver, and took away a piece 10 or 

 12 Ibs. in weight, which he carried to Santa Eosa to 

 sell. I have received, from various sources, infor- 

 mation relative to this meteor, and all confirm me in 

 the opinion that the autumn of 1837 is about the time 

 of its fall. My party were in considerable danger 

 while in the mountains, as we were encamped two 

 miles from the regular trail, when some 300 Indians 

 went through with a large number of their stolen 

 horses." 



"Whether or not the time above specified is that of 

 the fall of one or more of these irons, is a matter of 

 little moment ; the probabilities are, however, strong- 

 ly in favor of it ; nevertheless, it forms one of the 

 most interesting groupings of meteoric irons known 

 in any part of the world ; especially, as the masses 

 are solid and compact masses, and not fragile and 

 half stony, as the Atacama iron, that may have been 

 broken artificially after its fall, and the fragments 

 scattered by Indians and explorers in search of sil- 

 ver. Each one of these masses merits a separate 

 examination, which I hope to be able to give, sooner 

 or later, to satisfy my mind on one or two points con- 



nected with their common physical structure and 

 chemical composition. But I will not delay this 

 paper until then. 



Six of these masses have been brought to this 

 country, weighing respectively 290, 430, 438, 550, 

 580, and 654 Ibs. They are irregular compact masses, 

 without any evidence of stony minerals. They be- 

 long to the softer irons, not very diflieult to cut with 

 a saw ; as yet there has been but about one ounce 

 detached from one of the masses, which has enabled 

 me to make out the following description : 

 Specific gravity 7.692. It contains 



Iron 92.95 



Nickel 6.62 



Cobalt 48 



Phosphorus 02 



Copper very minute quantity. 



This composition differs somewhat from the me- 

 teoric iron called Santa Eosa ; but since examining 

 that I have reason to believe that the quantity of 

 nickel given is too small, some portion of it having 

 remained with the iron; it being far more difficult 

 than is usually supposed to separate accurately minute 

 quantities of nickel from iron. Future examinations 

 may prove that the Santa Eosa belongs to the group 

 of irons under notice. 



The same author gives, in the Journal of 

 Science, the result of his examination of the 

 " Wisconsin meteorites " (so called by Mr. 

 Smith), which were picked up in Trenton, 

 Washington County, Wisconsin. They were 

 found within a space of ten or twelve square 

 yards, so near the surface as to be turned up 

 by the plough. They weighed respectively 

 62, 16, 10, and 8 Ibs., and presented the usual 

 pitted and irregular surface of meteoric irons. 

 The largest piece was 14 in. long, 8 in. wide, 

 and 4 in. thick, of specific gravity 7.82, and of 

 composition as follows : 



Iron 91.03 



Nickel 7.20 



Cobalt 0.53 



Phosphorus 0.14 



Copper minute quantity. 



Insoluble residue 0.45 



Prof. George J. Brush furnishes to the same 

 magazine, for September, an interesting paper 

 on the "meteoric stone " which fell, December 

 5, 1868, in Franklin County, Alabama. It was 

 found by Mr. Benjamin Pybas, about four miles 

 south of Frankfort, in that county, and when 

 taken out of the ground weighed 1 Ib. 9| oz. 

 Accounts of the meteor from eye-witnesses arc 

 these: 



Mr. James W. Hooper witnessed the fall, and de- 

 scribes it in a note to Dr. T. D. West, which I copy. 

 " About 3 o'clock p. M., the afternoon being cloudy 

 and cold, we heard a strange, harsh, roaring noise up 

 in the air. Three distinct reports were heard ; at 

 first these were supposed to be cannon, but the noise 



Immediately after the first sound or roaring had passed 

 over, another was heard coming from the same di- 

 '. rection, like the whizzing of a bomb-shell as it cuts 

 through the air, making a loud humming noise. I 

 gazed intently in the direction of the noise, and 

 found that something was coming downward at a 

 rapid rate. I looked, with my hand up, standing in 

 a dodging position, fot fear of its striking me, until I 

 saw it strike some willow saplings about seventy or 

 eighty yards from where I was, and fall thence to 

 the ground. Upon going to the spot I found a strange- 



