METEORITES OF NORTH AMERICA. 95 



BIBLIOGRAPHY. 



1. 1895: HowKii. On two new meteorites; 1. The Cherokee Meteorite. Amer. Journ. Sci., 3d Ber., vol. 50, pp. 252- 



253. (Illustration of etched plate and analysis.) 



2. 189,5: BHEZINA. Wiener Sammlung, p. 353. 



3. 1897: WULFING. Die Meteoriten in Sammlungen, p. 213. 



4. 1904: WAKD. Catalogue of the Ward-Coonley collection, p. 6. 



Caparassa. See Toluca. 



CANYON CITY. 



Trinity County, California. 



Latitude 40 55' N., longitude 123 5' W. 



Iron. Medium octahedrite (Om) of Brezina. 



Found 1875; described 1885. 



Weight, 8.6 kgs. (18% Iba). 



This meteorite was first described by Shepard * under the heading "Meteoric Iron from 

 Trinity County, California," as follows: 



For my knowledge of the meteorite here described, I am indebted to Col. Joseph Willcox, who incidentally men- 

 tioned to me last autumn that he had seen some years ago a metallic mass at Holmes Hole, Massachusetts, brought 

 from California, that he suspected to be of meteoric origin. It was in the possession of Capt. C. W. Davis, who pro- 

 cured it 10 years ago at Canyon City in Trinity County. Through the kindness of Mr. A. F. Crowell, of Woods Hole, 

 a few grams were obtained from Captain Davis for examination and analysis; the result of which has been that the 

 meteoric origin at first regarded as doubtful has been established. 



The first portions that were detached had the appearance of pure limonite, but were afterwards proven to contain 

 minute particles of nickeliferous iron, small fragments being readily attracted by the magnet. The thickness of the 

 crust affording this limonite must have been at least 0.1 inch; whence it may be inferred that the meteorite had origi- 

 nated in a very ancient fall. The specific gravity of the limonite was between 3.81 and 4.04. It was compact, but 

 yielded to pulverization, with exception of occasional very fine metallic grains, that flattened slightly by extreme 

 pressure under the pestle. The application of the magnet took up more than this powder, which principally con- 

 sisted of the limonite. It was thus found to be impossible to separate it from the metallic portion. 



Two small fragments of the nearly unaltered interior were supplied for analysis. In these the coarsely-grained 

 nickeliferous iron was apparent, affording cleavable crystals of the octahedral form, similar to what is found in the 

 Putnam iron, that of Cocke County, and others. The specific gravity of these fragments was 7.1, which is less than 

 the average for meteoric irons, a circumstance to be expected from the slight adhesions of hydrated peroxide of iron. 

 To the same cause may be ascribed the small loss in the subjoined analysis: 



Fe Ni Co P 



88.81 7.278 0.172 0.12 =96.38 



For want of material no search was made for tin, copper, or manganese. No sulphur was present in the portions 

 examined. The weight of the mass is 19 pounds. Its shape is oval, somewhat flattened, with numerous elongated 

 depressions. 



Brezina, 2 from the similarity in name with Canoncito, grouped this meteorite with Glorieta, 

 and in this he was followed by Wulfing. 3 Ward, 4 however, obtained later the original mass 

 and gave a further description of it as follows: 



Shepard called attention to a mass of meteoric iron purporting to come from Canyon City, Trinity County, Cali- 

 fornia, whence it had been brought by Capt. C. W. Davis, of Holmes Hole, Massachusetts, some 10 years previous. 



By the aid of Mr. A. P. Crowell, of Woods Hole, I was able to find Captain Davis and to obtain the specimen, 

 which the latter gentleman had had in his possession for more than a quarter of a century. Captain Davis's recol- 

 lections of the finding of the mass were clear, yet with little detail. It was found in the summer of 1875 on the border 

 of a little stream which flows into the Trinity River, and about 3 miles northeast from the town of Canyon City. It 

 was brought to Captain Davis by John Driver, who discovered it on the surface of the ground. Captain Davis retained 

 it entire during his stay of several years in Canyon City, and subsequently brought it with him to his Massachusetts 

 home, where he had since kept it carefully wrapped in a napkin and had shown it to few visitors. 



The form of the specimen was nearly a square, about 8.5 by 7.5 inches in length and breadth, and 2.5 inches in 

 average thickness. One surface was slightly convex, the other slightly concave. The whole surface was much oxi- 

 dized, and the flaking off of scales of the decomposed iron had entirely obliterated any traces of pittings which it 

 originally doubtless had over its surface. The general color of the whole is dark yellowish-brown. The weight before 

 cutting was 18.75 pounds. Several slices have been cut from the mass. 



