METEORITES OF NORTH AMERICA. 127 



CLEVELAND. 



Bradley County, TenneaBee. 



Here also Bradley County, East Tennessee and the Lea Iron. 



Latitude 35 8' N., longitude 84 53' W. 



Iron. Medium octahedrite (Om) of Brezina. 



Found 1860; described 1886. 



Weight, 115 kgs. (254 Iba.). 



A notice by Shepard 1 in 1866 has usually been regarded as referring to this meteorite, 

 but this is not certain. Shepard simply says that he had been informed of an iron meteorite 

 discovered by a mining explorer on a mountain in east Tennessee and described as being "as 

 large as a man can lift." The finder hammered off only a very small fragment, which was 

 forwarded to Shepard, by letter, for examination. Its original structure had been destroyed by 

 the process of detaching it from the mass. It was nevertheless highly malleable, with the usual 

 luster and color of meteoric iron. 



The only detailed description of the mass, 2 also known as the Lea iron or East Tennessee 

 meteorite, was given by Genth 2 as follows: 



The history of this meteoric iron is very meager. In August, 1867, Dr. Isaac Lea sent a specimen of some 5 grams 

 weight to me for examination. The analysis not known, finished August 11, 1867, proving it to be a meteoric iron, 

 induced Dr". Lea to purchase the specimen. 



May 11, 1868, Julius E. Raht, of Cleveland, Tennessee, wrote me: 



"I send you to-day a small piece (44 grams) of meteoric iron which was broken off from a mass weighing 50 pounds 

 which fell about 8 years ago near the State line of Georgia, 10 miles from Cleveland, Tennessee. The piece has been 

 sold into Mississippi." 



In the fall of 1868 J. Lawrence Smith wrote to congratulate Dr. Lea on the acquisition of the Mississippi meteorite, 

 regretting at the same time that absence in Europe prevented his securing it for his own cabinet. 



It now remained in the possession of Dr. Lea until he presented it to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Phila- 

 delphia. The museum record simply notes the date of its reception, October 24, 1876; that it came from the mountains 

 of east Tennessee, and that it weighed 254 pounds. All efforts to obtain fuller information as to its fall and discovery 

 proved unsuccessful. 



The discrepancy in the figures as to the weight of the mass must be charged to incorrect information received by 

 Mr. Raht. Smith's letter to him, however, identifies the "Mississippi meteorite" with the one Mr. Raht stated to 

 have been sold into that State. 



The mass shows on one corner the place where the 44 grams were broken off by Mr. Raht for examination. It ia 

 an irregularly shaped, somewhat triangular mass of about 45 by 40 by 22 cm. in size. Its crust is very thin, with only 

 here and there a spot of rust. It shows one fracture 10 mm. in greatest width by 15 cm. in length. The pitted appear- 

 ance of the mass shows beautifully in a photograph. Its original weight was nearly 115.5 kg.; probably 2.5 kg. have 

 been cut off and distributed as specimens. 



The crystalline structure is beautifully shown on the etched surface of the polished sections, indicating very 

 clearly the octahedral form. The Raht specimen gave exactly the same etching figures, proving the identity of the 

 meteorite. 



The usual constituents of this class of meteorites are quite perceptible in this one, the kamacite largely predomi- 

 nating and forming bands 1 to 3 mm. in width. The tsenite, enveloping the kamacite, frequently subdivides the 

 broader bands of the latter into narrow lines. The length of the kamacite individuals is from 1.5 to 2 cm. It has a 

 dull gray color and when magnified can be seen to be intersected in every direction by very fine lines, probably of 

 schreibersite. The plessite, somewhat darker than the kamacite, mostly shows a very fine crystalline mottled struc- 

 ture (moire metalliqut) and a glittering luster; a small portion, however, is quite dulTand much darker. 



On one specimen there is in Jsro places a remarkable admixture of an iron which is a great deal smoother and 

 hardly shows any crystalline struroire. This iron is brighter than any other portion of the etched surface and has a 

 slightly yellowish hue. The patches are not perfectly smooth, however, but show many very minute depressions. 

 In the center, where this iron is narrowest, and on some portions of the unetched surface small spots of rust have made 

 their appearance. An examination proves the presence of a considerable quantity of chlorine, from which it is evident 

 that these are the result of the oxidation of ferrous chloride which this meteorite contains in small quantities. 



The so-called "alteration zone" next to the surface is quite distinct and is 1 to 1.5 mm. in width. 



Genth's analyses are as follows : 



s 



undt. =99. 93 



0. 006 =99. 332 



undt. =99. 27 



