METEORITES OF NORTH AMERICA. 273 



former would be apparently diminished; and as at Little Piney the meteor must traverse only a small arc, its motion, 

 to an observer there, would appear quite slow. At the time of the occurrence Mr. Shepherd was on the western bank 

 of the Mississippi, near St. Marys Landing, and heard a distinct report, which he was afterwards inclined to refer to 

 the explosion of this meteor. At Little Piney, Mr. Harrison and others saw the meteor burst in pieces, and in a minute 

 or a minute and a half afterwards they heard three explosions in quick succession. Some of the inhabitants went in 

 quest of the stones which they supposed had fallen, and finally found a tree which appeared to have been recently 

 injured by the collision with some solid body. Near this tree they discovered (although the ground was covered with 

 3 or 4 inches of snow) one of the meteoric stones, about as large as a man's head, partly imbedded in the earth, 

 and from the circumstances of its position and appearance there could be no reasonable doubt that this was the body 

 which had struck the tree. It is to be hoped that further search will be made for other portions of this meteorite. 



The total weight of all the fragments which Mr. Shepherd has brought home is 973 grains. The specific gravity 

 of one of the small fragments is 3.5; but different portions of the stone may vary slightly in this respect, as they may 

 contain more or less of the metallic matter. The resemblance between this meteorite and those of Tennessee, of 

 Georgia, and of Weston, Connecticut, is very close, and one might almost imagine that they were all parts of the same 

 original mass. The cohesion of the stone is not great, as it crumbles under a moderate blow. Two of the fragments 

 retain portions of the crust or exterior coating. This is a fifteenth of an inch thick, and bears evidence of intense igni- 

 tion and partial fusion. It is black, with a wrinkled or cellular surface, and is traversed with seams. The general 

 color of the interior is an ash-gray. The whole mass is studded with metallic particles, varying from the size of a small 

 shot down to mere points, and presents numerous rusty spots, and occasionally small spheroidal concretions which 

 do not appear to differ in material from other parts of the stone. The little metallic masses, doubtless of nickeliferoua 

 iron, are attracted by the magnet, and are generally permeated by the earthy matter. They are mostly of an iron- 

 white color, but several are yellow and slightly iridescent. One of these minute masses being removed from the stone, 

 it was by the hammer at once extended into a thin lamina and was evidently malleable. An analysis may be 

 expected hereafter. 



A study and analysis of the stone were shortly after published by Shepard, 2 as follows: 



This specimen was obtained by Mr. Forrest Shepherd, and described by Mr. E. C. Herrick. Mr. Shepherd kindly 

 placed the mass at my disposal, which enables me to extend the account already published by the following notice: 



On first inspection the stone appears rather compact and close grained; it is nevertheless composed for about one- 

 half of small imperfectly defined globules of the mineral which has been called meteoric olivine. In color they are 

 light gray, inclining to pearl-gray, and when freshly broken across, show tints of yellow and green. The remaining 

 stony ingredient is white and semidecomposed, resembling the feldspathic mineral in certain trachytic lavas. 



Through the whole is sprinkled meteoric iron in shining points, which are often invested with a coating of mag- 

 netic iron pyrites. By the aid of a glass a few little black points were discovered of a mineral which appeared to be 

 chrome-iron ore. 



Notwithstanding the apparent firmness of the mass, arising out of its close-grained structure, it is still possessed of 

 but little cohesion, since a slight strain of the fingers is sufficient to produce a fracture, even in a rounded-shaped frag- 

 ment of the stone. \Vhen broken in this manner, however, the pieces are not prone to separate still farther, so as to 

 easily give rise to a powder. 



The meteoric iron is not tarnished by exposure to the air. It was examined for chlorine, without affording any 

 traces of this element. The most striking peculiarity found in this stone was the small proportion of nickel. At first 

 I failed to detect it altogether, but on a repetition of the search with 8 grains of the alloy, whose nitrohydrochloric 

 solution in a concentrated form was decomposed by ammonia in excess, I noticed an exceedingly faint blue tinge in 

 the fluid. The chromium, however, is more abundant than usual, amounting to above 3 per cent. I did not search 

 for tin or manganese. 



The following is a summary of the results obtained : 



Silicic acid 31. 37 



Magnesia 25. 88 



Protoxide of iron 17. 25 Earthy portion. 



Alumina- 49 



Soda traces 



Iron 16. 00 



Cobalt... o 



Chromium/"" 



Nickel traces 



Sulphur (phosphorus?) and loss 4. 73 



Meteoric iron. 



100.00 



A further account was given by Shepard, 8 as follow? : 



I have been favored with several additional particulars respecting this fall from persons who reside in the vicinity 

 of the locality. 



It fell near a place known as Pine Bluff, on Gasconade River, in township 37, range 11, west of the principal 

 meridian, in Pulaski County. Some persons were abroad in the woods at a sugar camp (a place for making maple sugar), 

 716 15 18 



