METEORITES OF NORTH AMERICA. 275 



BIBLIOGRAPHY. 



1. 1839: HERRICK. Fall of meteorite in Missouri, February 13, 1839. Amer. Journ. Sci., let ser., vol. 37, pp. 385- 



386. 



2. 1840: SHEPABD. Analysis of meteoric stone which fell near Little Piney, Missouri, February 13, 1839. Idem, vol. 



39, pp. 254-255. (Analysis.) 



3. 1848: SHEPARD. Report on meteorites. Idem, 2d ser., vol. 6, p. 403. 7. Little Piney, Missouri; Idem, pp. 407- 



410. 



4. 1859-1864: VON REICHENBACH. No. 9, pp. 161, 164, 169, 179; No. 11, p. 295; No. 13, p. 361; No. 15, pp. 101, 121; 



No. 16, p. 262; No. 17, p. 269; No. 18, p. 490; No. 20, p. 263; No. 23, p. 369. 



Livingston County. See Southland. 

 Lockport. See Cambria. 



LOCUST GROVE. 



Henry County, Georgia. 



Latitude 33 20' N., longitude 84 8' W. 



Iron. Nickel-poor ataxite, Siratik Group of Brezina. 



Found 1857; mentioned 1895. 



Weight, 10J. kgs. (22 Ibs.). 



The first published mention of this meteorite seems to have been in Brezina's * 1895 cata- 

 logue. The locality is given as Locust Grove, Henry County, Georgia, and inquiry is made 

 whether the meteorite should be united with the formerly known Henry County, Virginia. 

 Wiilfing, 2 accordingly, places the iron in his appendix and makes the same inquiry. 



The first description of the meteorite was given by Cohen, 3 as follows : 



This meteorite -was found on July 29, 1857, near Locust Grove, Henry County, North Carolina, and was preserved 

 until 1895 in a house not far from MacDonough, in Georgia (which circumstance explains Brezina's statement that 

 Locust Grove is in Georgia). The investigation undertaken in the latter year at the instance of the owner determined 

 the meteoric nature of the mass; although the results of this assay seem not to have been published. Since a fiery 

 meteor was observed in the neighborhood of Locust Grove, it has been supposed that this iron fell on that day. 



The meteorite was turned over by Mr. Sturtz, in whose possession it had remained, together with the above data, 

 to me for examination. 



It is an entire specimen, completely covered with crust; a small piece, estimated at 100 grams, has been cut from 

 one end and is now in the United States National Museum, at Washington. Since the remainder weighs 10,226 grams, 

 the original weight must have been about 10.33 kg. 



The mass has the form of a jawbone or, if the irregularities be disregarded, that of a club 24 cm. in length quite 

 evenly truncated at both ends, one of which is 10, the other 6 cm., in thickness. The longitudinal boundaries on three 

 sides consist of a single elongated flat face, the fourth side consisting of two faces which come together at an obtuse 

 angle and form the bulge or projection. Of the three former sides one is 10 cm. in diameter and forms a sort of base 

 upon which the block lies stable. About one-third of this face is covered with numerous small and flat pittings; the 

 second third forms a very large saucerlike depression (8 cm. long, 6 cm. broad, and 2 cm. deep); the last third is smooth. 

 Moreover, a few incisions are observable, which doubtless were produced by a chisel in the effort to cut off pieces of 

 the mass; yet each one may have been caused by casting the mass against sharp pointed fragments of stone. The 

 other two longitudinal faces are 4 and 5 cm. broad; the smaller, which stands almost perpendicular to the larger, is 

 slightly concave and quite smooth; the broader one, which forms an obtuse angle with the former, is quite distinctly 

 concave and thickly covered with small flat pittings. Of the two faces which together form the fourth side of the 

 mass, one stands perpendicular to the base, the other highly concaved face forms with the latter a tolerably sharp 

 angle. The former is rich in distinct and sometimes tolerably deep pittings, while the other shows only indistinct 

 shallow, saucerlike depressions, as if a plastic mass had been lightly pressed with the fingers. The sharp edge shows in 

 some places slight bulges and hooklike protrusions, such as appear on the broken surface of malleable metals. The 

 slightly arched thicker end is thickly covered with pittings, the thinner ends with the cut face above mentioned. 



Accordingly, all the faces with exception of the one 4 cm. broad, longitudinal face, and one-third of the base are 

 covered with pittings of similar character; it may be concluded that the meteorite, in its flight through the atmos- 

 phere greatly altered its condition. That the form presents scarcely anything characteristic may be seen from a model 

 or photograph of the mass. 



The exterior surface shows for the most part a very thin coating of rust; occasionally this is absent and is replaced 

 by a fusion crust about 0.5 mm. in thickness. Its occurrence, as well as the distinct preservation of the finger marks, 

 indicates that no considerable exfoliation of rust could have taken place and that the mass, with the possible excep- 

 tion of the piece cut off, remains in its original form and size. In view of the general condition of preservation it cer- 

 tainly could not have lain long in the damp ground . Despite this fact it seems hazardous to refer the fall to the meteor 

 which was observed a few days before the finding of the mass, since three days is not sufficient for the forming of a coat- 

 ing of rust even as this as that on this meteorite. 



