84 Report on Meteorites. 



Dr. J. H. Kain of this city : " The large mass of meteoric iron 

 found some years ago in Cocke county, (on a creek called 

 Cosby's,) fell into the hands of some persons who tried to break 

 it with sledge-hammers, but not succeeding, they placed it upon 



what is here called a c log-heap, 5 where after roasting for some 



time, it developed certain natural joints, of which advantag 

 was taken with cold chisels and spikes, for its separation into 



fragments. These were put into a mountain waggon, and 



and there 



hammered into ' gun-scalps,' and other articles of more corn- 

 Some remnants of the mass fell into the hands of 



mon 



' 



? 



Dr. Troost. The original mass was one of rare character, and 

 ought to have been preserved entire. Much of it was composed 

 of large and perfect octahedral crystals. Its weight was about a 

 ton. Another mass weighing one hundred and twelve pounds 

 was found near the locality of the larger one. This also was 

 malleable, very white, and easily cut with a sharp instrument. 

 It was picked up by a mountaineer, who supposing it to be sil- 

 ver, asked fifteen hundred dollars for it. After retaining it for 

 some years, he finally sold it to a friend of mine for a small sum 

 who transferred it to Dr. Troost." 



Extract from the letter of December, 1845, to myself: "The 

 weight of the mass has been variously estimated ; but I am cer- 

 tain it was never weighed, prior to its being broken up. It was 

 probably about two thousand pounds. In figure, it was an ob- 

 long, square block. I saw several very regular octahedral crys- 

 tals that had been detached from the exterior angles of the mass. 

 I had formerly supposed that the whole of it had been taken to 

 Lary's forge, in Sevier county, and the greater part of it there 

 wrought into ' gun-scalps f but very recently, I have been in- 

 formed, that part of it was taken to the forge of Peter Brown, in 

 Green county, and there forged. I understand that a man by the 

 name of McCoy, had a neat bar forged from it for making a gun- 

 barrel, which, to use the expression of Brown's son, * was as 

 bright as silver.' In the conversation, young Brown informed 

 me that he thought a piece of the iron in its natural state still re- 

 mained. On searching, it was found by a little girl of the family- 

 It weighs rather more than a pound, and had been preserved by 

 the family as a nut-cracker. * 



" The great mass was found on a hill, or rather on an offset of 

 an eminence, at about one hundred feet above the bed of Cosby s 

 creek. I was at the place after the mass was taken away. The 



form 



stains of red oxvd of iron. McCoy 



i 



* This specimen I owe to the kindness of Judge Peck. 



