Dr. Walter Flight— On Meteorites. 61 



1873. — Chulafinee, Clebome Co., Alabama.^ 



The writer refers to a mass of iron which was found in 1873, and 

 supposed at the time to be a specimen of bog iron-ore. It was taken 

 to a blacksmith, who managed to remove a piece weighing 3|-lbs., 

 which was wrought into horseshoe nails and a point for a plough. 

 It remained where it was found till last year, when it was sent to 

 Menlo Park. It weighs 32^ lbs., and its form, as well as the 

 character of an etched surface, are shown in woodcuts accompanying 

 the paper. An analysis shows it to contain iron and nickel, with 

 a little coj)per, phosphorus, and carbon : it is being made in 

 duplicate, and will be published later on. The Wiedmannstattian 

 figures are well developed. 



1874. April 10th, 7-57 p.m. (Prague mean time). Bohemia.^ 



A detonating meteor ; conforms in radiant-point with that of 

 1876, April 9th. 



1874. May 14th, 230 p.m. Castalia, Nash Co., N. Carolina. 

 [Lat. 36° \V, Long. 77° 50^] ^ 



A short notice in Silliman's Journal states that the descent of 

 these meteorites, numbering a dozen or more, was accompanied with 

 a series of explosions and rumbling noises which lasted about four 

 minutes, and were " not unlike the discharge of firearms in a battle 

 a few miles off." Although the fall took place by day, a luminous 

 body was observed. The area over which the fragments fell was 

 ten miles long and three wide. Three stones, weighing 5-5, 1*0, 

 and 0"8 kilog., have been found. The dull-coloured crust does not 

 entirely cover the stones, the fused matter forming it being scattered 

 over, some small parts of the surface in the form of pear-shaped 

 beads : in one or two crevices the fused material has penetrated 

 5 millims. below the surface, and here it is more brilliant than on 

 the surface. 



The colour of the interior is in many parts of a dark grey, owing 

 to the presence of a larger amount of nickel-iron ; in the lighter 

 portions are seen some white spots of a mineral that is doubtless 

 enstatite. The specific gravity of the stone is 2-601, and its proxi- 

 mate composition : — 



Nickel-iron 15-21 



Soluble silicate 44-92 



Insoluble silicate 39-87 



■100-00 

 The metallic part consists of — 



Iron = 92-12; Mckel = 6-20; Cobalt = 98-73; 

 and the siliceous portions of — 



SiOo AI0O3 FeO MgO NajO S 



A. Soluble 38-01 0-46 17-51 41-27 ...... I'Ol = 98-26 



B. Insoluble... 52-61 4-80 13-21 27-31 1-38 = 99-31 



1 W. E. Hidden, Anier. Journ. So. 1880, xix. 370. 



* Prof. G. von Messl, Sitztmgsber. Akad. JViss. JFien, Ixxv. April 19th, 1877. 



2 J. L. Smith, Amer. Journ. Sc. [3] ^iii. 147. 



