1 1 s 



5 CIENCE-GOSSIP. 



Gregory Collection by a fine piece. Among other 

 stony ones are examples of falls from Barbotan (1790); 

 Salles (17S9); L'Aigle (1S03), two fine complete 

 stones ; a characteristic piece from Chantonnay 

 (1812) ; a fine specimen from Chassigny (1S15), 

 which is a rare type ; another great rarity of which 

 only one stone is known, is from Aubres (1836) ; 

 another difficult one to obtain is from Chandakapur 

 (1S3S) ; there is a fine example from Chateau 

 Renard (1S41); the rare American meteorite from 

 Cabarras county (1S49) ; a fine specimen from 

 Dhurmsala (1S60) ; a rare type from Grosnaja 

 (1S61) ; a small complete stone of the rare type from 

 Orguiel (1864); a fine complete stone of the Saint 

 Mesmin fall (1866) ; a choice fragment of the 

 Daniels Kuil fall (1S68) ; . a piece obtained 

 from the late Abbe Moigno of the Cleguerec (1S69) ; 

 a fine complete stone from West Liberty (1S75) ; a 

 very fine specimen from Soko Banja (1877) ; a 

 characteristic specimen of the Pavlovka fall (1882) ; a 

 large example of the fall at Alfianello (18S3) ; a very 

 rare specimen of extremely scarce type is from Novo- 

 Urei (Alatyr) (1S86) ; a rare Indian stone from 

 Lalitpur (1S87) ; an exceptionally fine specimen from 

 Tabory (1887); a very rare complete stone from 

 Bielo-Krynitschie (1887) ; about half the whole stone 

 that fell at Pipe Creek in 18SS. 



Among the siderolites and siderites is a portion of 

 the earliest known of the former, from Krasnojarsk 

 (1749) ; a fine slice of the Sierra de Chaco (1S64) ; a 

 piece of the very rare fall from Pavlodar (1S85); 

 a complete mass found in 1890 at Nejed ; another 

 found in 1891, of the Youndegin fall, portions of 

 which were figured in Scienxe-Gossii' last month ; a 

 very fine mass from Thunda, which fell in 1886 ; 

 a mass from Waldrons Ridge ; a complete mass 

 found in 1S91 at Canon Diablo, and many others 

 of great interest. 



Most of the above-named examples of meteorites 

 are good-sized specimens for handling, but many, very 

 rare specimens, are only of small size. In a number of 

 cases the whole stones were quite small, from which 

 only little pieces were detached. Some of the rarest in 

 the collection and most difficult to procure are those 

 from Vorkshire(i795), Tabor(i753), Luponnas(i753), 

 Albareto (1766), Mauerkirchen (176S), Siena (1794), 

 Krakhut (1798), all of them having fallen previously 

 - to iSoo. Since that date, there are many good ex- 

 amples in the collection such as Stannern (1S08), 

 which has a black shining glazed crust, rather a rare 

 type: Mooresfort, Tipperary (1S10), and another 

 from Limerick (1813), both rare Irish specimens, the 

 former from the Croker Collection. There are also 

 specimens of more modern falls, some from an 

 enormous shower that fell at Pultusk, in Poland, in 

 1S68, there being many thousands, from the size of a 

 pea upwards. In 1872 a curious stone, a few pounds 

 in weight, fell at Orvinio, near Rome, this had a very 

 unusual brecciated structure which is of some rarity. 

 The falls of S"ka-Banja, Servia (1S77), Mocs, Hun- 

 gary (1S82), Alfianello, Italy {18S3)— a big stone of 

 400 lbs., Kesen, Japan (1850), Winnebago Co., Iowa 



(1S90), a large shower; at Bath, Dakota '1892^ 

 Beaver Creek, Brit. Columbia (1S93), Fisher, Minne- 

 sota ( 1 S94), Ambapur-Nugla, India (1895), Lesves, Bel- 

 gium (1S96), Zavid, Bosnia ( 1S97) are also represented. 



Of Meteoric Irons some rare ones are those of 

 Elbogen, Bohemia, described in 1811, Lenarto, Hun- 

 gary (1S14), Lockport (1S1S), Scriba (1834), Burling- 

 ton (1S19), all in New York State; Jewell Hill, 

 North Carolina (1854), Chesterville, South Carolina 

 (1849), Ruffs Mountain (1850), Chulafianee, Alabama 

 (1S73), Lagrange, Kentucky (1S60), are some of the 

 earlier irons which are now difficult to procure. 

 There are others later of which that from South Cat- 

 arina, Brazil contains nearly 30 per cent, of nickel. 

 is a very remarkable one, being one of the richest in 

 that metal. 



Several Meteoric Irons have been found of late years 

 in S. Africa, probably partly owing to facilities of 

 travelling and of exploration. From the same region 

 also, several accounts have come of falls, that have 

 created some sensation in newspapers ; but one 

 seldom hears anything further about them. 



Many interesting siderolites are represented 

 especially those wonderful little complete masses, 

 of which several pounds were obtained, ranging in 

 size from \ oz. to 2 or 3 ozs. each, by raking them 

 in from the edge of a lake at Estherville, Iowa, where 

 they fell on May 10, 1879. Each piece being complete 

 in itself two or three large masses fell at the same 

 time the largest over 400 lbs. Another rare example 

 is that in the possession of the Shah of Persia, which 

 fell at Karand, near Teheran in Persia in 18S0. It is 

 a mass of about 100 lbs. in weight, and being the 

 private property of the Shah, it is now very difficult 

 to procure specimens from it, as it is very highly 

 valued by its possessor. The Kiowa, Kansas sidero- 

 lite, found in 1890, is also shown by a fine example 

 It is a siderolite of the " Hallasite" type. 



The illustrations are taken from specimens in 

 Mr. Gregory's collection and are both from complete 

 stony meteorilites. No. 1 fell in February 1875 at 

 West Liberty (Homestead) Iowa County, Iowa, 

 U.S.A. Its weight beiijg seven pounds five ounces. 

 This specimen is particularly interesting because it is 

 covered all over with a thin black crust formed 

 during incandescence through the friction with the air 

 its descent. Fig. 2 is one of the fall on April 26, 1803, 

 at L'Aigle, Orme, France. Its weight is 26 ounces. 

 It is also covered with the black crust excepting the 

 portion at the right end where the crust has been 

 chipped probably through striking a stone on reaching 

 the earth. 



One could imagine the destruction which would 

 occur through a meteorilite of considerable size 

 striking any object on its reaching the earth. If one 

 were to insure against such destruction or death, 

 caused by the fall of a meteorite, it is probable that 

 Lloyd's or other Assurance Companies would accept 

 the insurance at the lowest known premiums. Still 

 there is at least one known case of a man being killed 

 by a meteorite, a priest in fact, and of more than one 

 house being destroyed. 



