THE FISHEK, POLK COUNTY, MINNESOTA, METEORITE. 



By George P. Merrill, 



Head Curator, Department of Geology, United States National Museum. 



In the American Geologist for December, 1894, brief mention is 

 made of the finding near Fisher, Polk County, Minnesota, of a 

 meteoric stone weighing 9 J pounds. This, the first found within the 

 State limits, was assumed to be a representative of a reported fall 

 which took place on the 9th of the preceding April. In a subsequent 

 number of the Geologist, Prof. N. H. Winchell began a petrographic 

 description of the stone, which was continued over into volume 20, 

 1897, but not completed, nor was a satisfactory chemical analysis 

 made. 1 In view of these facts and the subsequent finding of more 

 material, -a complete reviewal of the matter seems desirable. 



According to Professor Winchell there had been found at the time 

 he wrote but two stones, one, the 9|-pound mass mentioned above, 

 and one, weight unknown, "but larger/' which was broken up and 

 largely lost, though several pieces passed into the possession of Dr. 

 George F. Kunz. Later three other individuals were found, one of 

 which, a beautifully perfect stone weighing 1,312 grams, came into the 

 possession of the United States National Museum. The following 

 information concerning the fall and finding of these pieces was fur- 

 nished the writer by Mr. C. J. Sweet : 



On that date [that is, April 9, 1894] persons in the neighborhood of here [Fisher] 

 heard a loud explosion followed by a hissing noise as of steam escaping from high 

 pressure, and then a thud as if something had struck the earth very solidly. Of 

 course nothing was known of the cause of the disturbance at this time, but in the 

 summer following a black stone was found which proved to be a meteorite of 9£ 

 pounds weight. This piece was sold to the Minnesota State University, the authori- 

 ties there claiming it the first which was ever found in this State. The next summer 

 (1895) two small pieces of the same meteorite were found by me and sold to a firm 

 in New York. This summer (1898) I found another piece when breaking up a new 

 field. This piece weighs slightly less than 3 pounds. 



In addition to information furnished as above, I am informed by 

 Dr. E. O. Hovey that there is in the American Museum of Natural 

 History, New York, "a beautiful specimen of Fisher, Polk County, 



i See American Geologist, vol. 14, 1894, page 389; vol. 17, 1896, page 173; and vol. 20, 1S97, page 316. 



Proceedings U. S. National Museum, Vol. 48— No. 2084. 



503 



