

1881.] V. Ball — On the origin of the Kharahpur Meteorite. 141 



sent to Dr. Haidinger in Vienna and possibly specimens were also sent 

 to other Museums in Europe. 



Dr. Haidinger* declared the iron to be of non -meteoric origin, an 

 opinion which was founded not only on the absence of true Wiedmann- 

 statten figures, but also on an analysis of the metal by Herr Karl Ritter 

 von Hauer which gave 98 per cent, of iron with a residue of silica and 

 carbon ; but no trace of either nickel or cobalt. 



Recently, when writing the Chapter on Iron for the forthcoming 

 volume on the Economic Geology of India, it occurred to me that it was 

 necessary that the true nature of this iron should be discussed, for, if it 

 were really native iron, it was, though not of meteoric origin, still worthy of 

 notice. On enquiry I found that the specimen had been removed from 

 the meteorite cases in consequence of its having been shown to be not 

 entitled to its place there ; but it seems that its true origin has never been 

 declared. In conjunction with several of my colleagues, I am fully 

 satisfied that it is nothing more nor less than an abnormally large ball 

 or bloom of iron from a native furnace. This view affords a means of 

 explaining the origin of the foot-like portion projecting from the mass 

 which Mr. Piddington endeavoured to explain in connection with the 

 meteorite theory. This foot was simply produced by the impress of the 

 base of the chimney shaft over the hearth which became filled with the 

 iron ; such a projection, which is in other words a cast of the form of the 

 bottom of the shaft, is to be seen on the majority of blooms, which re- 

 semble in shape inverted ' button' mushrooms with a portion of the stalk 

 remaining. 



, The Kharakpur iron differs from the native smelter's ordinary bloom 

 in being somewhat larger and in being of less symmetrical shape than 

 is usual. Its preservation and employment as an object of worship were 

 doubtless connected with these facts. It is possible that the hearth may 

 have been of the ordinary size but by a subsidence, due perhaps to an. 

 unobserved hollow or ant burrow in the soil underneath, it became 

 enlarged on one side ; and thus a long time elapsed after the smelting had 

 commenced before the accumulated metal rose to the usual level at the 

 base of the shaft, when the smelter's custom is to stop the blast, break 

 down the front of the furnace, and pull out, hammer and cut the bloom 

 in two. It may have been that the smelters, already alarmed by the 

 unusual consumption of ore and fuel, were fairly frightened out of their 

 senses when they saw the size of the bloom and thought it was the old 

 BMt himself, and at once proceeded to perform homage, which continued 

 to be offered by their descendants till the time when the bloom was 



* Sitzung. der Kais. Akad. Wien, XLV, p. 672. 



