356 G. P. Merrill — New Stony Meteorite. 



Art. XXXI. — On a New Stony Meteorite from Modoc, Scott 

 County, Kansas ; by George P. Merrill, with analyses 

 by Wirt Tassin. 



The meteoric stone described below "was received at the 

 National Museum from Mr. J. K. Freed, to whom we are in- 

 debted for the facts given relative to its fall and the privilege 

 of describing it. 



The stone fell on the night of September 2, 1905, about 

 10 p. m., and seems to have come from the west or southwest. 

 When about six miles due west of Scott City it exploded with 

 what is described as a terrific roar, plainly heard for a distance 

 of 25 miles, awakening those who had already gone to sleep 

 and frightening people for miles around. Its appearance when 

 exploding was variously described as like the " headlight of a 

 locomotive," and a " white light as big as a haystack afire." 

 Eighteen miles south of Scott City it is stated to have been 

 light enough to " pick up a pin." Following the explosion, 

 was a noise compared with the discharge of a heavy battery 

 of artillery or of a heavy wagon running rapidly over the 

 frozen ground, the noise gradually dying away like rolling 

 thunder in the distance. Some claim to have heard the whist- 

 ling of rocks through the air like bullets or heavy hail. Mr. 

 Freed himself compares the sound to that of "a mighty 

 swish-h-h, resembling the sound of a sky rocket." 



After a search extending over a period of more than a year, 

 fourteen pieces have been reported as found, scattered over an 

 area some two miles by seven in the vicinity of Modoc, a 

 small town on the Missouri Pacific Railroad. These were 

 mostly complete individuals. Three and a fragment received 

 at the National Museum weighed, respectively, 4640, 1170, 

 490, and 110 grams. Two others obtained by Dr. O. C. Far- 

 rington for the Field Columbian Museum are reported as 

 weighing about 5400 grams. An individual of approximately 

 2000 grams weight is reported as in the hands of a collector in 

 Kansas. This accounts for seven out of the fourteen reported 

 finds. It seems safe to assume that the weight of the entire fall 

 could not have been less than 15 kilograms. 



The 4 - 64 kilo individual received at the Museum was the 

 largest thus far reported. Its dimensions are : Height over 

 all, 21 cm ; maximum width, 15-5 cm ; thickness, 10-65 c ™. This 

 was found several miles east of the others and was imbedded 

 but four or five inches in the hard buffalo grass sod, inclining 

 slightly to the west. It is a complete individual, with the 

 exception of a small fragment of about an ounce weight, which 



