E. E. Howell — Description of the Mt. Joy Meteorite. 415 



Art. LIU. — Description of the Mt. Joy Meteorite ; by 

 Edwin E. Howell. 



The accompanying cut gives a good idea of the form of the 

 third largest meteorite found in the United States, and the 

 largest east of the Mississippi River. • 



It was found in November, 1887, on or about the 16th of 

 the month, by Jacob Snyder, about a foot below the surface 

 while digging to plant an apple tree near his house, five miles 

 to the southeast of Gettysburg, in the township of Mt. Joy, 

 Adams Co., Penn. It was supposed by the finder and his 

 friends to indicate the near presence of an iron mine, and 

 considerable prospecting was done to locate it. The meteorite 

 was placed on some timbers in the open air where it remained 

 until the summer of 1891, before it was seen by any one who 

 surmised its true character. 



Professor F. W. Clarke induced Mr. Snyder to send it to 

 the National Museum for inspection, but was finally unable to 

 secure it, as Mr. Snyder was unwilling to part with it for a 

 price, which the museum felt justified in paying. I, therefore, 

 purchased it from Mr. Snyder on the 15th of August, 1891. 

 The three largest dimensions of the meteorite are 11, 24, and 

 33|- inches and it weighed on the museum scales 847 lbs. 

 Professor Clarke had a few ounces taken off for examination ; 

 with this exception and the scaling of decomposed crust, from 

 the outside, the mass still remains as it was found. 



Professor Clarke has kindly furnished me with the follow- 

 ing analysis, made by Mr. L. G. Eakins in the laboratory of 

 the United States Geological Survey. 



Professor Clarke did not succeed in developing the Wid- 

 manstattian figures satisfactorily, and the small amount of 

 nickel shown by the analysis would indicate a poor etching 



Am. Jour. Sci— Third Series, Vol. XLIV, No. 263.— Novembee, 1892. 



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