﻿W. 
  M. 
  Foote 
  — 
  JSfew 
  Meteoric 
  Iron. 
  153 
  

  

  Akt. 
  XYI. 
  — 
  Note 
  on 
  a 
  New 
  Meteoric 
  Iron 
  found 
  near 
  

   the 
  Torribighee 
  River 
  ^ 
  in 
  Choctaw 
  and 
  Sumter 
  Counties^ 
  

   Alabama^ 
  U. 
  S. 
  A. 
  ; 
  bj 
  Warren 
  M. 
  Foote. 
  With 
  Plates 
  

   II 
  and 
  III. 
  

  

  In 
  March 
  last, 
  the 
  lirm 
  of 
  Dr. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Foote, 
  Philadelphia, 
  

   Pa., 
  received 
  from 
  Mr. 
  Elbert 
  J. 
  Brower, 
  Keewanee, 
  Miss., 
  a 
  

   small 
  sample 
  of 
  iron 
  which 
  bore 
  evidences 
  of 
  meteoric 
  origin. 
  

   A 
  further 
  correspondence 
  resulted 
  in 
  the 
  purchase 
  by 
  this 
  

   firm, 
  through 
  Mr. 
  Brower, 
  of 
  six 
  masses 
  of 
  meteoric 
  iron, 
  con- 
  

   stituting 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  known, 
  an 
  entire 
  "fall." 
  Later 
  a 
  lengthy 
  

   but 
  unsuccessful 
  search 
  and 
  inquiry 
  was 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  

   for 
  other 
  pieces 
  which 
  might 
  have 
  fallen. 
  

  

  Nothing 
  whatever 
  is 
  known 
  in 
  that 
  section 
  concerning 
  the 
  

   actual 
  fall 
  ; 
  therefore 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  data 
  made 
  by 
  Mr. 
  

   Brower 
  was 
  limited 
  to 
  securing 
  statements 
  from 
  the 
  finders 
  and 
  

   the 
  owners 
  of 
  property 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  masses 
  fell. 
  These 
  state- 
  

   ments, 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  witnesses 
  last 
  June, 
  are 
  offered 
  

   as 
  a 
  true 
  history 
  under 
  Mr. 
  Brower's 
  affidavit, 
  and 
  after 
  

   arrangement 
  and 
  elimination 
  of 
  irrelevant 
  matter 
  by 
  the 
  writer, 
  

   are 
  here 
  briefly 
  outUned. 
  

  

  The 
  external 
  appearance 
  oi 
  the 
  specimens 
  is 
  best 
  understood 
  

   by 
  reference 
  to 
  Plate 
  II, 
  made 
  from 
  a 
  photograph 
  of 
  the 
  largest 
  

   mass 
  found. 
  It 
  resembles 
  the 
  usual 
  type 
  of 
  siderites, 
  the 
  

   characteristic 
  depressions 
  and 
  oxidization 
  being 
  well 
  shown. 
  In 
  

   parts 
  the 
  latter 
  assumes 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  limonite, 
  and 
  what 
  is 
  appar- 
  

   ently 
  an 
  earthy 
  hematite. 
  The 
  disintegration 
  of 
  the 
  iron 
  is 
  

   rather 
  marked, 
  being 
  accompanied 
  by 
  oxidization 
  and 
  the 
  deli- 
  

   quescence 
  of 
  a 
  reddish-brown 
  fluid, 
  lawrencite. 
  This 
  latter 
  

   feature 
  was 
  remarked 
  by 
  the 
  finders, 
  when 
  the 
  specimens 
  were 
  

   left 
  in 
  the 
  rain. 
  The 
  one-third 
  decrease 
  in 
  weight, 
  reported 
  as 
  

   occurring 
  since 
  the 
  largest 
  mass 
  was 
  found 
  twenty-one 
  years 
  

   ago, 
  is 
  further 
  evidence 
  of 
  instability, 
  in 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  any 
  

   precautions 
  for 
  preservation. 
  

  

  Internal 
  Structure. 
  — 
  The 
  smaller 
  mass 
  (No. 
  5), 
  shown 
  in 
  

   Plate 
  III, 
  exhibits 
  a 
  pronounced 
  cleavage 
  in 
  one 
  corner 
  from 
  

   which 
  a 
  sample, 
  already 
  referred 
  to, 
  was 
  broken. 
  This 
  cleav- 
  

   age 
  is 
  probably 
  not 
  due 
  to 
  any 
  uniform 
  crystalline 
  structure, 
  

   but 
  to 
  the 
  thin 
  plates 
  of 
  a 
  pyritiferous 
  mineral, 
  which 
  are 
  

   irregularly 
  scattered 
  through 
  the 
  mass. 
  The 
  edges 
  of 
  several 
  

   of 
  these 
  plates 
  appear 
  as 
  sharp 
  lines, 
  resembling 
  scratches 
  on 
  

   the 
  polished 
  surface, 
  their 
  true 
  nature 
  becoming 
  evident 
  on 
  

   etching. 
  The 
  iron 
  is 
  soft 
  and 
  takes 
  a 
  brilliant 
  polish. 
  On 
  etch- 
  

   ing 
  No. 
  5 
  with 
  dilute 
  nitric 
  acid 
  a 
  cubic 
  crystallization 
  was 
  dis- 
  

   closed 
  by 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  minute 
  Widmanstatten 
  figures, 
  

  

  Am. 
  Jour. 
  Sci.— 
  Fourth 
  Series, 
  Yol. 
  VIII, 
  No. 
  44.— 
  August, 
  1899. 
  

   11 
  

  

  