﻿H. 
  L. 
  'Ward— 
  Notice 
  of 
  an 
  Aerolite. 
  413 
  

  

  had 
  to 
  take 
  a 
  shovel 
  to 
  get 
  it 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  hole. 
  The 
  sand 
  was 
  

   hot 
  for 
  about 
  two 
  feet 
  around 
  where 
  it 
  struck. 
  I 
  should 
  think 
  

   about 
  one 
  third 
  of 
  it 
  broke 
  into 
  small 
  pieces 
  when 
  it 
  struck 
  the 
  

   ground. 
  All 
  the 
  outside 
  pieces 
  had 
  the 
  black 
  crust 
  on 
  them." 
  

   The 
  temperature 
  of 
  this 
  aerolite 
  on 
  reaching 
  the 
  earth 
  was 
  a 
  

   matter 
  of 
  much 
  interest 
  to 
  me. 
  It 
  seemed 
  not 
  improbable 
  that 
  

   such 
  a 
  large 
  mass, 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  about 
  20 
  inches 
  long 
  and 
  

   10 
  or 
  12 
  inches 
  through 
  in 
  the 
  thickest 
  part, 
  passing, 
  for 
  no 
  

   one 
  knows 
  how 
  long, 
  through 
  the 
  intense 
  cold 
  of 
  interstellar 
  

   space 
  should, 
  as 
  a 
  mass, 
  be 
  cold 
  upon 
  reaching 
  the 
  earth; 
  and 
  

   that 
  only 
  the 
  surface 
  for 
  a 
  slight 
  depth 
  should 
  become 
  heated. 
  

   Such, 
  however, 
  appears 
  not 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  case 
  with 
  this 
  

   meteorite 
  ; 
  which 
  agreed 
  with 
  popular 
  accounts 
  that 
  frequently 
  

   ascribe 
  great 
  heat 
  to 
  them. 
  

  

  In 
  a 
  later 
  communication 
  Mr. 
  Price 
  writes 
  : 
  " 
  In 
  regard 
  to 
  

   the 
  heat 
  of 
  the 
  meteorite, 
  as 
  I 
  understand 
  your 
  question, 
  you 
  

   would 
  like 
  to 
  know 
  whether 
  it 
  was 
  hot 
  all 
  through 
  or 
  not. 
  I 
  

   am 
  certain 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  hot 
  clear 
  through, 
  for 
  the 
  pieces 
  were 
  all 
  

   hot 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  four-pound 
  piece 
  I 
  sent 
  you 
  was 
  so 
  hot 
  that 
  I 
  had 
  

   to 
  keep 
  changing 
  it 
  from 
  one 
  hand 
  to 
  the 
  other 
  in 
  carrying 
  it 
  

   from 
  where 
  it 
  fell 
  to 
  -the 
  wagon. 
  As 
  to 
  the 
  speed 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  

   traveling 
  I 
  cannot 
  just 
  express, 
  but 
  will 
  say 
  that 
  while 
  it 
  was 
  

   plainly 
  visible 
  it 
  seemed 
  to 
  me 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  going 
  at 
  a 
  swift 
  

   speed." 
  

  

  The 
  accompanying 
  ilhistration 
  is 
  from 
  a 
  photograph 
  made 
  

   by 
  a 
  local 
  photographer 
  from 
  the 
  largest 
  piece, 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  

   weighed 
  62 
  J 
  lbs. 
  This 
  has 
  not 
  come 
  into 
  our 
  hands.* 
  We 
  

  

  * 
  We, 
  indeed, 
  confidently 
  expected 
  to 
  obtain 
  it 
  but 
  the 
  local 
  merchant 
  whose 
  

   offer 
  to 
  act 
  as 
  our 
  agent 
  in 
  its 
  purchase 
  we 
  had 
  accepted, 
  on 
  obtaining 
  a 
  clear 
  

   title, 
  proceeded 
  to 
  sell 
  it 
  to 
  other 
  parties 
  who 
  were, 
  however, 
  doubtless 
  ignorant 
  

   of 
  our 
  moral 
  claim. 
  Its 
  whereabouts 
  were 
  unknown 
  to 
  us, 
  when 
  this 
  article 
  was 
  

   written, 
  but 
  see 
  the 
  note 
  beyond. 
  

  

  