﻿W. 
  M. 
  Foote 
  — 
  Note 
  on 
  a 
  New 
  Meteoric 
  Iron. 
  415 
  

  

  Aet. 
  XLYII. 
  — 
  Note 
  on 
  a 
  New 
  Meteoric 
  Ironfoicnd 
  near 
  Iredell^ 
  

   Bosque 
  County^ 
  Texas, 
  U. 
  S. 
  A. 
  ; 
  hy 
  Wareen" 
  M. 
  Foote. 
  

  

  In 
  July, 
  1899, 
  the 
  firm 
  of 
  Dr. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Foote 
  of 
  Philadelphia, 
  

   Pa., 
  received 
  from 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  W. 
  Jones 
  of 
  Rowlett, 
  Texas, 
  several 
  

   ore 
  samples 
  for 
  examination. 
  Among 
  them 
  was 
  a 
  fragment 
  of 
  

   metallic 
  iron 
  bearing 
  characteristic 
  signs 
  of 
  meteoric 
  origin. 
  

   Later, 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  fragments 
  of 
  the 
  original 
  mass 
  which 
  could 
  

   be 
  traced, 
  were 
  purchased 
  by 
  the 
  same 
  firm. 
  The 
  finder 
  sup- 
  

   plied 
  the 
  following 
  data 
  in 
  a 
  certified 
  statement: 
  The 
  original 
  

   mass, 
  roughly 
  estimated 
  at 
  about 
  three 
  pounds 
  weight 
  and 
  

   shaped 
  like 
  a 
  large 
  mussel-shell, 
  was 
  found 
  by 
  J. 
  W. 
  Jones 
  

   while 
  prospecting 
  in 
  June, 
  1898, 
  on 
  the 
  eastern 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  

   Dudley 
  sheep 
  ranch, 
  situated 
  in 
  the 
  western 
  corner 
  of 
  

   Bosque 
  Co., 
  Texas, 
  about 
  Hve 
  or 
  six 
  miles 
  southwest 
  of 
  the 
  

   village 
  of 
  Iredell 
  and 
  one-half 
  mile 
  from 
  the 
  county 
  line. 
  It 
  

   lay 
  exposed 
  in 
  a 
  rut 
  seven 
  inches 
  deep, 
  worn 
  in 
  an 
  old 
  road, 
  on 
  

   the 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  hill. 
  The 
  finder 
  broke 
  the 
  mass, 
  dis- 
  

   tributing 
  pieces 
  among 
  strangers 
  and 
  passing 
  acquaintances, 
  

   who 
  employed 
  the 
  metal 
  in 
  various 
  ways, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  making 
  

   of 
  knife-blades, 
  etc. 
  Over 
  a 
  year 
  later 
  some 
  of 
  these 
  fragments 
  

   were 
  recovered, 
  although 
  it 
  was 
  impossible 
  to 
  get 
  the 
  slightest 
  

   trace 
  of 
  a 
  majority 
  of 
  them, 
  constituting 
  over 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  

   original 
  specimen, 
  A 
  thorough 
  search 
  was 
  made 
  for 
  other 
  

   masses 
  which 
  might 
  have 
  fallen 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  find, 
  but 
  

   without 
  success. 
  

  

  The 
  total 
  weight 
  of 
  the 
  known 
  fragments 
  is 
  500 
  grams. 
  In 
  

   exterior 
  appearance 
  this 
  fall 
  resembles 
  most 
  siderites, 
  present- 
  

   ing 
  an 
  uneven, 
  somewhat 
  rusty 
  surface 
  with 
  slight 
  exudation 
  

   of 
  lawrencite; 
  also 
  streaks 
  of 
  schreibersite. 
  The 
  fragments 
  are 
  

   quite 
  rough 
  and 
  angular, 
  where 
  broken. 
  The 
  three 
  best 
  

   instances 
  of 
  cleavage 
  are 
  exhibited 
  in 
  one 
  specimen. 
  These 
  

   are 
  three 
  pairs 
  of 
  perfect, 
  adjacent 
  planes 
  forming 
  angles 
  

   of 
  120°. 
  Other 
  less 
  definite 
  cleavages 
  also 
  indicate 
  the 
  crystal- 
  

   lization 
  to 
  be 
  dodecahedral. 
  However 
  these 
  angles, 
  although 
  

   near 
  one 
  another, 
  form 
  no 
  apparent 
  relationship, 
  which 
  can 
  be 
  

   explained 
  by 
  the 
  changes 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  mass 
  has 
  been 
  subjected. 
  

   It 
  parts 
  easily 
  along 
  the 
  cleavage 
  planes 
  and 
  following 
  irregular 
  

   fissures 
  where 
  the 
  disintegration 
  is 
  most 
  advanced. 
  Fractured 
  

   across 
  these 
  natural 
  lines, 
  it 
  presents 
  a 
  glistening 
  tin-white 
  

   finely 
  crystalline 
  surface. 
  Grains 
  and 
  plates, 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  2"^™ 
  

   thick, 
  of 
  a 
  brittle 
  magnetic 
  mineral, 
  of 
  pyritiferous 
  aspect, 
  are 
  

   common. 
  The 
  smaller 
  particles 
  of 
  this 
  were 
  so 
  intimately 
  mixed 
  

   with 
  the 
  iron 
  as 
  to 
  defy 
  mechanical 
  separation. 
  A 
  qualitative 
  

   examination 
  showed 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  iron, 
  phosphorus 
  and 
  nickel. 
  

  

  