H. L. Ward — New Kansas Meteorite. 



233 



Art. XXIV. — A new Kansas Meteorite; by Henry L. 

 Ward, Rochester, N. Y. 



In October last Sam G. Sheaffer, Esq., Attorney-at-Law, of 

 Ness City, Kansas, called our attention to a meteorite that he 

 had in his possession ; and which, after some correspondence, 

 he sent to Ward's Natural Science Establishment for the pur- 

 pose of disposing of it. 



Mr. Sheaffer writes that " it was found about a year ago in 

 the southwest of this, Ness County, 

 Kansas. Was picked up on the side 

 of a draw, i. e., a dry creek, where 

 the surface had been eroded." 



In form it is a triangular pyramid 

 with the base set obliquely to its per- 

 pendicular. 



A mass of some weight had long 

 ago separated from the lower left 

 hand corner, as seen in the figure ; 

 but whether before, upon, or after 

 reaching the earth it is now impos- 

 sible to determine from the fractured 

 part. Several slight depressions 

 appear on the surface, which are 

 rather too sharply indicated in the accompanying figure. The 

 edges of the nearly plane faces meet in rounded angles. 



The meteorite is 92 mm in length, 64 mm across its widest face, 

 left to right of figure, and 49 mm in thickness, measured per- 

 pendicularly to the widest, and also largest, face. The termi- 

 nation had been chipped away for the purpose of ascertaining 

 its meteoric character before it was sent to us.' The weight of 

 the mass is 417 grams. 



This is not a prepossessing meteorite. It entirely lacks the 

 black crust characteristic of aerolites; and so strongly sug- 

 gested a weathered marcasite concretion that we were at first 

 skeptical as to its meteoric origin. However, tests for iron and 

 for nickel were both affirmative, and a polished chip showed 

 the former well distributed as minute specks through the mass. 

 A complete analysis has not yet been made. 



To our knowledge but one other meteorite has been described 

 from Ness County, Kansas. That is the Kansada aerolite 

 designated by the name of the town near which it was found. 

 The locality whence came the specimen under consideration, 

 Section 2, Township 20, S. of Range 21 west, is not marked 

 by a town ; and I therefore propose to designate this meteorite 

 as the Ness County. 



