﻿414 
  A. 
  E. 
  Foote 
  — 
  Meteoric 
  Iron 
  of 
  Canon 
  Diablo. 
  

  

  Diablo 
  near 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  a 
  nearly 
  circular 
  elevation 
  which 
  is 
  

   known 
  locally 
  as 
  " 
  Crater 
  Mountain." 
  I 
  believe 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  

   same 
  as 
  Sunset 
  Knoll 
  figured 
  on 
  the 
  topographical 
  sheets 
  of 
  

   the 
  U. 
  S. 
  Geological 
  Survey. 
  This 
  is 
  185 
  miles 
  (297*72 
  kilo- 
  

   meters), 
  due 
  north 
  from 
  Tucson 
  and 
  about 
  250 
  miles 
  (402*34 
  

   kilometers) 
  west 
  of 
  Albuquerque. 
  

  

  The 
  elevation, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  survey, 
  rises 
  432 
  feet 
  (131*67 
  

   meters) 
  above 
  the 
  plain. 
  Its 
  center 
  is 
  occupied 
  by 
  a 
  cavity 
  

   nearly 
  three 
  quarters 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  (1*2 
  kilometers) 
  in 
  diameter, 
  

   the 
  sides 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  so 
  steep 
  that 
  animals 
  that 
  have 
  de- 
  

   scended 
  into 
  it 
  have 
  been 
  unable 
  to 
  escape 
  and 
  have 
  left 
  their 
  

   bleached 
  bones 
  at 
  the 
  bottom. 
  The 
  bottom 
  seemed 
  to 
  be 
  from 
  

   fifty 
  to 
  one 
  hundred 
  feet 
  (15*24 
  to 
  30*48 
  kilometers) 
  below 
  the 
  

   surrounding 
  plain. 
  The 
  rocks 
  which 
  form 
  the 
  rim 
  of 
  the 
  so- 
  

   called 
  "crater" 
  are 
  sandstones 
  and 
  limestones 
  and 
  are 
  uplifted 
  

   on 
  all 
  sides 
  at 
  an 
  almost 
  uniform 
  angle 
  of 
  from 
  thirty-five 
  to 
  

   forty 
  degrees. 
  A 
  careful 
  search, 
  however, 
  failed 
  to 
  reveal 
  any 
  

   lava, 
  obsidian 
  or 
  other 
  volcanic 
  products. 
  I 
  am 
  therefore 
  

   unable 
  to 
  explain 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  this 
  remarkable 
  geological 
  phe- 
  

   nomenon. 
  I 
  also 
  regret 
  that 
  a 
  severe 
  gallop 
  across 
  the 
  plain 
  

   had 
  put 
  my 
  photographic 
  apparatus 
  out 
  of 
  order 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  

   plates 
  I 
  made 
  were 
  of 
  no 
  value. 
  

  

  About 
  two 
  miles 
  (3*22 
  kilometers) 
  from 
  the 
  point 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  

   of 
  the 
  "crater" 
  in 
  a 
  nearly 
  southeasterly 
  direction, 
  and 
  almost 
  

   exactly 
  in 
  a 
  line 
  with 
  the 
  longest 
  dimensions 
  of 
  the 
  area 
  over 
  

   which 
  the 
  fragments 
  were 
  found, 
  two 
  large 
  masses 
  were 
  dis- 
  

   covered 
  within 
  about 
  eighty 
  feet 
  (24*38 
  meters) 
  of 
  each 
  other. 
  

   The 
  area 
  over 
  which 
  the 
  small 
  masses 
  were 
  scattered 
  was 
  about 
  

   one-third 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  (0*53 
  kilometer) 
  in 
  length 
  and 
  one 
  hundred 
  

   and 
  twenty 
  feet 
  (36*57 
  meters) 
  in 
  its 
  widest 
  part. 
  The 
  longer 
  

   dimension 
  extended 
  northwest 
  and 
  southeast. 
  

  

  Description 
  of 
  the 
  specimens. 
  — 
  The 
  largest 
  mass 
  discovered 
  

   weighs 
  201 
  pounds 
  (91*171 
  kilos,) 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  photograph 
  

   shows, 
  Plate 
  XIV, 
  has 
  a 
  somewhat 
  flattened 
  rectangular 
  shape 
  

   showing 
  extraordinarily 
  deep 
  and 
  large 
  pits, 
  three 
  of 
  which 
  

   pass 
  entirely 
  through 
  the 
  iron. 
  The 
  most 
  remarkable 
  example 
  

   of 
  such 
  perforation 
  is 
  the 
  Signet 
  Iron 
  from 
  near 
  Tucson, 
  Ari- 
  

   zona, 
  now 
  in 
  the 
  National 
  Museum 
  and 
  figured 
  in 
  Prof. 
  F. 
  W. 
  

   Clarke's 
  Catalogue.* 
  

  

  One 
  other 
  large 
  mass 
  was 
  found 
  weighing 
  154 
  pounds 
  (69*853 
  

   kilos!) 
  This 
  is 
  also 
  deeply 
  pitted. 
  A 
  mass 
  weighing 
  approxi- 
  

   mately 
  40 
  pounds 
  (18*144 
  kilos) 
  was 
  broken 
  in 
  pieces 
  with 
  a 
  

   trip 
  hammer 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  in 
  cutting 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  fragments 
  of 
  this 
  

   mass 
  that 
  diamonds 
  were 
  discovered. 
  Plate 
  XV. 
  

  

  * 
  The 
  Signet 
  Iron 
  was 
  discovered 
  about 
  30 
  miles 
  (4828 
  kilometers) 
  from 
  Tuc- 
  

   son. 
  Dr. 
  Geo. 
  H. 
  Horn 
  states 
  that 
  25 
  years 
  ago 
  he 
  was 
  told 
  by 
  the 
  Spaniards 
  

   that 
  plenty 
  of 
  iron 
  could 
  be 
  found 
  on 
  a 
  range 
  of 
  hills 
  extending 
  northwest 
  and 
  

   southeast 
  half 
  way 
  hetween 
  Albuquerque 
  and 
  Tucson. 
  

  

  