﻿A. 
  E. 
  Foote 
  — 
  Meteoric 
  Iron 
  of 
  Canon 
  Diablo. 
  415 
  

  

  Besides 
  these 
  masses 
  of 
  considerable 
  size 
  a 
  careful 
  search 
  

   made 
  bj 
  myself 
  with 
  the 
  assistance 
  of 
  five 
  men 
  was 
  rewarded 
  

   by 
  the 
  discovery 
  of 
  108 
  smaller 
  masses. 
  Twenty-three 
  others 
  

   were 
  also 
  discovered 
  making 
  a 
  total 
  of 
  131 
  small 
  masses 
  rang- 
  

   ing 
  in 
  weight 
  from 
  T 
  ' 
  ¥ 
  of 
  an 
  oz. 
  (1*79 
  grm.) 
  to 
  6 
  lbs. 
  10 
  oz. 
  

   (3*006 
  kilos.)* 
  A 
  brownish 
  white 
  slightly 
  botryoidal 
  coating 
  

   found 
  on 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  meteorites, 
  is 
  probably 
  aragonite. 
  

  

  A 
  thorough 
  examination 
  of 
  many 
  miles 
  of 
  the 
  plain 
  proved 
  

   that 
  the 
  car 
  load 
  of 
  iron 
  existed 
  only 
  in 
  imagination. 
  Accom- 
  

   panying 
  the 
  pieces 
  found 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  "crater" 
  were' 
  

   oxidized 
  and 
  sulphuretted 
  fragments 
  which 
  a 
  preliminary 
  

   examination 
  has 
  shown 
  are 
  undoubtedly 
  of 
  meteoric 
  origin. 
  

   About 
  200 
  pounds 
  (90*718 
  kilos) 
  of 
  these 
  were 
  secured, 
  from 
  

   minute 
  fragments 
  up 
  to 
  3 
  pounds 
  14 
  oz. 
  or 
  (1*757 
  kilos.) 
  

   These 
  fragments 
  are 
  mostly 
  quite 
  angular 
  in 
  character, 
  and 
  a 
  

   very 
  few 
  show 
  a 
  greenish 
  stain, 
  resulting 
  probably 
  from 
  the 
  

   oxidation 
  of 
  the 
  nickel. 
  This 
  oxidized 
  material 
  is 
  identical 
  in 
  

   appearance 
  with 
  an 
  incrustation 
  which 
  covers 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  iron 
  

   masses 
  and 
  partially 
  tills 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  pits. 
  

  

  Composition. 
  — 
  After 
  obtaining 
  the 
  meteorite 
  I 
  was 
  unable 
  

   to 
  return 
  to 
  Philadelphia 
  for 
  sometime, 
  and, 
  therefore, 
  sent 
  a 
  

   fragment 
  of 
  the 
  40 
  pound 
  mass 
  (18*144 
  kilos) 
  to 
  Prof. 
  G-. 
  A. 
  

   Koenig 
  for 
  examination. 
  Pro£ 
  Koenig 
  was 
  compelled 
  to 
  leave 
  

   town 
  before 
  this 
  examination 
  was 
  completed. 
  I 
  take 
  the 
  fol- 
  

   lowing, 
  therefore, 
  from 
  his 
  letters 
  to 
  me 
  and 
  from 
  an 
  account 
  

   furnished 
  the 
  daily 
  Public 
  Ledger 
  by 
  Dr. 
  E. 
  J. 
  Nolan, 
  Secre- 
  

   tary 
  of 
  the 
  Academy 
  of 
  Sciences, 
  of 
  a 
  preliminary 
  notice 
  made 
  

   by 
  Prof. 
  Koenig, 
  June 
  23rd, 
  before 
  the 
  Academy 
  of 
  Natural 
  

   Sciences 
  of 
  Philadelphia. 
  In 
  this 
  account 
  he 
  says 
  : 
  

  

  " 
  In 
  cutting 
  the 
  meteoric 
  iron 
  for 
  study 
  it 
  had 
  been 
  found 
  of 
  a 
  

   extraordinary 
  hardness, 
  the 
  section 
  taking 
  a 
  day 
  and 
  a 
  half, 
  and 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  chisels 
  having 
  been 
  destroyed 
  in 
  the 
  process. 
  When 
  

   the 
  mass, 
  which 
  on 
  the 
  exterior 
  was 
  not 
  distinguished 
  from 
  

   other 
  pieces 
  of 
  meteoric 
  iron, 
  was 
  divided, 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  

   the 
  cutting 
  apparatus 
  had 
  fortunately 
  gone 
  through 
  a 
  cavity. 
  

   In 
  the 
  attempt 
  to 
  polish 
  the 
  surface 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  bring 
  out 
  the 
  char 
  

   acteristic 
  Widmannstattian 
  figures, 
  Dr. 
  Koenig 
  received 
  word 
  

   that 
  the 
  emery 
  wheel 
  in 
  use 
  had 
  been 
  ruined. 
  

  

  On 
  examination, 
  he 
  then 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  exposed 
  cavities 
  

   contained 
  diamonds 
  which 
  cut 
  through 
  polished 
  corundum 
  as 
  

   easily 
  as 
  a 
  knife 
  will 
  cut 
  through 
  gypsum. 
  The 
  diamonds 
  

   exposed 
  were 
  small, 
  black, 
  and, 
  of 
  course, 
  of 
  but 
  little 
  com- 
  

  

  * 
  Oct. 
  18th. 
  — 
  During 
  September 
  I 
  received 
  three 
  additional 
  large 
  masses 
  weigh- 
  

   ing 
  respectively 
  632, 
  506 
  and 
  145 
  pounds 
  (or 
  286-678, 
  229-516 
  and 
  65*771 
  kilos.) 
  

   The 
  two 
  latter 
  were 
  each 
  perforated 
  with 
  three 
  holes. 
  A 
  number 
  of 
  smaller 
  

   masses 
  up 
  to 
  7 
  pounds, 
  (3-175 
  kilos.) 
  were 
  discovered 
  by 
  digging. 
  The 
  three 
  

   large 
  masses 
  and 
  one 
  of 
  23 
  pounds, 
  (10-432 
  kilos) 
  were 
  covered 
  with 
  grass 
  and 
  

   earth.— 
  A. 
  E. 
  F. 
  

  

  