﻿416 
  A. 
  E. 
  Foote 
  — 
  Meteoric 
  Iron 
  of 
  Canon 
  Diablo. 
  

  

  mercial 
  value, 
  but, 
  mineral 
  ogically, 
  they 
  are 
  of 
  the 
  greatest 
  

   interest, 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  such 
  in 
  meteorites 
  having 
  been 
  

   unknown 
  until 
  1887, 
  when 
  two 
  Russian 
  mineralogists 
  dis- 
  

   covered 
  traces 
  of 
  diamond 
  in 
  a 
  meteoric 
  mixture 
  of 
  olivine 
  and 
  

   bronzite. 
  Granules 
  of 
  amorphous 
  carbon 
  were 
  also 
  found 
  in 
  

   the 
  cavity, 
  and 
  a 
  small 
  quantity 
  of 
  this 
  treated 
  with 
  acid 
  had 
  

   revealed 
  a 
  minute 
  white 
  diamond 
  of 
  one-half 
  a 
  millimeter, 
  or 
  

   about 
  j' 
  T 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  in 
  diameter. 
  In 
  manipulation, 
  unfortu- 
  

   nately, 
  this 
  specimen 
  was 
  lost, 
  but 
  others 
  will 
  doubtless 
  be 
  

   obtained 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  investigation. 
  The 
  minerals, 
  troilite 
  

   and 
  daubreelite, 
  were 
  also 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  cavities. 
  The 
  propor- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  nickel 
  in 
  the 
  general 
  mass 
  is 
  three 
  per 
  cent, 
  and 
  the 
  

   speaker 
  was 
  not 
  as 
  yet 
  able 
  to 
  account 
  for 
  the 
  extraordinary 
  

   hardness 
  apart 
  from 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  diamonds 
  in 
  the 
  

   cavities." 
  

  

  Prof. 
  Koenig 
  in 
  a 
  letter 
  to 
  me 
  gives 
  the 
  following 
  points 
  as 
  

   definitely 
  known. 
  

  

  "(1.) 
  Diamonds* 
  black 
  and 
  white 
  established 
  by 
  hardness 
  

   and 
  indifference 
  to 
  chemical 
  agents. 
  (2.) 
  Carbon 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  

   of 
  a 
  pulverulent 
  iron 
  carbide 
  occurring 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  cavity 
  with 
  

   the 
  diamonds. 
  The 
  precise 
  nature 
  of 
  this 
  carbide, 
  whether 
  

   containing 
  hydrogen 
  and 
  nitrogen 
  is 
  not 
  ascertained 
  except 
  in 
  

   so 
  far 
  that 
  after 
  extracting 
  all 
  iron 
  by 
  nitro-hydrochloric 
  acid, 
  

   the 
  black 
  residue 
  goes 
  into 
  solution 
  with 
  deep 
  brown 
  color 
  

   upon 
  treating 
  it 
  with 
  potassium 
  or 
  sodium 
  hydrate. 
  From 
  

   this 
  solution 
  acids 
  do 
  not 
  precipitate 
  anything. 
  (3.) 
  Sulphur 
  

   is 
  not 
  contained 
  in 
  the 
  tough 
  malleable 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  mete- 
  

   orite 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  pulverulent 
  portion. 
  (4.) 
  Phosphorus 
  is 
  con- 
  

   tained 
  in 
  the 
  latter, 
  and 
  not 
  in 
  the 
  former. 
  (5.) 
  Nickel 
  and 
  

   Cobalt 
  in 
  the 
  proportion 
  of 
  2:1 
  are 
  contained 
  in 
  both 
  parts 
  

   nearly 
  equally. 
  ("7.) 
  Silicon 
  is 
  only 
  present 
  in 
  the 
  pulverulent 
  

   portion. 
  (8.) 
  The 
  Widmannstattian 
  figures 
  are 
  not 
  regular. 
  

   (9.) 
  The 
  iron 
  is 
  associated 
  with 
  a 
  black 
  hydroxide 
  containing 
  

   Fe, 
  Ni, 
  Co, 
  P, 
  in 
  the 
  ratio 
  of 
  the 
  metallic 
  part 
  and 
  therefore 
  

   presumably 
  derived 
  by 
  a 
  process 
  of 
  oxidation 
  and 
  hydration 
  

   of 
  the 
  latter." 
  

  

  Conclusions. 
  — 
  As 
  this 
  meteoric 
  iron 
  contains 
  only 
  3 
  per 
  cent 
  

   of 
  nickel 
  while 
  that 
  from 
  the 
  Santa 
  Catarina 
  Mountains, 
  30 
  

   miles 
  (48-28 
  kilometers) 
  southeast 
  of 
  Tucson 
  and 
  215 
  miles 
  

   (346 
  kilometers) 
  from 
  this 
  locality, 
  contains 
  from 
  8 
  per 
  cent 
  to 
  

   9 
  per 
  cent, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  analysis 
  of 
  Brush 
  and 
  Smith, 
  they 
  

   are 
  quite 
  distinct 
  although 
  somewhat 
  alike 
  in 
  external 
  appear- 
  

   ance. 
  They 
  also 
  somewhat 
  resemble 
  the 
  Glorietta 
  meteoric 
  

   irons 
  from 
  about 
  300 
  miles 
  (482*8 
  kilometers) 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  north- 
  

   east, 
  in 
  New 
  Mexico. 
  These 
  contain 
  11*15 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  nickel. 
  

  

  