4:70 Campbell and Howe — Meteoric Iron from Virginia. 



Regarding the gases in the meteorite we are permitted to 

 quote the following from Dr. Ramsay : 



" The gases were extracted by heating in vacuo. This gas 

 is very curious. There were only 3*52 cc , none of it dissolved 

 in KOH, Aq. On mixing with oxygen and sparking, there 

 was contraction, and afterwards a large absorption of C0 2 with 

 potash. The residue was very minute, so small indeed that on 

 letting it into a small exhausted tube it was at phosphorescent 

 stage. But with a jar and spark-gap it was possible to see the 

 argon blues, and without the jar the argon reds were just visi- 

 ble. I think I saw the helium yellow, but it was very feeble. 

 The complete analysis is as follows : 



Volume of gas from 6 '54 grams of the meteorite, 



3'52 cc 

 KOH. No contraction. 

 Oxygen added __ 9'18 



12*70 

 After sparking 12 *00 



Contraction for H 2 __ 0*7 X 2/8 0-46 H„ 



Absorption with KOH '_ _ 8-83 



C0 3 formed 3'17 3-17 CH 4 



Add 0M6 



3-63 

 Argon, etc., say 0*02 O-O^ A, etc. 



3-65 3-65 " 



Conceivably there may have been a trace of ethane, or of 

 some hydrocarbon richer in carbon, in which case the C0 2 

 would not have been equal to the CH 4 , but greater in .volume. 

 This might account for the small discrepancy between the 

 amount taken, 3*52 cc , and the total, 3'65." 



The question as to whether this meteorite is a portion of the 

 " Staunton " fall is not settled by the analysis. It differs some- 

 what from the specimens analyzed by Mallet in 1871, but on 

 the other hand it resembles in most particulars that analyzed 

 by Mallet in 1878. It should be noted that Brezina considers 

 that this latter specimen is not from the same fall as those 

 earlier analyzed. The analysis of the gases would seem to 

 point toward the present meteorite being identical with the 

 " Staunton/' though it does not decide the question. It is 

 peculiar in containing chiefly methane, but like the "Staunton " 

 contains argon. "Staunton" is the only meteorite reported in 

 literature, so far as we have been able to find, as containing 



