A NEW METEORITE FROM WAYNE COUNTY, O. 337 



There was a very small quantity of manganese, that has 

 been estimated along with the nickel. 



The new Atacama Meteorite. 



A fragment of the meteorite lately described by Prof. Joy 

 (Amer. Jour, of Science and Arts, March, 1864, p. 243) has been 

 sent to me by Prof. C. F. Chandler, and I have thus been af- 

 forded an opportunity of carefully examining it. I had at first 

 supposed that it might be in some way related to the well-known 

 Atacama iron; but it is very clear, by the most casual inspec- 

 tion, that it has no connection with that iron; at the same time 

 it resembles so closely another meteoric mass from that region — 

 in fact, is so identical with it in all particulars — that if it had 

 not hailed from another locality it would be pronounced a 

 portion of the meteorite from Sierra de Chaco, Atacama, de- 

 scribed in 1863 by Prof. Eose (see Buchner, Geschichte der 

 Meteoriten, p. 131). 



Prof. Joy omitted to mention in his paper that the meteorite 

 was said to have been found in the Janacera Pass. 



The meteorite from Sierra de Chaco was, at the time it 

 was described, unique in its physical characteristics ; the close 

 resemblance to it therefore of the one under notice, and its 

 coming from Atacama, has induced me to investigate as far as 

 possible the relative position of Sierra de Chaco and Janacera 

 Pass. 



The best authority on the geography of Chili in this country 

 is doubtless Capt. Gilliss, of the United States Observatory at 

 Washington; in answer to my inquiries on the subject he gives 

 the following information: "I do not know any pass in Chili 

 named Janacera; there is a river Jarquera, which has its origin 

 near one of the passes in Atacama, and very probably there 

 is a pass of the same name. The river Jarquera is to the north- 

 ward and eastward of Chaco, the former being within the chain 

 of the Andes, and Chaco most probably is in the western or 

 coast range. They are from one hundred and twenty to one 

 hundred and fifty miles apart." 



As it is important to locate this meteorite correctly, I have 

 written to Prof. Domeyko on the subject. The village of Chaco 

 is situated near latitude 25° 20' S. and longitude 69° 20' W. 

 from Greenwich, and its height above the sea is 8,778 feet. 



