256 The American Geologist^ April, i890 
MetaCtAdolinite — A NEW MINERAL. E. Goldsmith (Jour. 
Anal. Chem. vol. iv, page 23.) in an article on "Gadolinite 
from Llano county, Texas," describes and gives an analysis 
of this apparently new mineral, occurring as an incrustation 
upon the species gadolinite. As is so very frequently the case, 
incrustations are mixtures, Mr. Goldsmith resorted to several 
tests, which gave no evidence of a mixture, thereby proving it 
to be apparentlv a distinct species. The analysis gave, 
"SiO., 18.145 YO 21.854 
06364 20.662 CaO 3.642 
FoaOs 26.026 MgO 0.214 
HaO 9.761 
A hydrated tri-basic silicate represented by 2(RO+R30i) 
SiO.,(R02,i). The mineral is amorphous, dull and brittle. Color : 
grayish brown. Streak : red. Hardness : 3. Sp. Gr. 3.494. 
Within the past few months there have been described from 
the Llano Co. localities no less than four new and distinct 
species. Yttrialite, Thoro-gummite and Nivenite (Hidden 
and Mackintosh, Am. J. Sci. vol. 38, p. 473), and the above 
described species. 
A GROUP OP Meteorites. Some "heavy stones" unearthed 
on a farm in Kiowa county, Kansas having been lying around 
for three years have recently been discovered to be meteorites. 
They have now all been distributed, some are gone to Wash- 
burn College, Topeka, others to the Kansas State University 
at Lawrence, the Minnesota State University and to Iowa. 
The largest is over 300 lbs weight and others vary down to 
about forty pounds. We will give a fuller account of these 
meteorites next month, but will say here that some of them 
are nearly all iron and others have nickel and cobalt, and also 
contain some earthly and glassy minerals. 
A PATENT WATER-wiTCH. According to the Mining and En- 
gineering Journal, in which the details of the experiments are 
given, a Bavarian by the name of Heerdegen has an apparatus 
by which he detects the presence of water in subterranean 
reservoirs or streams, and which he will not yet fully describe 
nor allow to be inspected till he secures his patent. The in- 
strument indicated, in the neighborhood of Sing Sing, the lo-^ 
cation of some of the new water-courses of the Croton aque- 
duct, the same being far below the surface and without any 
possible clue to their location, especially to a stranger. The 
old aqueduct in New York was in the same way accurately lo- 
cated by Mr. Heerdegen. Again 150 feet of |-inch steam hose 
was coiled about on the second floor of the Raub building, 
corner Nassau and Fulton sts. When subsequently filled with 
water, Mr. Heerdegen succeeded fairly well in tracing on the 
next floor above the position and direction of the coil. Some 
other equally satisfactory tests were made. 
