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THE SCIENTIFIC MONTHLY. 5 01 
METEORIC IRON OF'IQUIQUE IN PERU. 
: '.C B¥—GUSTAF. ROSE. 
This paper was left completed but unpublished by its eminent author, and I 
has now been included in the volume issued by the “ Gesellschaft Naturfboschen- £ 
der Freunde der Berlin,” as the “ Festschrift” of its recent centennial meeting. _ J 
This mass of meteroric iron originally weighed twenty-five pounds. The 
part in the museum of the University weighs twenty pounds. It was fouud ten 
leagues to the east of the village of Iquique near the western boundary of the 
Pampa of Tamarngul. Raimondi, the ‘original describer of it, obtained for the 
i specific gravity 7.86. In an analysis by Rammelsberg 2.66 per cent, was remove d 
by solution of chloride of mercury. 
The composition of the parts gave: 
Iron. Nickel. Phosphorus. IHsqI. in Hi C. L. 
2.17 O.37 O.05 O.07 — 266 
The nickel and cobalt of the insoluble part was found to be 15.49 nickel and 
jo. 19 cobalt; this left 81.66 for the iron. Raimondi found three pieces of it to 
contain 81.42, 85.61, 87.59 of iron, and 18.52, 14.37, I2 - 3 8 > of nickel .—Sillimans 
Journal . 
INFUSORIAL EARTH. 
The numerous uses which the silicious remains of the microscopic animals, 
nown 'as diatoms or infusoria, have found, is illustrated by the following list 
ivenby Gruene and Hagemann, % the proprietors of the large German mines at 
herohe and Hutzel: 
1. As pure silica in the finest state of division, it is employed in the manufac- 
re of water-glass, water-glass soap, artificial stone, cements, patty lute, and 
tramarine. 
2. Because it is a poor conductor of heat, it is employed for packing steam 
d hot air apparatus, and pipes, where it excels every other material in lightness, 
isolating fire boxes, and catching radiant heat by protecting shields filled with 
> earth, etc.; for filling the space around money safes and ice chests; for lining 
i encasing the conduits for melted metals in founderies, and in the laboratories 
1 support for heating vessels that break easily. 
3. Because of its property of absorbing liquids, in which it surpasses that of 
other material previously known, it is employed for rapid filtration, making 
npitates solid, making dynamite and other explosives, and making cheap 
rs, because the infusoria take colors like cotton. In surgery it is used for 
•rption bandages and supports. The ability of infusorial earth to take up five 
s its own weight of liquid, and to suck it up rapidly without becoming fluid, 
les it to replace the filter press. It is simply necessary to surraund the filter 
a layer of dry infusoria, in order to obtain in a very short space of time the 
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