122 FIELD CoLUMBIAN MusrEum — GEo.oey, Vot. III. 
be able to find a number of these the next morning, but on searching 
succeeded in discovering only one. ; 
Mr. McDonald heard sounds like the firing of a machine gun, and a 
few days later found a small stone about too feet from his house. 
Mr. J. K. Freed heard sounds like those of a machine gun. 
Inhabitants of Scott, about four miles east of the place of fall, gen- 
erally described the sounds as like those of a wagon traveling over a 
bridge. 
An account of the occurrence published in the local paper, the 
scott County Chronicle, Sept. 8, 1905, six days after the fall, was as 
follows: 
‘Last Saturday night about ro o'clock a remarkably bright meteor 
was seen in the heavens west from this city. It was almost as light as 
day. The explosion occurred in the vicinity of Modoc and was heard 
clear across the county. T.D. Marshall had a piece of the meteor in 
town Wednesday which he found near his house, which is black on the. 
outside and gray on the inside, and is heavily charged with metal 
indicating silver and gold. It is reported that W. E. Curtis anda 
man named Pence have found pieces that show that the remnants 
were scattered over several miles of territory. Mr. Marshall says 
the commotion in his territory was simply terrifying.”’ 
Under Modoc items an account was given in the same paper as fol- 
lows: 
“Last Saturday night about 9 o’clock a meteor passed over this 
locality. It was followed by a roar that sounded like thunder. It 
probably bursted, as fragments were heard falling by several persons 
and T. D. Marshall and W. E. Curtis each found one. The parts found 
were dark lead color; almost black, and give a metallic sound when 
struck. They are checked by small cracks indicating an extremely 
heated condition while passing through the air. They weigh but a 
few ounces, yet are prized by the finders as they probably represent 
part of some planet far away, and have traveled for millions of miles 
through space before finding a resting place on Earth.”’ 
The difference in time of these two accounts is accounted for by the 
fact that in Modoc, Mountain time is used, but in Scott, Central time. 
The area over which the meteoric stones were found was one about 
seven miles by two, the longer distance extending east and west. The © 
region is a rolling prairie, rather thinly inhabited. Much of the area has 
never been plowed. The native sod, or “‘buffalo sod,”’ as it is often 
called, proved comparatively impenetrable to the stones which fell 
uponit. A slight indentation in the sod showed plainly where a stone 
weighing 7 pounds, found by the writer, had struck. The ground also 
