Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1877-04-12
RICHES FROM THE SKIES.
The Gigantic Mass that Fell In Diamond
Valley, Nevada-A Queer Story.
Eureka Sentinel

Eureka Sentinel
AT about four O'Clock on the morning
of the seventh Of January an immense
body, glowing with intense brilliancy.
came rushing across the face of heaven.
illuminating the earth with the light OF
day. 1t travelled in an oblique direction.
from the southwest to the northwest, and
instantaneously shock was felt that al
most threw the few spectators at that
early hour from their feet.
About ten days ago Mr.. Wheeler, who
cultivates a ranch in Diamond Valley,
and who is also in the stock business,
came into town and left a most remark,
able substance with an assayer Mr.
Wheeler had a sma.tering OF metallurgi-
Cal knowledge, and, it seems, had tested
the compound with blow-pipe and other
means within his reach, and detected the
presence of the precious metals, but was
unable to determine the value.
The piece submitted to the assayer was
about as large as hens egg, and immedi-
ately attracted bis attention by its unusu-
al weight and peculiar color, It being Of
purplish- black shade, and where IL had
been broken off the main body presenting
u larninated qualification that he failed
to recognize. Nr. Wacke expended the
whole night in q series of experiments,
1
and detecting he presence of iron, nickel,
cadmium, lead, silver, gold, zinc, cobalt.
silica and phosphorus. There Was also a
residuum to each assay, of which Prof.
Wacke was unable to determine the prop
critics, but he hopes by the use of the
spectroscope to classify it.
A surprising feature OF the ore Is ex-
cessive malleability and ductility, q small
portion OF it being reduced by hammer
ing to q film not exceeding one-hundreth
Of an inch in thickness. He has sent q
portion OF it to the San Francisco Acade-
my of Sciences. and also to Prof. Silliman
2 of New Haven, and in the meantime is
prosecuting his researches. Prof. Wacke
has found that the substance will
reach 1887 In silver and $42 in gold per
ton.
The strangest part of the story remains
to be told; and, now that Mr.. Wheeler
has bis claim and perfected the duly
recorded title, we feel at Liberty to
disclose the facts. On the morning OF the
seventh Of January Mr.. Wheeler was al
, most thrown from his bed by a violent
shook. Getting up and looking oct of the
window, he observed at the foot Of the
mountain an immense mass, glowing at a
J white heat and of intense brightness
Hastily dressing, he approached as near
as possible, and found that the object lay
just ct the foot of the Diamond Mountain
range, but the heat was % great that he
could not go within one thousand yards
of the spot.
J He kept his own counsel, and made re-
peated attempts to reach il. but did not
succeed until the 18th inst, when il had
cooled sufficiently - allow him to break
of the portion brought to town The
main body will measure about sixty feet
in height, eighty-seven feet in width, and
IL three hundred and thirteen feet In
length These are the proportions OF the
body visible, and 1t Is probable that as
much more Is imbeded In the earth. Mr..
Wheeler calculates that there are at least
two million tons in sight, and IL it VIII
work anywhere near The assay he will
extract an immense sum for the mass