The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1877-04-19
Riches from the Skies-A Queer Story.

AT four O'Clock on the morning of the
7th of January an immense body, glow
ing with intense brilliancy, came rushing
across the face of heaven, illuminating
the earth with the light of day. 1t trav-
elcd in an Oblique direction from the
southwest to the northeast, and instantane-
Ously shock was felt that almost threw
the few spectators at that carly hour from
their feet.
About ten days ago, Mr.. Wheeler, who
cultivates rancho in Diamond Valley,
and who is also in the stock business,
came into town and left most remarka-
BILE subsistence with an assayer. Mr..
Wheeler had a smattering of metallurgical
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, ana imme-
diately attracted his attention by its unu-
sual weight and peculiar color, it being of
purplish- black shade, and, where it had
been broken off the main body, presenting
laminated stratificatiOn that he failed to
recognize. Mr.. Wacke expended the
whole night in aseries of experiments, ap..
plying every known test to the article, and
detecting the presence of iron, nickel,
cadmium, lead, silver, gold, zinc, cobalt,
silica and phosphorus. There was also
residuum to each assay, of which Prof.
Wacke was unable to determine the prop
critics, but he hopes by the use of the spec
troscope to classify it.
A surprising feature of the orc is ex-
cessive malleability and ductility, small
v1<,r%so,, Il hnsrrp ro<1,,co1 hv hmm rNOr
ing, to film notexceeding one-hundredth
of an inch in thickness. He has sent
portion of it to the San Francisco Acade-
my of Sciences, and also to Prof. SILL
man, of New Haven, and in the meantime
is prosecuting his researches. Prof.
Wacke has found that the substance will
reach 1857 in silver and az in gold per
ton.
The strangest part of the story remains
to be told; and now that Mr.. Wheeler has
duly recorded his claim and perfected his
title, we feel at liberty to disclose the
facts. On the morning of the eth OF JAN
uary Mr.. Wheeler was almost thrown from
his bed by a violent shock. Getting up
and looking out of tie window he OBJ
served, at the foot of the mountain, an
immense mass, glowing at white heat
and of intense brightness. Hastily dress
ing, he approached as near possible, and
found that the object lay just at the foot
of the Diamond Mountain range. but the
heat was SO great that he could not 60
within 1 900 yards of the spot.
He kept his own counsel, and made re-
peated attempts to reach it, but did not
succeed until the 14th inst, when it had
cooled sufficiently to allow him to break
off the portion brought to town. The main
body will measure about sixty feet in
height, eighty seven feet in width, ard is
3l4 feet in length. These are the proper
tons of the body visible, and it is proba-
BILE that as much more is embedded in the
earth. Mr.. Wheeler calculates that there
are at least 1900, 900 tons in sight. and if
it will work anywhere near the assay he
will extract an immense sum from the
mass. -ENreka (Nev.) Sentinel.