Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-06-12
BUNTING FOR AN AEROLITE.
Professor Emerick's Long Search and His
Accidental Success.


The finding of the great aerolite which
was seen by many persons in Independence
township, Washington county, Pa, on the
night of September 14th, is told at length
by the Pittsburg Dispatch. About month
after the aerolite was seen and was said to
have fallen, Professor Jonathan limerick,
of William and Mary College, began search
ing for it. His search led him into Butler
county, then into Allegheny, and, although
he decided that if the stone fell anywhere
il must have been near Clayville, he exam
ined very minutely all that region of coun-
try lying contiguous to Clayville, extend
ing his his researches north and south of
that point for about six miles, and also
spent some time in wandering through that
part of West Virginia lying adjacent to
Washington county. On the 10Th of this
month the savant was rewarded by finding
the huge stone on the farm of Frederick
Miller, about two miles north of Claws
vile. 1t was lying at the base of high
hill, which is heavily timbeTed with oak,
and was deeply imbedded in the soil and
almost concealed from view by the dead
leaves the wind had blown over it. The
discovery was only an accidental occur
renee. The Professor being well acquainted
with the geological strata of Western Penn
sylyania, was engaged in locating a well
for the Claysville Oil Company, and in the
discharge of this duty stumbled on the
spot where the immense aerolite lay 1t
required three men several days to unearth
the monster. 1t had penetrated the earth
until it came in contact with stratum of
limestone, when this sndden check of its
fearful velocity caused it to break into
many pieces of all sizes and shapes, yet
when the earth was removed from around
it, it still preserved its original shape, so
that the Professor was enabled to have a
photograph made of it, snd it only fell to
pieces when the specimen-hunters tackled
it. Professor limerick states that there are
only eighteen well authenticated cases in
which aerolites have fallen in the United
States during the last sixty years. Besides
these there are 261 the date of whose fall is
reasonably well determined. There are
also seventy-four instances of aerolites in
which the date of fall is not given authori-
tatively. Add to these eighty-six masses,
which, from their peculiar composition
are believed to be aerolites, though the
date of their fall is not ascertainable, and
we find the entire number of aerolites
which have fallen to be about 430.
Professor Limerick says this stone will
weigh perhaps 200 tons, being considerably
heavier than the aggregate weight of all
which have heretofore fallen. On an ana
lysis it was ascertained that there was in its
composition chromium, nickel, Alumni
um, copper, magnesium, tin and other
metals and metalloids. 1t contained 81 per
cent. of iron which may be readily worked.
This indicates that the stone is not of ter
restrial origin, for while iron ores are
abundant in nature, iron in the metallic
state is exceedingly rare. 1t also contains
in small quantity substance called
schreibersite, composition which has
never been found except in aerolites. Its
specific gravity is 7.412 about twice that of
the Guernsey (Ohio) aerolite, which fell
on the 1st of May, 1860. The elevation of
the aerolite was computed to be about fifty
two miles above the earth's surface, and
its path was nearly horizontal. The length
of its visible path was about 150 miles, and
it moved from northeast to northwest The
time of its flight was estimated between
five and ten seconds, indicating velocity
of not less than fifteen or twenty miles per
second Commercial Gazette