The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-01-20
DIAMONDS IN A METEOR.
Strange Discovery Of The Scientists in
an Arizona Canon.

Be Explained for Years.
From the Pittsburg Dispatch.
washington, Jan. 12.-New light has
rsen thrown upon the mystery of Canon
pablo. the wonderful crater" in that
81, nifty. situated to the eastward Of San
Francisco mountain. in Arizona, undoubt-
.5.y marks the spot where a comet struck
Che earth. For some time past biologists
have been puzzling over this matter. To
begin with, huge hole was found that
was unique in its way. No pit resembling
it has ever been discovered in any other
part Of the crust of this planet OF cir
calar shape and nearly 100 feet in deptb.
this remarkable depression measured
1aree-quarters of a mile in diameter and
was walled by precipices so steep that
animals falling in could not possibly get
out again.
Prof. Gilbert, the well known geologfst.
visited the spot and expressed the opinion
that only one theory could satisfactorily
account for the phenomenon. The Crater
had been formed by the impact of a gigan-
ta meteor. Important evidence in sun
port Of his idea was afforded by numerous
pieces OF meteoric iron which were found
scattered about in the immediate neigh
hlrhood Of the depression. Supposing the
suggestion TO be correct, the mass of the
meteor must be sunk in the bottom of the
hole. Attempts were made by the use Of
magnetic dip-needle to obtain indica-
lions of the presence of a great mass of
metal below ground, but there was no re-
suit
The meteor that struck near the Canon
Diablo was large enough to be termed a
comet. whereas 1t was supposed at first
that the pieces of meteoric iron found in
the neighborhood of the Crater were
fragments scattered from the mass on i'm
pact, strong apparent evidence to the con-
t-ary presently appeared. The 'frag-
ments' were discovered to be not frag-
ments at all but whole and perfect me-
1eorites Meteors are commonly broken
by striking the atmosphere, but the pieces
always show signs of fracture. and often
they may be fitted together. The solution
of the mystery is that this giant meteor
or comet, with a diameter of something
like 400 feet, was mainly a stony BODY
me tact that the mass was not wholly
or lton' nut merely a sort of stony pudding
iiied with plums of metal would account
for the failure of the dip-needle to give
any indication. Eventually the geologist
came along and discovered the Crater"
in ITS neishborhood he picked up pieces
Of meteoric iron. These were found in
astonishing numbers. Up to date many
hundreds Of them have been collected
They are Of all sizes and some of them
very large The biggest one thus far OBJ
Idined weighs l,OSl pounds and is the third
largest meteorite known to have fallen in
Tho United States.
While the crater itself may be con-
sidered as one of the wonders of the
world extreme interest attaches to the
pieces OF meteoric iron picked up in its
neghborhood. This is due, not so much
10 their aGfOnfcF 1,.-, 4
leeuharlties of structure which they ex-
Hlnt as to the fact that some of them have
betn found to contain diamonds 1t is said
that diamonds were discovered in a stony
Heieorite which fell in Russia half a
oo1e1 years ago, but the evidence at hand
ls not conclusive
me OF the first diamonds thus found
vas set in the point of a lead pencil. and
IlaSs was readily cut with it, when IL
gave forth the characteristic singing noise
Oh glass cutters diamond. Other tests
were attempted. but the matter was not
AHaIly settled until George +. Kunz, the
expert IN gems, succeeded in obtaining
about half a carat's weight of diamond
Gust from the meteoric metal and with it
polished several diamonds.
MT. kunz found in one good-sizeG
meteorite an irregular vein of white ami
g.ass-like material which proved to be
composed of iron, silica and diamond crvs-
have been performed recently by DR.. Q.
w. Huntington. By dissolving the meteo-
re material he has secured many small
diamonds. One Of them was a minute but
perfect oetahedron. 1t was mounted on
sHde Tor observation under the microscope
out presently it was found to have disap-
peared, leaving only a few minute crys-
'dlhne fragments. The same thing hap
lened to another similar specimen
Apparently the little gems having been
formed originally under pressure, explo-
ued on being exposed to the air of a warm
room This did not happen in every in
stance however. A permanent diamond
was secured, which, though small. was
Ha"less and of a fine luster The dia-
tlond crystals in the meteorites run all the
way from colorless, through yellow tints,
10 olue and black. None of them are large
enough TO have any commercial value
mere Is record of one other comet that
'9 Known to have struck the earth, but il
would be more accurate to say that this
bt3pe encountered merely some fragments
a.. IT, 1t was discovered by and named
-ieT the astronomer Biela, in 1926. It was
deserved again in 1882, in 1915 and in 1852
W lei9 1t had split into two parts, which
N-Ie distant about 5000 miles from each
g"eI. IN 1852 the two portions We're l.
""' miles apart. Judging from the di-
-,ll.on from which it was approaching the
gar Jh' II was reckoned that fragments Of
]. would be encountered by this planet on
anout certain date and that there
N'Il he star shower. Sure enough, the
11Iclon was accurately fulfilled, and the
a Te~iNr . I, -,