Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1896-03-20
A STRAY PR0JECTILE.
A Forest Tree Oh Maury Island
captures n MeteOrite.
For the Standard.

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more than half Of its entire height, cut
squarely oft at distance of nearly one
hundred feet from the ground. The
remains of the decapita.eJ portion
were scattered about the base of the
tree where they seemed to have lain
for a term of years.
! The tree was five or six feet in diam
eter, and as there was no mark OF fire
about the trunk, it puzzled everybody
as to how the tree could have been
divided at SO great II height with evi.
| IDENTITY as clean horizontal cut as il
the work had been done with saw in
the hands OF expert woodmen.
When the tree was ielled the mys.
terry was in part explained. 1t was
found that the trunk had been en-
tirely cut through a. by some mighty
projectile, the burr left upon the woody
fiber indicating that the tree had been
struck by some object coming from q
northeasterly direction. But the
strangest part OF the whole matter re.
mains to be told.
In the center Of the face OF the stub
which was three feet across, there was
a charred depression extending six
feet downwards, and at the bottom OF
this hole was found meteoric stone
weighing about fourteen pounds.
The fact that the tree was com.
pletely cut in twain clearly evidences
that the meteorite which did the work
must have been much larger than the
fragment which had burned its way to
point below where it had at last
found a lodging place.
After careful examination of all
the details the only available theory
appears to be this: That meteorite
at least three feet in diameter coming
from the northeast in nearly hori-
zontal direction, had struck the tree,
cutting off its top and the fiery mass
being in plastic or friable condition
from extreme heat, had dropped the
fragment of its substance which was
found at the bottom OF the charred
cavity.
When the PROSTATE trunk was being
divided into sections for splitting and
burning, the workmen found an old
crack or check extending from the
bottom OF the stump 10 a height OF
twenty or thirty feet, just as the trunk
would naturally have been split had
the tree been struck by prodigious
force on the same side as the impact
Of the meteor.
The stone found in the cavity has a
specific gravity OF 275 and exhibits the
usual markings of specimens OF its
class. 1t is largely impregnated with
iron and shows traces of carbon and
crystalline structure.
The meteorite is Of an irregular
prismatic form, ten inches long by
seven inches wide. 1t presents all the
characteristics of having been frag-
ment detached by shock from the
parent mass.
Its once angular outline seems to
have been greatly modified by the
rigors of high temperature.
The melting point of iron is about
5000, while that of meteorites is much
higher, so that it is safe to conclude
that this stone at white heat would
have rapidly burned its way into solid
timber until its lessening temperature
arrested its downward course and thus
brought il to final rest.
A short scrap of history, quite in
keeping with the matter under consid-
Grafton, will suffice to close this arti-
Gle. About fifteen years ago, while re-
siding in Tacoma, Mr.. Suffer with
several other gentlemen was on the
street at a late hour of the night, going
home from meeting of the Masonic
lodge. when they were startled by the
spparitiOn of a bright meteor exactly
in the direction OF his county seat on
Maury Island, ten miles distant from
Tacoma.
The heavenly visitor illuminated the
surrounding country with the dazzling
splendor OF MONDAY. While the men
stood gazing at the meteor as it dashed
sthwart the sky in a southeastly d.
rection the nucleus exploded, filling
the midnight sky with myriads OF
glowing fire.balls which fell in ell di-
rections; many Of them falling in
very close proximity to Mr.. Suffers
present residence. Others fell on
Vashon Island and in Quartermaster
Harbor.
Thus il is a logical inference that
this meteor, or portion of it, struck
the fir tree on Mr.. Suffers land and
left in its mutilated trunk the stone
we have described. This conclusion is
further strengthened by the fact that
large specimen identical in structure
with the meteorite has been found on
Vashon Island, a mile or 80 in q wes-
,erly direction from the fir tree.
To the uninitiated it may be OF some
interest TO know that meteorites are
falling every day upon some portion
of the earth's surface; upon the
oceans and seas as we'll as upon the
continents and islands. No part OF
the world is exempt from their vista
ton and they are falling at all hours
Of the day and night; from an un.
clouded sky at MONDAY or the dark
ness of tempestuous weather.
Professor Young, the eminent as
trOnomer, declares that the earth
captures one hundred tons of these
lone wonders every day, and our col
lege museums contain specimens
weighing all the way from few
ounces to many tons, gathered from
all quarters OF the globe.
That aying meteor should come in
collision with forest tree is nothing
new in the annals of science. Large
trees have been known to be torn in
pieces by them, but the present in
stance is believed to be the first re-
corded case where tree having been
struck by such fiery mass has re-
tained any portion of the substance Of
the body.
Mr.. Suffer is one of Tacoma's re-
tired business men, a natural born
lover Of the beautiful and a devoted
scientist. He is we'll known about
the Sound country and takes pleasure
in describing to visitors the details OF
his rare discovery.
1t is well established fact that the
American people are swiudle,I and