The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-03
THE MGTEoRITE UNLoADED
TAKEN FRoM THE HOPES HOLD
At THE NAYY TlRD.

PonrS's PriSe u IN Reality n MeteorIte.
Tho largest mcteorito that tho eye Of man
ever behold. according TO tho bost
10 he obtained from man or from books. is lying
on tho Cob Dock in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
he big !Governmcnt derrick. capable OF lifting
400 tont, yanked IL out OF tho hold of tho Hope,
the little thrcc.masted ship in which Lieut..
Robert L. Pcary, u. $. ", made his latest trip
20 the Arctic regions, yesterday morning, and
deposited 1t on tho Cob Dock about 100 yards
from the receiving ship Vermont, where it will
remain until Lieut.. Peary decides what to do
with 1t.
The Hope was towcd around to the Cob Dock
from tho foot OF Dock street, Brooklyn. carly in
the morning. The big derrick was lying along
aide. Tho estimated weight OF the metcoritc is
90 tons, Knowing this. the man who bosscd the
job OF unloading the wanderer from starland
IFtgRcd tho derrick with two great chains. strong
9hbtsh to sustain as much as the derrick can lift.
= Tho meteorito lay on n timber platform
In the vessels hold amidships. The plat
form was bolstorcd up by stono ballast.
It was constructed of four heavy timbors
without flooring. Enough ballast was re-
moved from beneath the motcoritc, just inside
the cross pieces connecting tho ends of the two
longer timbers OF the platform. to permit the
two chains to be passed under the mass and con.
nected. Then the steam hoist was set in motion
and the meteorite began 10 rise slowly out Of the
Hopes hold.
The work was watched by 500 or 600 persons,
some from Brooklyn. some from New York, and
some from Philadelphia Washington, who
had journcycd to the navy yard for the especial
purpose Of being able to say that they had
seen the largest meteorite that ever came
down to earth. As soon as the hugo
mass OF iron began 20 move. the men cheercd
and the women waved handkerchiefs and the
small boys yelled. When the meteorite swung
clear of tho ship there was a great creaking of
the cable chains. Some one in the crowd yelled:
the ropes!"
The women thought something terrible was
going to happen. and some of them screamed.
Over their cries there suddenly rang out a voice
mellowcd with rich Irish brogue:
They're chains. ye landlubber. Chains! Dlvil
q foine tonne yc'd have maxim thin shrink, II
ye played q hose on en-
A roar of laughter greeted the sally, and when
the identity OF the man was discovered he was
found to be one of Lieut.. Peary's sailormen.
who has followed the fortunes of the explorer in
more than one Arctic cruise.
The work of unloading the meteorite began
about 10 O'Clock in the morning. and was COM
pleted about ! o'clock in the afternoon: When
The mass was finally deposited on the dock
the friends Of Lieut.. Pcary ciamberod to the
deck Of the Hope and congratulated the ex-
plorer and his wife. who stood beside her hus-
The meteorite, which may also be correctly
called meteorolite, or an acrolite. as one prefers.
thick. 1t doesn't look as il it weighed half of
ninety tons. o. course, its actual weight can
DO only guessed at, but the derrick man. who is
the heaviest thing for its size he ever saw. He
no is certain that it weighs close to ninety tons.
: The meteorite. as 1t rests on the dock. looks
something like that of a great boulder through
which q narrow arch has been irregularly cut.
All over 1t are protuberances, but the surface is
When the meteorite is struck with a hammer
It gives out a thin metallic sound, as II 1t were
1t was covered with canvas, to protect II from
the weather, it was said. just why a mcteorite
that has been exposed to Arctic storms, perhaps
for centuries. needed protection from the wealth
er was not made clear.
shore of Melville Bay. on the west central coast
Of Greenland; not far from Cape York; Eyer
meteorite was there. Lieut.. Peary heard about
# when he went on his voyage Of discovery in
but had never been able to and =. Peary made
up his mind to find 1t, and did. Getting Its loca-
n mos, as he I sec. ont ov es n the ee snow from ON a .h sle asr,.
After q journey OF 200 miles he found 1t in
The next thing was to get it aboard ship. All
that could be seen OF it above the surface Of the
ground was a little Of its top or back. After
to load the meteorite. He determined. how.
'y When 81 n he went Went = So SF,nf last IS 80 spring Sfa G he took f' wiih
him a number of hydraulic jackscrews. having
to a point whence it could be loaded BY
means of these. The meteorite lay only
The 'Ao Hops e'''e droppe stpm anchor che 'f in' Meiv Pfe
Bay, the crew. armed with, plckaTes and
spades, went ashore and began digging about the
they, reached It's lower surface; Having OK.
posed it on all sides, skids were rugged, the by.
HpanIir iacEa 1uara lrn,nht nnt fapkla mazda
ready, and. the great mass of iron was slowly
moved to the shore. The tackle. similar to that
meteorite was lowered into the ships hold. The
work took We days. and every man Of the crew
The ship had TO be lightened as much as posi-.
BILE. SO that, with the ninety tons OF metal in her,
she might make the return voyage in safety.
Speaking of his find yesterday. Lieut.. Peary
This is the larges: meteorite ever discovered.
cult to, estimate. From a scientific standpoint;
Its , yslue d is very great ,1 1t is composed posed
s per cent. nickel. 1t is Of practically the
same composition as the armor plate used
Greenland meteorites, the natives obtained iron
from which TO make what tools and knives they
use; ! have not yet determined what ! shall do
with IT,. 1t is my property. absolutely. as is
everything else l bring from the north. The
my expeditions. l shall probably place the mete-
orite in some museum"
An expert osP}eai i! 4v geology; minsIrlosy: and metal;
the possibility that Lieut.. Peary's find is not u
meteorite at all. In speaking OF such q posi-
billy this gentleman said:
do not think for a moment that l do not
believe Lieut.. Peary has discovered u me.
teorite. lie probably knows as well, or. perhaps.
better. than anybody else just what the mass 10
which he has, brought down from the North.
/ have not heard that he has offered any
proof that he has found q mcteoritn, and,
therefore,, until he does. l simply suggest
tho possibility that 1t is not a meteOrite at all
which he has found. l suggest this possibility,
because all the authorities on The subject that |
know of say that none OF the Greenland irons
thus far discovered are mcteoritcs. Therefore,
should like to. have Liout Pcary answer the
following questions:
How does no know he has discovered q
meteorite I
q. "'Who says 1t IL a metcoritc D
HAS IA specimen OF it ever been analysed
III SO, What scientific men examined it, an.
nlyzed, the specimens and pronounced upon
II wish to state again that these questions
are asked IN no unfriendly spirit. l have simply
thought that answers to them. which Lieut..
Peary can. no doubt, satisfactorily give 4
those who are inteEesied in TIE subject
Wrench Institute AMI a professor in