The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1899-04-26
HUNTING FOR METEORITES.
An Americans Visit to the Shah's Pal
ace and What He Brought Away.

An Americans Visit to the Shah's Pal
ace and What He Brought Away.
Prof. Henry A. Ward, president of Wards
Natural Science establishment, has just re-
turned from a long trip abroad, where he
has been engaged in the unique ard very
unusua! pursuit of hunting for meteorites.
He is spending a few days in Rochester,
devoting the time to classifying and ar
ranging his newly acquired specimens.
Il went abroad, said the professor, in
response TO an inquiry entirely in the in
terest of my private collection of meteor
ites collection whic am hoping to build
out so that it will at least rank among
the finest ten collections in the world. The
meteOrites l was after were in the hands
of royal muse inns, Universities and schools
Of mines, all under government supervision.
The only way in which it was possible for
me to get the desired specimens was to ex-
change from my own collection, gathered
in America, Australia and Japan. 1 wanted
some of theirs; they wanted some of mine.
And so l went
my route lay through England, France.
Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bohemia, Hol-
land and Switzerland; then on to Scandi.
across to Stockholm. Sweden Finland, then
to st. Petersburg and the Baltic provinces
and down to Moscow. In all those places
l made exchanges, giving them my sreci-
mems and getting theirs; fighting out all
the terms and details of the bargain, which
sometimes was very tiresome and nonoto-
nous business Some OF the meteorites
obtained are very valuable, however, worth
as high as two, three and four and even five
times their weight in gold.
'After got through with Northern Rus
STA I went south into Asia Minor"
II visited the capital of Persia, Teheran
spent two weeks Their, and saw the mis-
sionaries, the palace of the shah and other
interesting things. even got inside the
palace"
'sDid you see the shah himself?' inter-
posed the interviewer
Eyes. I obtained an audience of him."
"Did you find him an approachable sort
of fellow"
mot very. He seemed to have very
magnified sense of his own importance and
nary mortals. especially Christians How
ever. 1 got what went for, a piece of his
meteor. called the Veramin, after the place
where it was found. It was one of class few
in number, and is therefore desirable; and,
more than that. it is now owned by but two
persons in the world. The shah has the
largest part of it. l got only piece off the
end. My specimen weighs nearly two
pounds, however. Come into the next room
and 1 will show it to YOU"
The scientist led the way, and the scribe
followed. From a case which evidently had
just been opened, Prof. Ward took out a
dull looking chunk of meteorite which he
poised in his hand
There it isl said he, land 1 would not
exchange it for lump of gold Of the same
size and weight And the newspaper mans
mental ejaculation was: "And it weighs
nearly two pounds!"
IF ever man went on wild goose
chase said Prof. Ward, cit was when
went irto Persia to get piece of the shah's
meteorite. But got it," and the venerable
scientists eyes sparkled as he said it.
|, His journey was entirely successful, prob
ably beyond the fondest expectations of the
scientist. HIS collection of meteorites has
been greatly augmented until 1t is now one
of the finest four collections in America; and
as Prof Ward himself phrased it. .the end
is not yet"
In addition to re portion Of the shah's
metecrite, which IS perhaps the most pre-
cious souvenir of thine journey, Prof. Ward
has brought back home with him piece of
the famous Ensisheim meteorite, which fell
in the upper Rhine. valley about the time
Columbus sighted land in the new world.
the exact date being November &c, 1892.