The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-07-13
1t Weighs Fifty Tons and Would
Cost Fifty Thousand Dollars
to Get Ii to the Seashore.
PROFESSOR WARDS DISCOVERY
Twenty-Eight Men Employed 10
Dig 1t Out of a COrnfield-
Pieces Broken With
Dynamite.

SPECIAL
Chicago. July I2-Professor Henry A..
Ward OF this city. who has returned from
a visit to Mexico. announces the discovery
there Of the largest meteroite on record.
This gigantic messenger from the skies,
which is so big, says Professor Ward, that
II would cost 1900 to bring IL TO the sea
coast. weighs about nifty tons.
Tn announcement Of this discovery has
been made by Professor Ward to an Acade-
my OF Science. His account before the
academy was the first presentation Of his
discovery 10 the scientific world. II was the
Intention OF Professor Ward to prepare a
paper fully describing and setting forth this
important topic for the society. but as it
account.
Professor Ward~ttated that he had Just
returned from a Visit to the West Indies,
South America and MeXico. and that while
"A giant meteroDe
Large Iron Formations.
~ 0q know how many meteOTites have
what puzzles. Some have said il is due 10
some special attraction Of the minerals IN
Mexico. but thfs hardly seems possible to
me, owing 10 the rapidly with which the
earth reyolves. and II a meteor were at
tracted to a given spot. the velocity OF the
earth's momentum would throw il far from
N%A-H punt u dAAAdELASAA.
To me it seems likely that the ~explana-
ton Is the dry atmosphere OF the country
the meteor Is not worn or composed. Still.
II Is an interestong question what has
caused this meteroic fall which has no
parallel
9TH same question might come up in
regard to the construction OF the meteor
ties. which are all OF iron. there having
been only two or three Of stone found. In
Arizona and Kansas the meteors found are
all Of stone. It il very puzzlinG. The Mex
lean Government has been very liberal in
bringing together these meteOrites, which
are grouped before q building in the City
OF Mexico and handsomely mounted. some
5000 having been appropriated for this
Il had heard a rumor OF a very large
meterOlte in the country bordering the Gulf.
These rumors were so uncertain that they
made 2 search for It very tempting. so
having a month at my disposal. 1 deter
ton once and for all IN regard TO the exist
ence OF this metsroite."
search for N~eteOrite.
Professor Ward gave a very interesting
mammoth meteoCite. The first thing he did
was TO hunt Up a photographer to accom-
pany him. and this mattyr gave him some
difficulty. since he was afraid he might not
find any one in Mexico willing TO undertake
the expedition. But after finding his man,
arrangements were quickly made,
They made the journey partly by rail,
then along the sezcoast and the volcanic
region. disembarking at COlima and tTav-
eng Dk mi1fn AROUND the volcanic noun
tain OF COlima. he described this volcano
as emitting sudden and silent explosions
OF vapor which rise in the air like a flower
He Travelled about ninety-fve miles from
the coast. and finally found the msJeo-ite
about which Sd many rumors had reached
the scientific sar. some declaring II was as
large as a ship. 1t was found IN a cuiu-
waited CornfeId.
Professor Ward engaged some twenty
eight MeSlcans 10 dig II out for him paying
them - cents a day, which was double their
regular wages. It took them a day and q
half to dig around the mass and expose its
base. Il rested on solid rock, and had not
this rock interyened it would have disap-
peared in the earth Professor ward de-
clared. There was absolutely no soil be-
tween il and the rock on which IL lay. All
the surrounding soil had undoubtedly come
40 It will carry its fall very far back in the
pas, the SPEAKER said.
Dynamite Was Used.
Professor Ward gave the size as thirteen
feet one inca in length. six feet four inches
thick. and i've feet four inches wide, and
the probable weight as City tons. The out
side was well preserved, the absence OF
moisture in the atmosphere preventing de-
tributed all over it. There was one large
By using small sticks Of dynamite Pro-
fessOr Ward was enabled to separate sew
which he declared 10 be beautiful in lorna
tion. The great mass viii probably never
something Hike 5000 TO get It to the sea-
But the discovery. says Professor Ward, is
an exceedingly valuable one. in setting
once and for an the existence OF this me-
teoriie. and is OF special interest to scisn-
tis.s. II was stated by Professor Dodge,
president OF the academy, that Professor
Ward possesses the largest collection OF
mcteorites ever gotten together by one IN
diyiduaL. though the latter says il ranks
fourth In SIZE in the world.