The Minneapolis journal., 1904-07-26
FAILED TO FIND
THAT METEORITE
GEOLOGISy WINCHELL'S LONG
SEARCH UNSUCCESSFUL
But He Believes the Celestial Visitor
Is Imbedded in the Prairie East of
Northfield-How 1t Can Be Found
and What 1t Probably Is.

IeOlOSlSI IN. II. W1nCnell returned "
Minneapolis today, having been un-
successful. However,, his investigation
proved to his satisfaction that me-
tteorite did strike this state and he Is
OF the opinion that someday 1T will be
found in the triangle formed by lines
drawn between Lyman's farm, three
miles east Of Northfield, and Randolph
and Denison, and probably not more
than two miles from Lyman's in the
direction of Randolph.
Professor Winchell was spurred to
the hunt by the report of the finding
of the stone near Kenyon, In Goodhue
county. He remembered that two
other meteorites, fine specimens, found
in Minnesota, were the reward Of
prompt action. They are the Fisher
stone meteorite and the Arlington iron,
both of which are in the museum at
the state university.
Kenyon Story False.
Describing his long search and the
difficulty he had : in following the
elusive clues as to the whereabouts Of
the mysterious heavenly. visitor, Prof
fessor Winchell said to T h e j o u r.
n a today:
| Arriving at Kenyon 1 found that in
credulity prevailed and that the account
Of the finding of the meteorite on the,
farm of Mr.. Tolle, four and half miles
| northeast from Kenyon, was considered
huge fake On inquiring for a Mr.. Renas.
| a high school teacher who was reported
! to have verified it by the presence Of
| metal in the specimen, it was found that
! no such teacher is employed in the high
school, and never, was. Also that no per-
son Of that name lives at Kenyon. Mr.
Tolles son, cashier in the Citizens bank
who had just returned from his fathers
farm, affirmed that he had not heard
anything of the falling of the meteorite
! out there, and that the tenant of the
farm was likewise ignorant Of it.
x But that could not discredit the main
| fact. It was plain from the descriptions
! of several persons at Kenyon who were
on the streets the night Of Wednesday,
/ July 20 Cor, more nearly. at o'clock
Thursday morning) that a meteoric dis
turbance was witnessed. There were
/ newspaper accounts of its having been
seen by people at Saltwater and Min
| neapolis, as well as at Hudson, Wis, at
Northfield and at Randolph. Still, on
| driving thru, the. country northwestward-
ly toward Northfeld, passing Holden and
Denison, no one could be found who
| had seen heart the meteorite in its
descent. At Denison, however, definite
statements were made by several of its
having been seen at Northfield. Tracing
out several false reports at last
reached the house Of D.. A. Kelley in the
southeastern suburbs of Northfield. The
meteorite was seen to fall by Miss Kel-
i ley and by her mother, but the best view
was had by Miss Kelley. These ladies
Z gave a consistent and accurate descrip-
ton. There was a stream of light,
rumbling noise and lastly an explosion
1t was toward the northeast from them
and seemed not to eafar away. ~
Farmer Lyman's Story.
At George Lyman S, about three miles
east of Mortified, on the road to Deni
| son, the description given by Mrs Ly.
man indicated thata tl1e neteorite mus
have fallen not far from his farm, per
haps somewhat to the northeast. There
was a flash, and a terrific explosion, lout
as a cannon, but mot like a cannon
: The whole. family were startled from {
sound sleep and rushed from their bed
to learn whether the house or the BARI
} had been struck by lightning, but it wa
at once apparent that no thunder coult
. l.have made the noise, as the sky wa
clear and the moon was bright.
Altho inquiry was made of several 9th
ers no definite information could be OBJ
| tained. 1t was in the dead Of night.
a farmer had heard it or had seen tn
Il flash he would probably have turned owe
in bed, only muttering that another thun
der shower had risen to wet his alread
l soaked grain fields.
Judging from all the data ] am con
vinced therefore that the stone fell insid
2 the triangle formed by lines drawn be
!. tween Lyman's farm, Denison and Ran
l dolph, and probably not more than tW
4 that it is toward, Randolph from Lyman
e rather than toward Denison.
. :. How to Find 1t.
! The chances are good for finding it. A
y present the country is covered by stand
= ing grain. Soon the fields will be every
r where cut by the reaper. If the farmer
:. will be on the lookout it can hardly es
cape such a reaping and raking.
In falling the stone. must have mad
= some impression on the grain and sol
: The former is. destroyed, by being beate
:, into the ground over a space say of
u square yard and the latter may show
: hole in the ground where the stone strucl
: The stone may have entered the soil a fe
inches and be invisible or 1t may hay
bounded out and may lie few feet frol
the point of first impact. 1t was not h
enough to burn anything. When the Wiz
n nebago meteorite fell it struck, dry tu
on which was some long, dead grass. TT
j. stone went into the turf and did not bul
ic the dry grass, as it was found adherir
3 to the stone afterwards, when it W;
N taken out. Another small piece fell on
p strawstack and did not fire the straw.
al The popular notion that these ston
ID are hot is erroneous The heat is entire
d superficial and vanishes, at once. It
~ caused by the1 condensation and frictit
10 of the air, along the path Of the stone thl
s. the atmosphere, but it does not last 10,
r enough to heat the stone within. It
3. probably this friction also which caus
ss the stone to break, as they usually d
- and to cause the loud reports heard ne
"a the point of striking the earth
a Appearance of Meteor.
Il AS to the appearance of the stone, it
he black and smooth, or brown black. 1t
lie gray within, but owing to the fusion
m the outside thin crust Is formed all ov
SIS it which is nearly black. In case t
IS. stone broke into two or more pieces, t
d. surfaces fof fra cture will show a til
b. crust, or, perhaps, will be only slight
IL coored, depending on the distance t
RS pieces travelled in the atmosphere aft
10 the explosion.
ne The region is one Of original prair
n and has few stones on the upland. Hen
the farmers attention would be attract
n at once by the appearance Of such
to stranger on his field / would especia
K. urge the drivers Of the teams that he
of appearance of unusual downthrow of t
ne standing grain, and also to scan careful
- any small new hole in the soil which h
a the appearance of having been made
10 the descent of this meteorite
In case the meteorite is found, or
case any one finds a stone that he thin
may be the meteorite, I shall be glad
give any information I can. It is We
much to be desired that this third eel,
EFT tiaI visitor be properly received and cal
for.
ers ------ -----s 49, 5ji
,re CANT GET RAILS