The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-03-31
METEORS PAY AS
A KANSAS CROP
Farm Mortgages Have Been Lifted
and Homes Built as Result
Of Fallen Bodies.

Lawrence, Kan, March 81.-Probably
the strange incidents resulting from tho
fall of meteors as has Kansas. and
probably no man in Kansas is as ia.
miliar with the unconventional Incl
dents connected with their fall as DR..
4. d. Snow, professor of organic evo-
luton, systematic entomology and me-
teorology of the state university.
Farm mortgages have been lifted,
homes built and money saved for old
age on the profits of the meteorite
trade in the suntlower state. 1t has
really been q trade, and at times the
centers of the meteorite fields have
been the scenes of business activities.
because there is a big demand in east.
ern and European markets for the celes.
t1al bodies that have struck the Kan.
sas plains.
The phenomena Of these terrestrial
substances was practically unknown to
the average Kansan until 1890, when
a sort Of mete6ric panic sprung up in
klowa county, and farmers that had
their last eighty. acres mortgage bound
were IN some instances saved from
financial destruction by the find of me.
teorites on their land.
1t was in April, 1890, that DR.. Snow
first found any traces of the heavenly
bodies. The news that came to him
was indirect, but he Immediately sent
an agent to Kiowa county. Upon the
agent s report that all meteorites had
been sold, DR.. Snow took the next
train. When he arrived at Greensburg
he found that New York representa-,
tlves had been. trying to buy all the
meteorltes and that his agent had
missed valuable sales by fraction of
an hour. z,-.- = ,...' =.
DR.. Snow found A. B. Kimberly. who
had obtained possession of most of the
meteorites which had been found in
/ that section. At first Kimberly refused
to consider DR.. Shows solicitations. but
finally led the scientist around the end
Of haystack and after some digging
and scratching revealed a small me,
teorite, which was Immediately bought
by Professor Snow.
Mr.. Kimberly had already sold more
than two thousand pounds of this new
KIND OF fortune maker, and it took lit.
tie persuasion by DR.. Snow to obtain
Kimberly's services for further search,
Kimberly said he knew where there
was another LARGE meteorite, but law
yer owned it and it probably would be
hard to buy: Kimberly went to the
lawyer, who had been using the meteor
tie as yard ornament for ten years,
Kimberly induced the lawyer to sell
it for So, and within an hour sold it
to DR.: Snow for $3.50. This was har.
vest for Kimberly and saved his farm
when every foot Of it was mortgaged
and foreclosure seemed certain.
Woman Saved Up the Meteors.
The meteorites were first discovered
| py cowboys, who knew absolutely moth.
t,po zs u
US wife was reading of fallen meteors
and their value. She believed the stony
substances would be valuable, but the
husband refused to listen to her and re-
peatedly bartered the meteorites eff fol-
meager offerings. Just as often as
Kimberly bartered the meteroites his
wife managed to get possession OF
them, altho ridiculed by her neighbors
and members of her family. By the
time Kimberly had sold the first 1000
pounds and other masses to DR.. Snow
ne had more money to put in the bank
than his crops had netted him in sew.
eral years. 49, =,
An incident demonstrating the great
desire Of collectors for these meteorites
occurred when Or. Snow bought 21s
! FOUNDER from farmer named Evans in
Brennan. He found Evans on his
farm, but the metorite was in town at >
grocery store. On the way to town
DR.. Snow, closed the deal whereby he
gave Evans $500 for his prize.
When they reached BRENNAN, tele.
gram was awaiting Evans from Mr.
Z ku 3d3 Of New York, who had offered
| threatened litigation, but DR.. Snow fin.
ally convinced him that the $500 sale
was closed before the message had any
effect. DR.. Snow was offered $500 fol
| this 2l8-pound meteorite by the direct.
ors of the Austrian Museum in Vienna
but refused, and still has it in his col:
lection in the University Museum
| IT. snow received a letter year ago
from Kimberly's son. He had beer
and raising hogs While feeding his
hogs his foot hit hard substance near:
ly buried under ground.
When he found it was meteorite he
wired DR.. Snow and the sale was imme
diately made, whereby DR.. Snow bought
the stone composition, which weighed
1853 pounds. It is now in the American
National Museum in New York city.
This meteorite was an exceptionally
rare one and is the largest of it's kline
in the world. It took several hundred
dollars to persuade young Kimberly tt
part with it, and DR.. Snow, in his sale
to the. New Workers, cleared enough tc
give him a profit.
Many Meteorites Found.
The Kiowa county fall was of un
usual quantity and twenty-five to thirty
meteorites have been found there. Most
of them were sliced and polished an6
the slices have brought high prices
DR.. Snow, in his collection, has one OF
the few in the world that have beer
left just as found. It is estimated by
scientists that not more than two Of
three. whole Kiowa county meteorites
or of similar composition, are in tn,
possession Of any museum or scientist
at the present time. ~
I On farms where the meteorites wer,
found in Kiowa county the farmer
ploughed their land as it had neve
been ploughed before. On some farm
the ground was ploughed and eros
ploughed two and three times
Washington county has share in tn
fall of meteors. But thus far only on
has been found that was worthy to b
placed on the market. B. G. January
a farmer living near Washington, wa
visited by meteor fall at noon on
day in July, 1890. He took his meteor
l tie to county fairs and CHARGED an ad