Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-11-03
HUNTING FOR BURIED METEOR.
Suspicious That an Enormous One is
Hidden in Arizona

Out In Arizona there Is q curious conf.
cal uplft not big enough for noun
tain but looking like one. 1t 10 known
as Coon Butte. It has height OF only
100 feet above the plain, but Is much
broader than it is high When a person
reaches Its top he finds huge cavity,
resembling a crater. The hole goes down
400 feet below the surrounding plain and
about 500 feet below the crest
Biologists have long speculated In re-
gard to its origin and what looked like
a possible clew to the mystery was furn-
lshed when bits OF metorlc iron were
found on its slopes and few miles away.
The fragment known AZ tho canyon
Diablo meteorite,' which contained
near Coon Butte. AT a scientific meeting
held In 1891, when the region was desc ib-
"a. Dr. Grove *. Gilbert OF Washington,
suggested that the fall OF the iron masses
might have been connected with the for
nation OF the crater, and that the large
hole might have been caused by the PEN
etration Of the earth By an enormous iron
meteorite perhaps l5yC feet IN diameter
large enough to be termed an asteriod'
In such case the asteriod ls buried IN or
near the hole, ana prababiy at no great
br. Gilbert was unable to visit the place
himself at the time, but he sent an as
sstant to examine the Quite and its SUE
rounclings The latter reported that there
were Indications that the hole was caused
By a steam explosion, and the material
forming the elevation had probably been
forced up from below. Moreover, tins. pres
ehce OF large mass Of iron, L was
thought. would be dimly indicated by its
influence on magnets properly used tof
test purposes, and no evidence or this
sort was discovered. Hence for a, tim
the meteoric theory was abandoned. Kc
Gently, however II has been revived. IN
startling character OF the suggestion will
he better appreciated when It Is remem.
bered that the Peary meteorite brought
from Greenland a few years ago, and
Weighing about 20 tons, measures only
four or Ave feet each way That IS one
of the biggest meteorites known too
What. then, must have been the weigh
of one measuring ,G0 or 1900 feet across2
or course, II IL not yet proved that a
meteor really did hit the earth and create
| :, ring around the spot where II wen
| down, but this subject has now acquire
| new Importance.
II seems that two men, ID. NJ. Barlnger
and b. G.. T1lghman, became Interested N
| DR.. Gilberts theory and went out and
| studied the place for themselves, They
found a possible explanation Of the alb.
sence OF magnetic testimony, and re
marked that the small pieces Of rock
| around the butte were hardy surncient
| fill no the hole Hence, tney tnouBnt
the debris could not have been scattered
| by a steam explosion. SO convinced
were they that big meteor was hidden
! away there that In 1903 they located"
| the mountain under the United States
mineral land laws, and at great expense
proceeded to sink shafts and make bore
| holes with the hope of finding the buriei
asterold The results OF this work, so
far as IL has yet gone, were recently re-
corded in TWO papers published IN the
proceedings Of the Academy Of Natural
Sciences OF Philadelphia December, 1909
| One OF them has been written from the
| point Of view Of the geologist tMr Bar
| ringer). tho other from those % the ply
! slcist chemist and mathematician tMr
| Iilghman) The former says. They d.
not leave In my mind a sclntilla of doubt
| that this mountain and its crater were
produced by the impact OF huge me-
teorlte or small asteroid" the latter feels
that she Is justified, under due reserve
as 10 subsequently developed facts, IN an.
! nouncing that the formation. Of this local.
lty ia due 70 the impact Of q meteor az
enormous and unprecedented size
Until moro convincing facts arc pre-.
scented Il will not do TO ACCEPT Views I'M
oualsaedlv but It Is q interest 90 know
| that the hunt IL in progress, whatever Tho
| ,rSuit. Y Tribune.