Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-20

unusual size. which disintegratcd when it
struck the earth. or whether the crater is
of volcanic origin. Neither explorer en-
tirely succeeded in his design. Mr.. Gill
more had hoped to obtain the entire skele-
ton of mammoth such as was diScOv-
cred Embedded in the ice i'm Siberia in
1901, but only collected fragments of skele-
tons. and DR.. Merrill reached what appears
to be Scotch verdict, mot proven.
though he has made an entertaining an
alysis of conflicting evidence. based on his
own observations and those of other eX-
plorers of the region, and on analysis OF
Writ Tassin. also of the National Mu-
scum, who inclines to the meteoric the
DRY.
in discussing the irons scattered over
the plain around the crater he says: 1.-The
fact that there is seemingly no regular
ity in their distribution. as is almost uni
versally the case in meteoric showers.
and, in addition, no variation In size along
the supposed line of flight. nor evidence
of atmospheric friction upon their sur
faces. favors the idea that all were
thrown out. and it is not impossible that
practically the entire mass not dissipated
by volatiliZation was thus elected. 1t
should be remarked in this connection
that most liberal estimate of the ma
teriaI carried away by collectors or still
remaining as shale would scarcely ac-
count for a thousandth part OF a mass
sufficient TO form the crater Specimens
of the meteoric irons and OF shale-ball
iron found in the neighborhood are eX-
hibited in the National Museum here, and
one large fragment-1.Ol3 pounds-is at
the Field Museum in Chicago. These
irons have been found scattered over an
area OF several miles. one eight miles
away from the crater, and meteOric ma
terial has been discovered by bOrings in
the floor of the crater. But DR.. Merrill
says: THE work thus far done does not
disprove the presence of large quantity
OF fragmentary iron, although tending to
show that no large mass lies there buried.
1t is possible, too, that the estimated size
of the body making the crater is an ex-
asgeration, since if. as seems probable.
volatilizatiOn of considerable portion
followed Immediately upon striking the
ground the outrush of vapor due to the
enormous expansion in passing from the
solid to the liquid and gaseous condition
would certainly have served to tear
away the rock and increase the diameter
to an extent that we have no means of
aScertaining."
Among other explorers who have visit
ed this freak of nature in Arizona has
been G. X. Gilbert of the geological sur
Vey, whose photographs and contour ma
of the crater are used in Illustrating De.
Merrills monograph. together with pno-
toSraphs OF specimens of the meteoric
iron and shale balls in the National Mu-
scum. DR.. Merrill has made many other
exploring expeditions and visited the
crater before. One of his most interest
ing expeditions was to the petrified for
estS OF Arizona. A man familiar in Wash
ington scientific circles by reason Of
twenty-nine years service at the Ma
tional Museum sixteen years as assistant
in the geological department and thir-
teen as head curator he has also wide
acquaintance among younger biologists
an instructor at George Washington
University in the department of geology
and mineralogy. He was the special agent
for the twelfth census who collected stone
quarry statistics.
Charles w. Gilmore the man who went
in search of prehistoric bones. has also