New-York tribune., 1908-06-21
ERUPTION OR BOhBARDMENT'

4 pIIzzle which has no little fascination for
others than men of scientific training is pre-
sented by strange feature of the scenery or
Arizona. In that territory exists ring SNAPPED
ridge inclOsing depression which Is about
six hundred feet deep and two-thrds OF mile
across So far as is known. the formation is
without an exact parallel anywhere else in the
world For the origin of what has been called
Coon Butte Crater two theories have been ad-
vanced One. the name suggests, Is that the
hole is the product of volcanic action The
other is that the depression was caused by the
impact of q meteOrc mass of colossal proper
tions In the second of these explanations Or.
George p Merrill. geoogist Of the Smithsonian
Institution. is said TO have expressed faith
within the last few days, after a visit of inves-
tgation to Arizona.
However close the resemblance between the
Coon Butte ring and crater may be, the theory
that it resulted from eruptive force has not
| been fully substantiated. Not a trace of lava
has been found in the neighborhood. The rock
strata around 1t consist of limestone only, so
far as has been observed To establish the rival
theory which was seriously considered only
about three or four years ago has also been
ceedingly difficult. The first hint was furnished
BY the discovery of the socaled Canon Diablo
meteor in Arizona. This object which has pos
sessed a peculiar interest for mineraogists be-
cause it contained a diamond and furnished a
new clew to natures method Of manufacturing
South African jewels, found far away
from the crater that It could not properly be
regarded as fragment detached from a larger
mass at Coon Butte. Meteorc stones often
break into pieces after entering the earth's at
mosphere that it was hoped that characteristic
bits might he found in the immediate vicinity
of the mysterious depression in Arizona. But
diligent search has thus far failed to supply any
such evidence, which, after all, would be merely
| circumstantial With great discretion, there
fore. hunt for much more convincing kind
of testimony has been conducted by boring small
holes in the bottom Of the crater itself.
To this undertaking a powerful stimulus was
lent by the unique possibility that the earth's
crust had been punctured by a projectile having
a diameter of two-thirds of a mile and coming
from region infinitely remote. So little en-
coura cement received in the first year or
| two that the meteoric theory was almost com
pletey abandoned. Still the exploration was con-
tinued. and some of the wells have now attained
a depth of more than eight hundred feet. Pre-
csely what has recently been found there is not
announced in the brief Washington dispatch on
the subject and it is conceivable that DIR. Mer
rll's own confidence may not be absolute Even
so, his adhesion TO the theory is at least worthy
of record
No sound argument against the bomhardment
hypothesis can be found in the fact that the
largest known meteOric masses measure only
a few feet across. So far we are aware no
limit has been placed by astronomers on the
size of the Migrants Of celestial space. A some
what more formidable objection however ia
found in the assertion that the layers Of rock
around the crater" slightly uptIrned at
their edges Unless further examination shows
that the facts have not been correctly stated il
must he obvious that the force which made the
hole operated from below. not from above
Perhaps the safest opinion is that the advocates
Of neither the meteorlc nor the volcanic expIa-
nation of the formation of the Coon B1tt, won
der have yet proved their case