The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1910-12-06
'METEORITES"
USUALLY FAKES


of such phenomena, has gone a long
way toward making me hereto, and
has quite untitled me for duties IN
which the credibility of human testi-
mony is involved" said DR.. George
p. Merrill, head curator of the depart
ment of geology at the Smithsonian
Institution at Washington the other
day.
This department is constantly re-
ceiving letters from people all over
the United States who have actually
seen a meteorite fall and want infor-
nation in regard to it. Samples of
these which have been sent on for
examination usually prove to be moth
ing more than masses of furnace Stag,
metallic iron, granite, etc.
THE number of persons actually
finding authentic meteorites is hardly
greater than / per cent. of the entire
humber. This may perhaps be caused
by the low angle of incidence charac-
teristic of the fall of many meteorites,
but it is a fact that even the most
experienced of observers have been
mistaken, and stones actually seen,
to strike the earth in nearby fields
have been ultimately found even miles
away.
"Then, too, the newspapers have in
many instances printed startling ac-
counts of the fall of meteorites, in
stances where persons were hit and
seriously injured and houses struck |
and damaged AS a matter of fact, |
there is no authentic record of |
meteorite ever having done any dam
age, it's impact with the earth being
scarcely more than that due to gra-
| witty.
people should realize that meteor
| ties are not to be found in every field,
nor do they fall with any amount of
frequency. In all the known collec-
tions of the world today there are
specimens of only about 800 authen-
tic meteorites. The number of speci-
mems themselves may be much in ex-
cess of that number, but these are
simply duplicate specimens of the
same meteorite.
| caused by Dynamite
"Since have been connected with
the Smithsonian Institution many
cases of the supposed finding of me-
teorites have come under my notice.
One of the most startling instances OF
the fall of a meteorite was chronicled
in a reliable newspaper not long ago.
''The meteorite, which was reported
to be immense it was said, exploded
with a loud report when within 100
feet of the ground The windows OF
the place ratified and there was
shower of splintered iron on the roof.
The country was lighted up for miles
and people were terrorized.' Seeing
The report of this, an investigation
was at once begun by writing to peo-
pie living in the vicinity of where the
phenomena had occurred.
"In reply a letter was received from
a man to whom the matter had been
referred, and who had been recon-
mended to me as "a man OF reputa-
ton In his letter he verified all the
points brought out in the newspaper
account and gave some additional data
in regard to it's color, shape, etc.
Further Investigations of the mat
ter we're undertaken, with a view OF
obtaining if possible, specimen OF
the meteorite. None was found how
ever. but it was discovered that the
occasion chronicled had been caused
by the explosion of some dynamite
which the boys of the neighborhood
had stolen.
Some "Strange" Stories.
Another newspaper clipping which
came under my notice reported that
man had been hit by meteorite. 1t
stated that it struck him so terrible
a blow that he was found senseless
near his home with crushed and
fractured skull In describing the
stone the article went on to state
that it was the size of an orange,
strangely corrugated, and marked
with widmanstatten or peculiar cry
stalline figures. Mineralogists who
saw it declare it is unquestionably
of meteoric origin
"The article also went on to state
that the mans condition was crlCcal,
and that he had been removed to
hospital. Correspondence with the
postmaster of the city in which the
accident took place was entered into.
He in turn communicated with the
physician attending the injured man,
who made the statement that the OBJ
stacle which had struck the man was
an ordinary stone thrown by a neigh
Tor.
"a somewhat similar case was that
of report stating that by the fall
of an aerolite a residence was partially
wrecked and the neighborhood panic
stricken. The meteor struck the
north end of the house, tearing away
a part of the upper story. When this