[meteorite-list] Park Forest - The Pulling of Teeth Part II
From: Adam Hupe <adamhupe_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:10:00 2004 Message-ID: <001a01c2f896$4c6a1a40$b4dbe60c_at_attbi.com> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0017_01C2F853.3DD8FD40 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Continued from part I Day three Went on a scavenger hunt for objects that were hit by the meteorite. We = returned a second time to a house that had been hit to find Mike Farmer = had offered $12,000.00 for the stone. We offered $15,000.00 and were = turned down because the stone had already been promised to Mike. We = were ,however, able to purchase the outermost roof shingle with a = perfect hole punched through it and a new video game still in the box = with an impact crater in it. The meteorite did not penetrate the box so = we think it might have been the final resting point of this house = hammering stone. We know the roof tile is in fact the very first entry = point on the house because the hole is punched through the weathered = portion of it indicating it was the top shingle.=20 We moved onto several other houses that were hit and acquired a nice = specimen from the meteorite that annihilated a bedroom when it came = through the roof. We also left with a piece of the two by four it = snapped. =20 We went searching and I found a 158 gram specimen in a very bad part of = the neighborhood. Al and I were taking a picture of it near an impact = pit when we found ourselves surrounded by gang members. We walked = towards a bank with six of them following us and they backed off when = they saw the bank had outdoor security cameras. =20 We decide to search another area and ran into four other meteorite = hunters including Jim Schwade and Steve Witt. As Al was talking to them = he looked down and saw a hole in the ground. He put his finger in the = hole and felt what turned out to be a 1/2 pound individual. We had five = people observing and photographed the pit and meteorite as it was being = removed. When it came out of the ground it was covered with dirt and = was already starting to oxidize. Sorry Al, it is one of the ugliest = meteorites I have ever seen but it represented the largest piece found = by the Lang/Hupe team.=20 =20 The final transaction of the day was a purchase/trade for a beautiful = 150 gram specimen. This was found by a very nice couple who hated to = part with it. We offered to send them a similar sized meteorite from = Northwest Africa, pay $4.00 a gram, prepare a small slice from their = find and give them an autographed copy of meteorite magazine. Although = every deal we made was like pulling a tooth this was the smoothest = transaction made the entire time we were there because it only took one = hour. The same couple later showed up with another gorgeous specimen, = excellent job! =20 =20 We went back to the center of the town and heard stories that a few = locals threw meteorites at their cars and other objects in order to get = better prices for them. We were offered a few supposed hammer stones = but the sellers would not sign affidavits stating that they did not = create the damage themselves. One local showed us his car that had a = little dent in it with a meteorite with some of the same colored paint = on it. We decided he was lying because even the smallest stones would = have done way more damage. This meteorite struck with a lot of force = and virtually anything that hit the ground buried itself very deeply. = One stone penetrated all three stories of a house. We investigated one = and could not find supporting physical evidence that it hit a fire = hydrant. We photographed the entire hydrant and could not find a single = scuff on it. It did have yellow paint on it like other stones we = examined that hit the yellow curbs. We heard a story that a local = dealer was telling the finders that these stones had a shelf life on = them and would disintegrate in a couple of weeks if not stabilized in = his lab. =20 Day four Wasted all day trying negotiate meteorites that hit objects. One person = was asking $80,000.00 for a small stone found in a pit, big deal! One = desperate dealer plunked down $60.00 a gram not wanting to come home = empty handed. This caused some people we previously purchased from to = come back and try to shake us down for more money. We left the area = after placing bids on several stones, collecting phone numbers and = putting a team of locals together to acquire more. =20 =20 Day five Spent the morning searching for more impact pits but was slowed down = because some idiot with a metal detector left uncovered holes = everywhere. We heard that some kid broke his ankle in one of these = holes left in a baseball field. Some of the holes were over a foot = across! It looked like a SCUD missile had taken out part of the = baseball field. We felt this kind of disrespect for the neighborhood = was going to cause more problems for meteorite collectors in the field. = It would not surprise me if some arrests are made shortly or some rough = local in the area mops the floor with one of these disrespectful = visitors. =20 The last dealing we had before heading to the airport was with a police = officer who was asking $20.00 a gram. We turned down the offer and were = thankful to be on our way. =20 I will post pictures later and try to refocus on some fun we had while = being there. =20 All the best, =20 Adam Hupe =20 =20 ------=_NextPart_000_0017_01C2F853.3DD8FD40 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-1" = http-equiv=3DContent-Type> <META content=3D"MSHTML 5.00.2919.6307" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2> <DIV>Continued from part I</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Day three</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Went on a scavenger hunt for = objects that were=20 hit by the meteorite. We returned a second time to a house = that had=20 been hit to find Mike Farmer had offered $12,000.00 for the = stone. We=20 offered $15,000.00 and were turned down because the stone had already = been=20 promised to Mike. We were ,however, able to purchase the=20 outermost roof shingle with a perfect hole punched through it and=20 a new video game still in the box with an impact crater in = it. The=20 meteorite did not penetrate the box so we think it might have been = the=20 final resting point of this house hammering stone. We know the = roof tile=20 is in fact the very first entry point on the house because the hole = is=20 punched through the weathered portion of it indicating it was the top=20 shingle. </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>We moved onto several other houses that = were hit=20 and acquired a nice specimen from the meteorite that annihilated=20 a bedroom when it came through the roof. We also left with a = piece of=20 the two by four it snapped.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>We went searching and I found a 158 = gram specimen=20 in a very bad part of the neighborhood. Al and I were taking=20 a picture of it near an impact pit when we found ourselves = surrounded=20 by gang members. We walked towards a bank with six of them = following=20 us and they backed off when they saw the bank had outdoor security=20 cameras.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>We decide to search another area = and ran into=20 four other meteorite hunters including Jim Schwade and Steve = Witt. As=20 Al was talking to them he looked down and saw a hole in the = ground. =20 He put his finger in the hole and felt what turned out to be a 1/2 = pound=20 individual. We had five people observing and = photographed the=20 pit and meteorite as it was being removed. When it came out of the = ground=20 it was covered with dirt and was already starting to oxidize. = Sorry Al, it=20 is one of the ugliest meteorites I have ever seen but it represented the = largest=20 piece found by the Lang/Hupe team. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The final transaction of the day was=20 a purchase/trade for a beautiful 150 gram specimen. This was = found by=20 a very nice couple who hated to part with it. We offered to send = them a=20 similar sized meteorite from Northwest Africa, pay $4.00 a gram, prepare = a small=20 slice from their find and give them an autographed copy of meteorite=20 magazine. Although every deal we made was like pulling a = tooth this=20 was the smoothest transaction made the entire time we were there because = it only=20 took one hour. The same couple later showed up with another = gorgeous=20 specimen, excellent=20 job! = </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2> </FONT></DIV><FONT = face=3DArial size=3D2> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>We went back to the center of the town = and heard=20 stories that a few locals threw meteorites at their cars and other = objects=20 in order to get better prices for them. We were offered a few = supposed=20 hammer stones but the sellers would not sign affidavits stating = that they=20 did not create the damage themselves. One local showed us his = car=20 that had a little dent in it with a meteorite with some of the same = colored=20 paint on it. We decided he was lying because even the = smallest stones=20 would have done way more damage. This meteorite struck with a lot = of force=20 and virtually anything that hit the ground buried itself very = deeply. One=20 stone penetrated all three stories of a house. We investigated one and = could not=20 find supporting physical evidence that it hit a fire hydrant. We=20 photographed the entire hydrant and could not find a single scuff on = it. =20 It did have yellow paint on it like other stones we examined that hit = the yellow=20 curbs. We heard a story that a local dealer was telling = the=20 finders that these stones had a shelf life on them and would = disintegrate in a=20 couple of weeks if not stabilized in his lab. </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Day four</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Wasted all day trying negotiate = meteorites that hit=20 objects. One person was asking $80,000.00 for a small stone found = in a=20 pit, big deal! One desperate dealer plunked down $60.00 a=20 gram not wanting to come home empty handed. This caused some = people=20 we previously purchased from to come back and try to shake us down for = more=20 money. We left the area after placing bids on several stones, = collecting=20 phone numbers and putting a team of locals together to acquire=20 more. </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Day five</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Spent the morning searching for more = impact pits=20 but was slowed down because some idiot with a metal detector left = uncovered=20 holes everywhere. We heard that some kid broke his ankle in = one of=20 these holes left in a baseball field. Some of the holes were = over a=20 foot across! It looked like a SCUD missile had taken out part = of the=20 baseball field. We felt this kind of disrespect for the = neighborhood was=20 going to cause more problems for meteorite collectors in the = field. =20 It would not surprise me if some arrests are made shortly or some = rough=20 local in the area mops the floor with one of these disrespectful=20 visitors.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The last dealing we = had before heading to=20 the airport was with a police officer who was asking $20.00 a = gram. =20 We turned down the offer and were thankful to be on our = way.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I will post pictures later and try to = refocus=20 on some fun we had while being there.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>All the best,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Adam Hupe</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=3DArial=20 size=3D2> =20 </FONT></DIV></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_0017_01C2F853.3DD8FD40-- Received on Tue 01 Apr 2003 04:33:12 PM PST |
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