[meteorite-list] Repost Nininger Moment #14

From: almitt <almitt_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:25:34 2004
Message-ID: <3EB3C89F.74412AC0_at_kconline.com>

Harvey Nininger was one of the most successful meteorite hunters of all times.
Here are some of his ideas that have been taken out of his great book "Find A
Falling Star".

Meteorites are where you find them. Many people had suggested that looking for
meteorites in areas where rocks are abundant might be a good idea but Harvey sug-
gested that looking in areas where there are no rocks or few rocks are best. He
figured that a hunter would grow tired of looking at every rock where they are
plentiful. While he was searching for the Archie, Missouri fall of August 10th,
1932 and driving back and forth between there and Kansas City (some fifty miles)
he noticed about midway that there laid a group of farm houses and nicely cleared
fields with no rocks in sight.

One day when he had some spare time he decided to conduct a search to show that
meteorites fall in one area as well as the next (something that wasn't know then, for
sure). He interviewed a number of farmers and showed them some of his meteorite
finds and purchases and mentioned the likelihood that such stones might also be on
their farms. He also mentioned a fair price would be offered for such stones found
and brought to his attention. He spent two or three hours with a dozen or more
farmers that day.

A few days later the wife of the first farmer he had talked to came to see Harvey
and brought with her a meteorite from the farm. Harvey had talked mostly to this
wife while the farmer stood mostly silent and he wasn't sure if he was resentful of
him interrupting the chores or if he was thinking. After Harvey had left the farmer
had told his wife he was sure he had ploughed up such a stone and was trying to
remember the spot. He finally remember he had ploughed it up in the potato patch
and thrown it over by the hedge they had. As soon as the neighbors heard of the
payment received for the stone, many searched their own properties and found
more stones from the same fall. Nininger figured they were probably related to
the fireball witnessed in 1915 around that area. The stones became known as the
Harrisonville stones.

This experience reinforced Nininger's belief that meteorites were present though not
abundant, nearly everywhere and they can be found in some quantity if people are
shown what to look for. He later found material from the Archie, Missouri fall while
giving lecturing to high schools in the area. One of which fell in a stream bed that a
local
high school boy was at when he was squirrel hunting. Three members of the same family
had heard and witnessed this fall.

Source: Find a Falling Star by Harvey H. Nininger The Nininger Moments are articles or
books
written originally by Harvey Nininger and put into a consolidated form by Al
Mitterling. Some
of the items written in the moments might be old out dated material and the reader is
advised
to keep this in mind.


--AL
Received on Sat 03 May 2003 09:48:16 AM PDT