[meteorite-list] NP Article, 03-1948 Stockwell, Brenham and Norton
From: MARK BOSTICK <thebigcollector_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:30:00 2004 Message-ID: <BAY4-DAV125T2yOjQ0X00003882_at_hotmail.com> ------=_NextPart_001_003E_01C38427.32B3EFF0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Title: Newark Advocate =20 City: Newark, Ohio =20 Date: Wednesday, March 10, 1948 Page: 12 Wheelbarrow Detector Aids Kansas Hobbyist's Search For Buried Meteorites Hutchinson, Kas., March 10. - (AP) - H. O. Stockwell's wheelbarrow tells = him where buried meteorites are located. Stockwell is an amateur prospector who has found his native Kansas a fert= ile field for hurtling star fragments. A partner in the Hutchinson electr= ical supply house, he began his meteor search as a hobby, and now is rece= iving professional recognition for his work. Since last September, when he began prospecting as a serious sideline, St= ockwell has unearthed four meteorites in Kansas, the largest weighing 740= pounds. His equipment includes a mineral detecting instrument, similar in princip= le to the army's mine detectors, which is mounted on a plywood wheelbarro= w. The instrument is wired to react electrically to metal in the ground. Trudging behind the 'barrow, Stockwell paces across Kansas farms with the= care of a groundskeeper searching for weeds. When the wheelbarrow crosse= s buried metal - be it an abandoned plow disc or a meteorite - the instru= ment gauge pumps violently. Then he begins digging. His favorite hunting ground has been in Brenham township, Kiowa County, K= ansas. There he discovered his 740-pound prize, only eight pounds lighter= then the largest meteorite ever found in Kansas. He used a tractor with hydraulic lift to set the big chunk of metal on a = truck for shipment to Hutchinson, where he now has it on display at his p= lace of business. Stockwell's other finds in the Brenham field weighing 357, 230 and 126 po= unds. All were about two feet below the ground surface. His most recent exploration was in northwestern Kansas, following the exp= losion of an unexplained "ball of fire" Feb. 18. The object, which explod= ed thousands of feet in the air, was seen in six states - Kansas, Texas, = New Mexico, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Colorado. =20 Believing it was a disintegrating meteor, Stockwell packed his wheelbarro= w for a search in the vicinity of Norton, Kas., where witnesses reported = the explosion rattled windows over a wide area. He returned empty-handed,= as did Dr. H. H. Nininger, director of the American Meteorite museum, Wi= nslow, Ariz., who also visited the area. He hasn't given up on the Norton explosion. Right now he's working on imp= roved detection equipment for new explorations this summer. "Farmers, stockmen and hunters, who are daily in the fields have the best= chance of finding a meteorite/" he says. "After it has been found and re= ported to scientists, they can go intot he field with electrical machines= and determine if others fell in the same locality." Please visit, www.MeteoriteArticles.com, a free on-line archive of meteor= and meteorite articles. ------=_NextPart_001_003E_01C38427.32B3EFF0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <HTML><BODY STYLE=3D"font:10pt verdana; border:none;"><DIV><B><FONT size=3D= 2> <P>Title: Newark Advocate </P> <P>City: Newark, Ohio </P> <P>Date: Wed= nesday, March 10, 1948</P> <P>Page: 12</P></B> <P> </P> <P>Wheelbarr= ow Detector Aids Kansas Hobbyist's Search For Buried Meteorites</P> <P>&n= bsp;</P> <P>Hutchinson, Kas., March 10. - (AP) - H. O. Stockwell's wheelb= arrow tells him where buried meteorites are located.</P> <P>Stockwell is = an amateur prospector who has found his native Kansas a fertile field for= hurtling star fragments. A partner in the Hutchinson electrical supply h= ouse, he began his meteor search as a hobby, and now is receiving profess= ional recognition for his work.</P> <P>Since last September, when he bega= n prospecting as a serious sideline, Stockwell has unearthed four meteori= tes in Kansas, the largest weighing 740 pounds.</P> <P>His equipment incl= udes a mineral detecting instrument, similar in principle to the army's m= ine detectors, which is mounted on a plywood wheelbarrow. The instrument = is wired to react electrically to metal in the ground.</P> <P>Trudging be= hind the 'barrow, Stockwell paces across Kansas farms with the care of a = groundskeeper searching for weeds. When the wheelbarrow crosses buried me= tal - be it an abandoned plow disc or a meteorite - the instrument gauge = pumps violently. Then he begins digging.</P> <P>His favorite hunting grou= nd has been in Brenham township, Kiowa County, Kansas. There he discovere= d his 740-pound prize, only eight pounds lighter then the largest meteori= te ever found in Kansas.</P> <P>He used a tractor with hydraulic lift to = set the big chunk of metal on a truck for shipment to Hutchinson, where h= e now has it on display at his place of business.</P> <P>Stockwell's othe= r finds in the Brenham field weighing 357, 230 and 126 pounds. All were a= bout two feet below the ground surface.</P> <P>His most recent exploratio= n was in northwestern Kansas, following the explosion of an unexplained "= ball of fire" Feb. 18. The object, which exploded thousands of feet in th= e air, was seen in six states - Kansas, Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Nebr= aska and Colorado. </P> <P>Believing it was a disintegrating meteor, Stoc= kwell packed his wheelbarrow for a search in the vicinity of Norton, Kas.= , where witnesses reported the explosion rattled windows over a wide area= . He returned empty-handed, as did Dr. H. H. Nininger, director of the Am= erican Meteorite museum, Winslow, Ariz., who also visited the area.</P> <= P>He hasn't given up on the Norton explosion. Right now he's working on i= mproved detection equipment for new explorations this summer.</P> <P>"Far= mers, stockmen and hunters, who are daily in the fields have the best cha= nce of finding a meteorite/" he says. "After it has been found and report= ed to scientists, they can go intot he field with electrical machines and= determine if others fell in the same locality."</P></FONT><FONT face=3DA= rial size=3D2></FONT><BR><BR>Please visit, www.MeteoriteArticles.com, a f= ree on-line archive of meteor and meteorite articles.</DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_001_003E_01C38427.32B3EFF0-- Received on Fri 26 Sep 2003 01:10:38 PM PDT |
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