[meteorite-list] NPA 09-14-1880 Estherville Meteorite Sold to British Museum for $6, 500

From: MARK BOSTICK <thebigcollector_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri Jan 14 10:43:03 2005
Message-ID: <BAY4-F122791601E9B9D4ABBE8A3B38B0_at_phx.gbl>

Paper: The Evening Gazette
City: Port Jervis, New York
Date: Tuesday, September 14, 1880
Page: 2 (of 4)

THE IOWA METEOR.
IT IS PURCHASED FOR THE BRITISH MUSEUM, $6,500, BEING PAID FOR IT.
>From the Davenport, Iowa, Democrat, July 27.

     In May, 1879, the largest meteoric stone ever behold in America fell on
a farm in Emmet county. The farm belonged to Mrs. Colonel C. H. Perry of
Keokuk. The stone lay imbedded 15 feet deep in the ground for 10 or 12 days,
visited by hundreds of people, each one carrying off a piece of it. A friend
of Mrs. Perry, residing in the city, wrote her asking if she would not like
to have stone stored in the Davenport academy of sciences. She replied that
it would cost $150 to $160 to get it out and place it upon the railroad
train - for something would have to be paid the tenant of the farm, who
claimed a sort of partnership in the ownership - and if the academy would
raise the amount it might have the stone and welcome. Alas there wasn't a
dollar in the academy treasury, and the effort to raise the amount failed.
     Then a Mr. Berge gave Mrs. Perry $100 for the stone, she supposing he
intended it for an institution in this state - and Mr. Berge gave the farm
tenant $50 or $60 for the right of way across his fields. And so Mr. Berge
got possession of that stone, and not long since he sold it to the British
Museum, for $6,500; and there it is to be placed in a glass case and
preserved as a celestial wonder. Its weight when shipped for London was 431
pounds. When Mr. Berge was exhibiting the stone at Keokuk, Mrs. Perry
secured a couple of pieces, and one of them she sent to the academy. * * *
The specimen was scaled off in some way after it came to Keokuk, and weighs
just one pound. * * *

(end)

If you purchased a piece of Estherville from Rob Elliott, I imagine there is
a good chance this is the origin of your specimen.

Clear Skies,
Mark Bostick
Wichita, Kansas
http://www.meteoritearticles.com
http://www.kansasmeteoritesociety.com
http://www.imca.cc

http://stores.ebay.com/meteoritearticles

PDF copy of this article, and most I post (and about 1/2 of those on my
website), is available upon e-mail request.

The NPA in the subject line, stands for Newspaper Article. The old list
server allowed us a search feature the current does not, so I guess this is
more for quick reference and shortening the subject line now.
Received on Fri 14 Jan 2005 10:42:49 AM PST