[meteorite-list] looks like slag

From: MexicoDoug_at_aol.com <MexicoDoug_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Tue Jan 24 16:31:44 2006
Message-ID: <9.52e24d1f.3107f69e_at_aol.com>

Hi Bill,

"The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of
the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction." --
Rachel Carson

"Traveling" would more appropriately word to describe the experiences of a
seven-year old stamp collecting explorer blessed to be tagging along with his
parents to see the natural beauty of the eastern United States. This was an
especially memorable tour of the lesser known region, where there were many
species of endangered fauna and flora to see. The Monarchs near in Cape May
Courthouse, another beautiful historic town in the general area, left an
impression for life...not to mention Calvert Cliffs, MD...

Bill, if you have kids or grandchildren at that impressionable age, and can
afford an inexpensive getaway, they can go on school or educational field
trips to Batsto and environs to learn about colonial life and industry in
British America. It looks like certain glass making techniques are actually
demonstrated there (of interest to a tektiticist), along with the old foundry oven
being somewhat cared for. It'd be a great place for a young meteoriticist to
learn about the production of old slags and climb on to the pile of "bog
ore" when the caretakers aren't looking. I don't remember too well the details,
it's been a while. Check out the web site, www.batstovillage.org, where
everything is probably covered...

Saludos, Doug
P.S. Batsto has one of the four oldest post offices in the United States,
Authorized by President Millard Fillmore in 1852, it is in the same building
though operation was not continuous. Only hand stamping is done there still.
Somewhere I have some nice examples of yellowing envelopes from Batsto with
interesting inked designs of the envelopes from there which I spent my hard
earned pennies at that time. Ahhh...the wonder of childhood!!! And now added
to that is a great locality of meteorwrongs...


Bill K. writes:
Wow Doug, you've been tripping since you were 7?

Bill


-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: MexicoDoug_at_aol.com
> Ed, Bernd, Well, I wish I had seen this message to Bernd earlier - it
made
> me think of a trip I was on when I was about 7 years old to "Batsto
Village".
> This meteorwrong is most probably "Batsto Ore" or "Batsto Slag". Batsto
ran
> one of the larger foundries in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey during the
> American War of Independence and supplied George Washington's troops with
this
> finished product to add some iron to the Redcoats' diets and the cannon
balls
> to send many a British ship to rest with the crustaceans at the bottom of
the
> seas. Certainly this is interesting material, and the fact that it is
far
> from highways today doesn't necessary reflect the situation of colonial
roads
> and supply lines 230 years ago...There were many foundries scattered
through
> the area near the pinelands, as the pine was the fuel for the foundries
and
> the "ore" was found on the surface in many places...
>
> A quick Google finds a nice picture of the ore material, and other sites
> mention that limonite deposits used as raw material in the area are
called "bog
> iron". Your meteorwrong has a British pedigree!
> http://65.160.49.117/batsto_ore.htm
> Here is another find from the web, an advertisement from a 1775 store, I
> believe in Philadelphia - shows there was a lot of this stuff to go
around:
> "TO BE SOLD, By Little and Flower, at their store in Second-street, six
> doors above Arch-
> street, sixty ton of Batsto pig iron,"
>
> Just found this,
> http://www.allgetaways.com/view_destination.asp?DestinationID=XGP533-012
>
> Saludos, Doug
>
> In a message dated 1/23/2006 4:39:38 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
> roc350_at_optonline.net writes:
> >Dear List,
>
> >Bernd asked:
>
> >"Well, where exactly (state, area) did you find it? What do you think
its
> specific gravity
> is? If it happens to look like a sphere, one might easily (but roughly)
> compute/estimate
> its specific weight."
>
> >This material was found in New Jersey. The woods in which it was found
is
> part of thousands of acres of undeveloped land (mostly state & watershed
> property). I was _at_ 30 miles in from the nearest road.
>
> >They do not look like spheres.
>
> >As far as specific gravity, I have no idea....a piece the size of a
man's
> fist weighs close to 2 lbs. It's heavy!
>
> Ed
Received on Tue 24 Jan 2006 04:31:10 PM PST