[meteorite-list] Question For The List ???? WHO IS THE BEST ANDMOST SUCCESSFUL METEORITE HUNTER OUT THERE?

From: Galactic Stone & Ironworks <meteoritemike_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 16 Jul 2009 19:14:57 -0400
Message-ID: <e51421550907161614r6fcf3ea5u3a80c93f196f1a8f_at_mail.gmail.com>

Excellent reply Al. I couldn't agree more. I recall reading about
Nininger going down to Mexico to look for Toluca (was it?), and the
trip sounded very interesting - given the times, like you said.

If Harvey wasn't the "best" hunter, then he was the type of meteorite
personality that this hobby could use today - no offense to any of the
current personalities. With the passing of Richard Norton and Jim
Kriegh, this hobby is becoming short on gentlemanly ambassadors of
great wisdom.

Best regards,

MikeG


On 7/16/09, al mitt <almitt at kconline.com> wrote:
> Greetings List,
>
> Not sure where this idea that Harvey Nininger wasn't a meteorite hunter came
> from but it is wrong. He was a meteorite hunter, he chased falls, plotted
> areas they fell in and went to those areas to search. He also hunted in
> areas that he was in. He did that while hunting for scrap metal during world
> war 2. He was effective at getting people to look for him. I would say that
> is using your head so more specimens could be found and using people that
> were familiar with the land to hunt those areas. When Norton County fell,
> Nininger was standing on top of the meteorite when Lincoln LaPaz and his
> friend arrived and looked down to see Nininger already there. Don't tell me
> that hunters these days don't get local people to hunt and go back to buy
> later. Sure they hunt themselves but getting others to help expedites finds.
>
> One would have to define what a meteorite hunter is (as mentioned already in
> this thread). Just because it doesn't fit your definition doesn't mean that
> hunting in a specific way is wrong or excludes you as a hunter. People
> making the claim that Nininger wasn't a hunter, haven't read all his books
> and don't know the extreme efforts he went to finding new specimens. He
> often went back to areas and conducted hunts while also approaching people
> who might know something about a find or fall. Plainview, Texas is one area
> that he hunted extensively finding more specimens to collect and trade. He
> went into Mexico chasing down leads which were pretty risky back then.
>
> One also has to remember the time and conditions in which Harvey Nininger
> hunted. He hunted in the depression era but was still able to persuade
> investors to buy into his hunts. Transportation was not good back then. Lots
> of dirt roads and hazards along the way while driving his model T. Patching
> tires in deep mud. Making it three or four hundred miles was tough. Flying
> back then was expensive and not real common. There were no interstate roads
> that you could jump in your car and drive 700 miles a day easily.
>
> Metal detectors weren't as effective and bulky. People were very cautious of
> strangers in their towns and on their ranches and farms. Harvey mentioned
> that for every successful trip, there were dozens of other trips that didn't
> pan out. He wasn't eager to mention the trips that weren't successful. If he
> found or was able to have others help him find over 222 new finds or falls
> and over a thousand meteorite specimens, he certainly picked up a number of
> meteorite specimens himself. Multiply 222 times a dozen or two (trips or
> leads that weren't successful) and you have nearly 5,000 to 6,000 trips and
> hunts. Divide by a forty year span of time and you have about 125 trips or
> hunts a year! How many trips are people making these days using modern
> transportation? Nininger would often and smartly combine trips but that is
> still a lot of hunting in my book.
>
> Nininger used Farington's book on meteorites 1915 to hunt down old
> strewnfields. I'll try to dig up some of his personal finds and post them
> here when time permits. Saying Harvey Nininger wasn't hardly a meteorite
> hunter shows a great deal of ignorance and such people making claims should
> read some of his books he wrote to educate themselves. Best!
>
> --AL Mitterling
>
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-- 
.........................................................
Michael Gilmer (Louisiana, USA)
Member of the Meteoritical Society.
Member of the Bayou Region Stargazers Network.
Websites - http://www.galactic-stone.com and http://www.glassthrower.com
..........................................................

Received on Thu 16 Jul 2009 07:14:57 PM PDT