File:The American Museum journal (c1900-(1918)) (18159666815).jpg

Title: The American Museum journal
Identifier: americanmuseumjo06amer (find matches)
Year: c1900-(1918) (c190s)
Authors: American Museum of Natural History
Subjects: Natural history
Publisher: New York : American Museum of Natural History
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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The American Museum Journal ^'o'- ^■'- JULY, 1906. No. 3
Text Appearing After Image:
THE WILLAMETTE METEORITE. ;HE Museum is particularly fortunate in having secured, as a gift from Mrs. William E. Dodge, the Willamette Meteorite, the largest meteorite which has been found in the United States and one of the three largest known. The great hol- lows and deep pits which characterize the surface of the mass combme with its enormous size to make this the most remark- able and interesting meteorite known. Willamette is a siderite, or a mass composed of an alloy of iron and nickel, and its chief dimensions are: length, 10 feet; height, 6 feet 6 inches; thickness, 4 feet 3 inches; weight, as de- termined upon the railroad scales at Portland, Oregon, 31,107 pounds. About 100 pounds can safely be added to this'weight for portions removed and carried away between its discovery and the-time of its acquisition by the Museum, so that it is withm bounds to say that the weight of the mass when found was at least 31,200 pounds, or about 15.6 tons. All the gi-eat meteorites that are comparable with Wil- lamette in size and weight are likewise siderites, or irons. They are Ahnighito, weighing 36.5 tons, Bacubirito, estimated at about 27.5 tons, the larger Chupaderos, 15.5 tons, San Gre- gorio, II.I tons, the smaller Chupaderos, 6.9 tons, and Bemdego, 5.9 tons. Willamette's dimensions exceed those of the larger Chupaderos, and it therefore ranks as the third known meteorite in both size and weight. Ahnighito, or "The Tent," is the largest of the three iron meteorites brought to New York from Cape York, Greenland by Commander Robert E. Peary, U.S.N., and with its associates, the "Woman" (6,000 pounds) and the "Dog" (1,100 pounds), IS at this Museum. Bacubirito lies where it fell ages ago near the spot where now is located the Httle village in the State of Sinaloa, Mexico, which gives it its name. The two Chupaderos irons! 105

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