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

[MARK BOSTICK]

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.