[meteorite-list] looks like slag

[MexicoDoug 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 @ 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