Paper: The Ironwood Daily Globe City: Ironwood, Michigan Date: Wednesday, June 25, 1930 Page: 9
SMALL COLLEGE HAS METEOR IN MUSEUM Professor at McPherson, Pays $3,600 For World's Finest Specimen.
McPherson, Kan., June 25 - These are happy days for Professor H. N. Nininger of the faculty of McPherson College, a school of a few hundred students in this central Kansas prairie town.
Professor Nininger, small of stature and peer through thick glasses, is gloating over a prize he snatched away from buyers representing the Field Museum of Chicago. The scientist outbid the Chicago Institution and obtained for his country college the world's finest meteorite specimen - the largest that ever was observed falling from the skies.
The prize looks like a common rock and weighs 820 pounds. The Kansan paid $3600 of the little college's funds for the specimen, obtaining it by offering and even $100 more than a representative had been authorized by the Chicago museum to offer.
Startled the Farmers
It was about 4:15 in the morning of Feb. 17 that farmers living 14 miles southwest of Paragould, Ark., were awakened by a deafening roar. Among those who ran to doors and windows to look out were Mr. and Mrs. Joseph H. Fletcher.
Almost dazed by three load reports, holding themselves erect only by holding to the casing of a door as their house shook and trembled as in an earthquake, they saw a large fiery substance strike the earth near their home.
Clouds of clay hurled 100 yards by the impact of the object with the earth's surface. When they hastened to the spot, they found only a hole in the ground.
But at the bottom of that hole was what seemed to be a stone. It had embedded itself about nine feet in the ground when it struck after falling through space.
Was Offered $3,500
Mr. Fletcher dug out the object and hauled it to a newspaper office in Paragould. There it was examined by hundreds of curious persons, including Professor C.C. Wylie of the department of astronomy of the University of Iowa. Dr. Wylie for years has specialized in the study of meteors. He spent several days obtaining statements from person who saw the object fall.
It was then that the Field Museum in Chicago authorized an offer of $3500 to the farmer for the meteorite. Just as that offer was about to be accepted, however, Professor Nininger arrived from McPherson.
He, like the University of Iowa scientist, had made a life study of meteors and meteorites.
Professor Nininger was enthusiastic about this stone. He announced it not only the largest of its kind ever seen to fall but was of unusual composition.
The Kansas professor did some hasty telegraphing to the management of his college and then surprised everybody by outbidding the Chicago museum. Within a few hours, Professor Nininger had the meteorite in an express car en route to McPherson.
May Sell-at a Profit
Professor Nininger, proud of his college's possession, indicates enough profit might cause surrender of the meteorite to a higher bidder.
"It is possible that we may yet dispose of it to some large Institution," he added.
(end)
Clear Skies, Mark Bostick Wichita, Kansas http://www.meteoritearticles.com http://www.kansasmeteoritesociety.com http://www.imca.cc
http://stores.ebay.com/meteoritearticles
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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.
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