METEORITE FOUND?

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 303, 22 December 1937, Page 18

METEORITE FOUND?

DISCOVERER'S CLAIM.

BUENOS AYRES,

A meteorite which fell to earth in the dim and distant past somewhere near what is now the boundary line of the Argentine province of Santiago del Estero may cuuse a first-class dispute between the Government of that province and authorities of the adjoining federal territory of the Cliaco. °

The existence of the meteorite was known as long ago as 1540, when the Spanish conquistadores noticed that the Indians possessed spears tipped with iron. Even by their well known third degree methods the Spaniards never were able to learn the source of the metal. During the ensuing 400 years numberless searchers explored the'arei where the meteorite was supposed to have fallen. They found nothing but some fragments of it which are now preserved in the museum at La Plata. In 1884 Congress passed a law defining the boundary line between Santiago did Estero and the Cliaco territory." The Jine was to pass over the site of the "Meson de Fierro"—the name bestowed on the meteorite—although no one could say exactly where that was.

Earlier still, in 1873. the Governor of Santiago del Estero offered a reward of 2000 gold pesos and 02.500 acres of land for the discovery of the meteorite. Now comes Baigorri Velar, who has spent considerable time on the job, announcing discovery of the meteorite and claiming the reward. He says he found the meteorite buried about 5 feet deep at a spot 13 miles inside the Cliaco boundary line which was fixed by law when it was found impossible to carry out the law of 1884.

Velar says that the meteorite weighs approximately 22 tons and when fully exposed will constitute a remarkable relic of the past. If his claim is proved valid a knotty point will arise regarding the true boundary of the province of Santiago del Estero. If the la\y of 1884 is invoked and the boundary line redrawn to pass over the site of the meteorite, the province will acquire a large tract of land at the expense of the Chaco, a tract believed to be rich in oil.