FIND OF IRONSTONE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21396, 20 October 1934, Page 10

FIND OF IRONSTONE

1 METEOR THEORY TESTED SUPPOSITION DISPROVED Discovered on the farm of Mr. H. Bannister, in ICairanga district, and thought possibly to be fragments of a fallen meteorite, several pieces of stone obviously containing iron were recently taken into Palmerston North for examination. Under a powerful microscope, Mr. 8. ' Jickell. formerly borough engineer in Palmerston, has been able to determine that they are/definitely not pieces of leonids, because of their irregular sur- ■ face. He said that even thoueh they ' might have protuberances, meteors were always worn smooth on the surface bj their passage at, terrific speed toward the earth. , • The opinion Mr. Jickell advanced is that the substance is ironstone of a similar nature to tho natural mat discovered 3ft. under the ground level during early draining operations on the playing field of the Boys' High School. It was of volcanic origin. It was recalled by Mr. Jickell that in 1908 some residents of Palmerston . had an alarming experience when a meteorite fell. It heralded its approach with a, terrifying roar, and struck the edge of the roadway just off the footpath, making a hole like a small shell crater, and breaking the water main.