[meteorite-list] Pig Iron

From: Darren Garrison <cynapse_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2008 15:55:36 -0500
Message-ID: <3d2ou39dn608m6e6pih7lgrg5qs6vlqe7e_at_4ax.com>

Forwarding for Steve Dunklee.


On Thu, 27 Mar 2008 11:53:07 -0700 (PDT), you wrote:

>Hi:
> I just remembered a story told by my grandfather who was Born in 1900. I think it may be of interest to the list, and may be a source of possible new finds all over the world.
> ever since I could remember there was always a large Half sphere around 12 inches in diameter being used as a doorstop by the front door in the summers. It was Iron and very heavy. with a ring welded to the top and a chain attached to the ring. My great Uncle John Voith was said to have used it to tie up his horse on his many trips from Saginaw to Detroit around 1812 and later. He would stop his horse for the night and pull the sphere from his saddle horn then put it on the ground chained up to his horse. When the horse pulled on the sphere and felt the weight it thought it was tied to a post and would stay where it was even in an open field. and after carrying it all day.
> My Grandfather said the half sphere was made of pig iron that had been turned up by a plow in the fields, and that when they found iron in the early years of settlement like that they would take it to a local blacksmith and trade it for tools because the high nickle content of the pig iron made very good tools. and iron was hard to come by in the 1800's.
> in places like Michigan. If you needed some you had to send all the way to Detroit for it which could take months. The log book made by my uncle records many trips to Detroit by wagon which took around two weeks to get there and longer back because if the heavy burden on the horses of all the sugar flour and goods.
> At times the iron would not melt properly and made it to the slag heap. tossed aside as unusable. I wonder how many Iron meteorites now lay rusting in such old slag heaps mixed up and not noticed ? overlooked ? And how many early tools of the settlers and nails bolts and other things are actually meteoric iron?
>
> For some reason I can't post to the list. feel free to pass this on if you like. I think its my mmorpg game server
> Have a great day
> Steve Dunklee
>
>
>---------------------------------
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Received on Thu 27 Mar 2008 04:55:36 PM PDT