Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 April 1877 — Riches from the Skies—A Queer Story. [ARTICLE]

Riches from the Skies—A Queer Story.

At four o’clock on the morning of the 7th of January an immense body, glowing with intense brilliancy, came rushing acmes the face of heaven, illuminating the earth with the light of day. It trav«led in an oblique direction from the southwest to the northeast, and instantaneously a shock was felt that almost threw the few spectators at that early hour from their feet. About ten days ago, Mr. Wheeler, who cultivates a ranche in Diamond Valley, and who is also in the stock business, oame into town and left a most remarkable substance with an assays'. Mr. Wheeler had a smattering of metallurgical knowledge, and, it seems, had tested the •compound with a blow-pipe and other means within his reach, and detected the presence of the precious metals, but was unable to determine the value. The piece submitted to the assayer was about as large as a hen’s egg, ana immediately attracted his attention by its unusual weight and peculiar color, it being of a purplish-black shade, and, where it had been broken off the main body, presenting a laminated stratification that he failed to ’recognize. Mr. Wacke expended the -whole night in a series of experiments, applying every known test to the article, and detecting the presence of iron, nickel, cadmium, lead, silver, gold, zinc, cobalt, silica and phosphorus. There was also a ixesiduum to each assay, of which Prof. Wacke was unable to determine the prop- - erties, but he hopes by the use of the spec- . troacope to classify it. .A surprising feature of the ore is excessive malleability and ductility, a small , portion of it being reduced, by hammering, »te a film not exceeding one-hundredth of an inch in thickness. He has sent a portion of it to the San Francisco Academy of Sciences, and also to Prof. Silli ; man, of .New Haven, and in the meantime is prosecuting his researches. Prof. Wacke-has found that the substance will reach $387 in silver and $43 in gold per ton.

.The strangest part of the story remains Xo be told; and now that Mr. Wheeler has -duly recorded his claim and perfected his title, we feel at liberty to disclose the fads. On the morning of the 7th of January Mr. Wheeler was' almost thrown from his bed by a violent shock. Getting up -and’looking out of the window he" observed, at the foot of the mountain, an immense mass, glowing at a white heat and of intense brightness. Hastily dressing, he approached as near possible, and found that the object lay just at the foot •of the Diamond Mountain range, but the iheat was so great that he could not go within 1,000 yards of the spot. He kept his own counsel, and made repeated attempts to reach it, but did not succeed until the 14th inst., when it had cooled sufficiently to allow him to break off the portion brought to town. The main body will measure about sixty feet in .height, eighty-seven feet in width, and is 814 feet in length. These are the proportions of the body visible, and it is probable that as much more is embedded in the -earth- Mr. Wheeler calculates that there -are at least 2,000,000 tons in sight, and if it will work anywhere near the assay he 'will extract an immense sum from the mass. -Eureka (Wm.) Sentinel.