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Re: (meteorobs) Re: what does a meteorite look like?



My last off topic post on this topic.

     I would see to it that any extraordinary meteorite would find its way to 
scientists and not some private collection. Asking prospectors not to 
receive compensation for their legal find is like asking scientists to teach 
or do research for no pay, we all would like to do it for the pleasure it 
brings us but there's also that problem with food, morgages, ELECTRCITY 
(just wait, the problems coming your way soon) and other bills.

     I spent the time to find the story in the Aug. 1977 issue of the 
California Mining Journal after it became a debate. It seems there were 
three prospectors involved and they did have two lawyers for a while each. 
They were warned by Mr. Oriti of the Griffith Observatory that they should 
seek out someone who was familiar with the business tatics of the 
Smithsonian before contacting them. They didn't and Mr. Clarke of the 
Smithsonian showed up on their doorstep the day after receiving the photo 
and sample wanting to "only see the meteorite to evaluate it." Reluctantly 
trusting the man they showed him the three ton meteorite (2nd largest in 
the US) who once learning its location then questioned the "title to it." The 
three prospectors didn't have enough money to hire the $3,800 an hour 
helicopter to remove it (which per hour was about 1/8th the cost of a 2 
bedroom home in SoCal in '76), so they couldn't remove it yet. Mr. Clarke 
got the military involved and took it. After the fact the prospectors found 
out that the Smithsonian uses outright confiscation and the 1906 Antiquity 
Act to get most (I would say some) of their "finds." 

     I agree with George Zay, who also has prospected too, the actions by the 
government in railroading the people and laws to gain their objectives at 
little cost to them has done more harm to science than good.  I'm probably 
swiming up-river on this topic on this board but in rural America and 
with miners,  it was just another illegal grab by the government and 
courts (which often show an astounding lack of knowledge of mining law) at 
the expense of the poor and helpless. We will just have to agree to disagree.

                                                 Dave English


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