New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1847-01-22
Extraordinary Natural Phenomena.
corresuondeuce of The Tribune.

Correspondence OF The tribune
FINE Hill, Jan. Ia, lsi,.
Nature has been guilty Of committing another OF
her freaks In this vicinity and have presumed to send
Won N correct an account Of the affair az have been
able to gather which, II some one else has not been
before me In doing, you arc at liberty to publish
On Sunday evening the 10th instant while engaged In
conservation and facing the window, observed sud
dan flash similar 70 lightning; but as my nervous sys'
tam vas at the time In a somewhat eneryated state,
concluded II was mere optical delusion ana helner
ssid or thought ythng farther about Il put on 'he
following day my curiosity was aroused ON inc suuJec,
DO hs.rns number Of persons speak Of having heard
report like thunder at about the same hour IN when
saw the aash which was between 10 and ii O'CLOCK
Several heard the sound very plainly and the proDaoo
csnse of lie not being noticed by myself was the direc
ton Of my attention 10 the subject oil conversation anu
The peculiar train thought aroused by the belief oil us
bsnc An optical Illusion BY some the flash was thousht
M he lshtnne and the report thunder and ere many
comments were made the snguaIity OF sucn eieouc
phenomena in Wintcr, and this was frequently very
pausby accounted for by Its agreement with the very
shsnseablr and unusual weather have had since
Christmas. After eeyolying In my mind the pfooAonN
of such an and cndcavorng 10 areonn, i9I
!, other wine nv conviction that meteor had made
lie appearance the bursting OF which caused the hash
and report e.,,- n
This occurred in Lexington the town east OF This ON
Vedpe sday came here, and have since heard the iol
lowing account of the matter, ON good testimony ana
liz main features have since been eorrobora'ed Inc
individual who gave II was returning iIom heoaihs
his attention was acted 10 the North by pale blush
hsht on the snow Two luminous bodies each about
the size OF q common flour barrel, were slowly ap
proac each other that quarter of the sky lhey
moved rrcrulary and though they appeared only about
ten feet apart when no nrs noticed then were heM4y
I'VE minutes In coming In contact AZ hrst uey wee
ul hut an they neared each other grew brighter and
when the conclusion occurred emitted streams OF lgh
similar to those emitted by sky rocker, the eonse
auence OF which was sudden Hash.
Several of the phenomena were somewhat singular
AMI 10 me quite as novel The person stated tina, they
appeared 10 be carried the air, that Their movement
was In nearly direct line with the horizon and think
they did not approSch by mutual attraction ms IS
however rather questionable, but As their motion wa
irregular they probably acted upon by some Other
POWER In opposition to their own affinity. ! VIII en-
deayor account for this irreg1larity Shcugh &c
mot pretend to very extensive knowledge OF mcteorC
rhenomena and wish merely to have my reasons con
sdered suggestions to those who can better eNplar
them.
Me,eors are generally supposed to be formed in our
own atmosphere and 10 be luminous without heat liz,
wood fox hre, and the spark Of the glow WORM
Hre.ay and lghinngbug When they have fairly col
eced their specific gravity Is increased and they con
sequenty descend through the higher and lighter 70;
tns of the air al its weight equals their own, whci
thew explodc and lose their Illuminating propert.
The cause OF their explosion may DO found in III
greater pressure Of the atmosphere causing ehemes
changes by diminishing the volume Of the meteor, o
owins to the greater proportions of those atmosphere
constituents which unite with tho matter OF which II
composed II the change IS eAcc,ct IN this way. psr
assumes solid form and falls the earth and the
sinder gaseous state and is dispersed throughout
rounding air all may be disposed Of in only one
the two ways
But with these facts and suggestions to guide w
may suppose that the two mcteors under consideration
were mutually attracted and had arrived nearly at IN
crisis Of explosion but The force with which they ysv
81 their dsenssSed gas acted upon each other and
tsrded their union. When they did finally unite ffiC
ton and separation caused them TO explode. But III
dcuiiy here occurs that they must have been som
time Of about the same hight as when they explode
previous TO its taking place the chances against hi
precise time OF lis occurrence sud that there wer
two of them the difeuy is doubled. mutual attrsC
non had brought them together with regular motor
we shculd be warranted in the belief that trtcnor
which would Of coarse increase velocity incrcsse<
caused tho explosion. and perhaps IL Is rcasonsol
sapposon as II 10 The air being set In motion by n
counter currens OF sas given oil increased friction, an
when the collision cured became suhcieni,oproducei
OR perhaps the motion of the air by merely giving free
aecess to the oxygca others OF rs constituent el'
n,enis caused the Increasing eriisney and when IN
collision happened separation and change OF srrsng'
rnent effected it, Bat with these hints shsn leave n
matter the curious, happy in having contributed m
mite from that vast laboratory Of beautiful niercsn
and instructive RECOMMENDATIONS.
In haste. IUDsoN ELLIS.
Tux THEORY OF SToRNS-Mr. Espy having cs
tsbNshed the general rule that storms during the Wiz
her month"; travel from the West the Essi the Tn
tcd sta,es generally beginning far West and scldoI
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