Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1859-06-22
The Metooric Phenomenon near oswegu

The OsTego Palladium contains further
particulars in regard to the falling Of the
immense meteoric body in Bayleston. that
city. Ii is among the most extraordinary
phenomenon Of the kind on record. The
following is the statement Of Mr.. James
Hadley, in the vicinity of whose house
the mass Of heated matter hurled with ire
mendous velocity struck the earth and ex-
ploded. No marvel the people near thought
it "crack O. DOOM" Mr.. II. says
The atmosphere had beon very oppress-
i've during Tuesday, and especially ia the
eyening-somethiug similar l have cnce
experienced before a tornado which l wit
messed in the West Indies, in 1896. /
was awakened at about 8 O'Clock on
Wednesday morning. by the room in which
I slept being filed with light, and immeli-
ately heard Z rushing sound like the COM
ing on of 4 great wind. This did not last
above q few seconds after l was awake,
when IN explosion followed Of which l can
give 10 description-it was terrific. The
whole house shook as if a hundred cannon
had been fred under the windows; quite z
number Of panes Of glass were broken out
of the windows, and the plastcring of the
room | wa in came tumbling about me-
The light which was SO brilliant that l
could plainly see every object in the room
was at once -eztinguished. The window of
nay room is On the opposite side of the
house from the place where the meteor fell,
so that L can only judge of Its direction
The light seemed to come from some body
moving very rapidly and from south to.
north, and seemed to increase rapidly dur
ing the brief space that preceded the ez-
plosion. I at once started in the direction
of the explosion, but was unable to find the
spot and returned. The spot where the
body fell is about a mile from my house.
A correspondent of the Palladium adds:
This is the substance of the observations
Of all who were near the spot. Many were
awakened by the shock st a distance of FIVE
miles. and until the truth was ascertaincd
thought an earthquake had occurred.
The Aerolite struck tie earth in some
timber land belonging to Mr.. Sanger, in q
thinly inhabited portion Of the town. We.
believe Mr.. Hadiey's in the nearest dwell
ing. 1t seems to have been an almost
spherical body, as near as we can judge
from the fragments remaining. about seven
ty-fve feet in diameter. Its course was
from southwest to northwest, and descend
cd at an angle Of not mere than thirty de-
grces from the horizon, which is proved by
It's track through the heavy hcmlock trees
before it touched the earth. The trees arc
cut through as a cannon ball would cut
through a hedge, leaving a clear track
The velocity must have been immense.-
The earth is torn up for several rods, and
the huge trees arc splintered and piled up
ike brush.
The large hemlock, at least four feet in
diameter, near whose roots the meteor
struck. was thrown bodily for eighty yards
crushing the surrounding trees Ike pipe
stems. Fragments Of a huge sand stone
boulder which lay in its course under the
surface. were thrown in all directions, and
one weighing half a ton was found in the
rold three fourths Of a mile away.
The Aerolite seemed to have been formed
of a nucleus Of a crystalized substance. of
q semivitreous character, but harder than
quartz, and unlike anything with which
We are acquainted. This was surrounded
by a crust of about three feet in thickness,
which was probably the same substance
oxOdized. or CHANGED by combustion. The
crust broke of in fragments and lays about
the spot, but the nucleus penetratcs the
earth to the distance Of twenty feet, and at
the time We write is set upon by IN excited
crowd, who are ~chopping away under the
impression that it consists Of precious ma
terial Of some sort
From appearances the outer crust Of the
Aerolite seem to have been ina partial state
of fusion, which is caused, according TO
philosophers who have written on the sub
Jet of Aerolitcs, by heat generated by its
rapid passage through cur atmosphere
The crust, which was broken Of as pieces
would be broken off a green chestnut burr
by collision, somewhat resembles iron ore,
but the vitrocus character Of the interior
are evident That it was very hot when it
fill is proved by the grass and whatever
substance the fragments rested upon, being
oharred by the contact l send You a
specimen of the outer crust, but every
specimen which had the slightest trace Of
the crystalline matter, which probably
forms the nucleus, has been seized on by
the excited people, who. from its hardness
and brilliancy conceived it to be at least as
valuable as dimonds, and viii not part with
it at any price. / presume they viii be
mistaken sadly, but the fever wason them
u -