The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-07-22
THE METEOR OF FRIDAY NIGHT.
>N>>>>o>>~>~~~~~>~~~~~>~~
lts Brilliancy and Its Great Distance
from the Earth
Seen Fright Over the Heads" Of People One
4 Hundred and Fifty Miles apart.
Sea Views and Shore Views Of the
tfs ra Phenomenon.
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ALL SORTS OF ACCOUNTS.
No~~o~~~~s>~~~~~@.~~N0S>~
Our Amateur Astronomers ON
the Qui Vive,
&c. &e., &es
ALL SORTS OF ACCOUNTS.

The mysterious phenomenon OF friday ngnt appears 70
have attracted agfeat deal Of attention in all directions and
from the descriptions received at the HEtD
,cr, there must have been extensive display Of
urs areworks excelpg in brancy the celebrated py-
rotschnics manufa by Mr. Edge We are in fact
having Just new AN unusual demonstration in this line.
On Thursday night the northern lights were exceedingly
brilliant for three hours succession equal TO the dis
play usually witnessed upon cold winter night, the sea-
sou of the year that such usually seem On Fri
day night there continuous flashes Of lightning in the
east and apparently not cloud 10 be seem the climax,
he to have been reached the meteorc dis
pIsy few minutes before ten o'clock.
The appearance Of this this time following as
1t upon the heels Of the amospherica phe-
soena that followed each other in rapid succession
sing The commencement of this year. is well calculated
create excitement in the public mind and will be look
ed upon BY the with something than sceD
tho interest At nrst every one looked upon IL as some
invention in the pyroechnica lne but as accounts
poured in from irent sections Of the country, Morrill,
South and East, this eccentric visitor was viewed with
great mystery.
Soon amer the appearance Of the evening papers, with
from the surrounding country, showing that it
was natures frev orks, there was as much ex
cemen about the streets existed upon the arri
val the Great Eastern 1t In fact the main topic OF
conversation in the oce and counting roon at the hotels
saloons and wherever three four persons were 70
be found together Many looked upon IL as having some
mysterious connection with the tornadoes that have re-
Gently swept with such fury Western praries.
One would attribute this cause and another to some
Other all of them, however, looking upon 1t with unusual
mystery.
Its first appearance this city must have been about
twenty minutes before ten O'Clock on Friday evening
travelled apparently at comparatively slow speed Civ
~
Or The space of from three ave minutes. appear
ed drereut from the several standpoins Of our CORES
pcpdeps, seeing meteor, others two, and still
Others three. As II first In sight in the western
horizon was 30 enveloped blush haze that but one
body could be seen BY the time however, that u cd
vancsd In ninety degrees two bodies could be
seem and who witnessed further east declare that
three separate bodies visible. 1t was apparently
very near the earh-a fact which caused many to look
upon as pyrotechnical display instead OF the
acspherical phenomenon which has since proved TO
be The TACT OF its being large az extent Of
co try at shows how deceptive its apparent height
wss Or well accounts for it's slow motion
opsr@ our reporters. on his way mp town by the
Third avenue cars, between nine and ten O'Clock last
night, was Standing the ront PLATFORM when in the
vicinity Of Houston bright light seen in
westerly direction, developed in blush atmosphere,
having appearance OF Just emerging out OF hazy
cloud When rst he light about the SIZE OF
mans hand II remained In that condition about
ninute, apparently drawing nearer, but moving In
direction dagonay 10 the course OF the car Al nrst ne
locked upon motion the result OF the motion OF the
car which was at that time going at rapid rate. II
soou however, emerged from the mist that surrounded H.
xhon,&wo meteor like bodies could be plainly rng
10 the northeast al the apparent velocity OF about
mile a minute, and to all appearance about
rve hundred feet above the buildings Each body had
tail Of blush COLOR from I've TO ten feet in length the
rear one tapping upon the 'front.' AT distance Of about
one hundred feet there followed stream OF starlike dre
travelling in the same direction Of the metcors. The
two bodies continued the arst indicated until
hidden from view by the buildings the east side Of the
aveaue. They in sight about three minutes, and
when they disappeared were in the vicinity Of Williams
burg The head Of each meteor from ten 10 twelve
inchee in diameter throwing or ell the time nery mat
az What the mysterious bodies were no one could tell
or even conjecture although by large numbers 10 all
parts Of the city.
HErCH or THE PHENOMENON BY coRREs 'oNDEST.
TO EDITOR me HERALD.