Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1860-05-30

fishes the following letter sent to Pro sssor
HENEY, OF the Smithsonian Instltution. de-
seriptiys Of a rsesat nstsrore phenomena In
Ohio;
HE~xnEYsBuaG. OH.o. Nav g. 1860.
DEAE PRoFEssoR; Yau will doubtless see
in the papers an account OF a shower Of ne
teo ic = ones which fel on the first inst. near
the village ~ Concord, IN Muskingum county,
Ohio. Lest you should think & a hoax, or at
least an Incorrect Statement, Ihave taken sueh
pains as circumstances would permit, to Oh
tain a. near AZ possible an the facts and cir
cumstancrs connec' cd with Do.
The shower took place between twelve and
one o'clock. P. ~. The day was unusually
cold for the -e son OF the year, and he SKY
about two-ihir j. overcast with clouds. Simul-
tansnusiy with the flli Of tins stones a trs-
mendo D explosion orcuuelin the a'mosnhere.
To those nearby. g rrssmhled a severe 81 % Of
thunder On sound, bit WAS accompanied BY a
iarring sensation. xlich. together with the
noisa. was Eel and heard az a much greater
distance than TIE effect OF thunder. Il was
observed and renarSed AZ somslhiug peculiar
By persons ~ v miles 81. was, az the time,
about thirty miles distant, and 90 sxtrsorii-
nary was the detonat on and jsrring sensa-
ton. thai I thought p (aihough an a. known
occurrence 10 this egion) an earthquake
NANN = HH - "AHa W. "E@@
Of al who heard e..
To thase near where the Stone fell some dis
tinct reports ware heard-accounis vary from
six 10 tWrlve-hsF were IN rapii succession,
peThans not over a second % time between
them. 81 strange vas the sensation tha' cat
tie IN the felis ran. stsrl dat h.. Flurstones
were seen 70 fan. an have been recovered. hut
the probabilities are that msnv others fell
Two, which frll within six hundred yards OF
each other, were seen BY q roupie OF men who
were lsborng o. a hsld Hearirg The reports,
one Of the men looked up and saw a large
BODY far into a field close BY; the Other, Look
Ing 90 another direction, saw another which
fell upon 2 fence. Within abou- twenty min
uiss tneY approached and dug OFT the one
which had fallen in the Geld, where Il had
buried Itself n the depth Of about twenty
inches o. a stiff limestone soil. l. was still 50
hot that o. could scarcely be held IN the hands.
From the direction whieh Il catered ths earfh.
ils fsll appeared 10 be ye teal. lie weight
was ftF-one p0usds, and lie shape irregular,
long aud hattensd. u entered the CT ruud
piint foremost. The other, which FELL upon
the fence, weighed forty-twa pounds. In its
descent it en- through the rails o. the fence,
and hurriei itself IL The earth, having a direc-
ton apparently from TIE northeast.
About one sBd ahalf miles from where these
stones fell, = young nan blowing IN a field
beard a strange whizZing s0u-d Overhead, and, ]
LOOKING up, saw the clouds In a strange state
Ct eommotioa. 1hs same With regard To the
agitation o. the clouds was observed b.
Thinking that be heard Something
fan upan searching be foand a stone weighing
thiriy-six pounds. which had fallen upon and
itself % decaysd log. Il was sap
posed that 70 had in is fan a direction from
souih-sase. Near Cisysvi,ls, about six
miles distant, two gentlemen walking out heard
explosion, and very soon sfterWard a stone
weighing four pounds frl near them. striking
the ground 90 obliqueiy AZ to rico-het. TIE
direction OF this appeared TO BE- from the
l0rh. Ih- fogrs'ours above mentioned were
that were seen 10 Fail. Another, however.
Vas found which bad fallen 10 fhs woods and
iB the Earth amorg a thick cluster %
roots surrounding beech tree. Il WeiEhsf
about thirty pounds, and appeared to have
Fallen vertically. Al Of the stones were IT.
in figure. and bal The SAM general
lppasrzncs, naving a b'seksnei, smooth, vitri-
bed surface. Tdis exterior coafins wa, how
.VeT, very thin-Tot over One-dtieth Of an inch
thickness. within the stones bad az sshv
color, ana contained fne particles OF some
subsistence, probably native nickel.
Yours truly, JaFN c. TIDBALL,
Lieut.. Unitad States Army.