St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1860-08-16
The Meteor of July Twentieth.

From all the accounts that have as
vet reached us, this wonderful meteor,
or rather cluster of mcteors, for such
it was, was first seen by the inhabit-
ants of Detroit, Michigan from the
statements given they seem to have
observed it at the moment that it be.
came luminous from entering the
earth's atmosphere. 1t was undoubt-
eddy seen much farther West. and we
may yet hear that such has been the
case. AT that time, it was about As
miles from the surface of the earth.
By the observations of DR.. Peters, of
Hamilton College, Clinton, n. T., it
was So miles high when it passed
south of that place. Another excel
lent observation for determining its
height was made by gentleman at
Fulton, n. Y, who saw it actually oc-
cult the planet Mars. Its nearest APP
proach to the carth's surface, was
when it passed over the Hudson, at
an altitude Of nearly 35 miles. The
observations made at the Cambridge
Observatory give it the same altitude
above the sea when bearing South.
| 1t was then $50 miles sOnth Of Boston.
When i: first became visible, it was
over the central part Of Michigan it
then crossed over Lake Huron, passed
few miles south of the Falls of Ma
CARA, traversing the State of New
York in an east south.casterly direc-
tion and crossing the Hudson little
to the south of West Point. The last
we hear of it is, that it was seen by
two vessels which were scvcrally $50
and 800 miles out at sea.
Professor Bond considers it proba-
bic that it did not fall upon the earth,
but that, continuing its uninterrupted
course, it passed out of our atmos-
phcrc willie over the Atlantic Ocean /:
but Notwithstanding that this deduc-
ton best satisfies the observations
hitherto received, we should look with
much interest for accounts from Bcr-
muda and the Cape Verde Islands,
both of which lie near the presumed
path of the meteor, and also from YES
: sells which may have been sufficiently
t near its track to have witnessed it.
] Not the least interesting incidcn
: connected with its appearance is th
fact of its having been observe,
through telescope of five inches ar
> erturc by Mr.. c. A. Damon, Of Bos
) ton, who Glanced at the moment to b.
looking at the planet Mars. Seeing
the light of the meteor, he turned hi
telescope upon it, and followed it
course until it passed ont of sight
He made a sketch of its appearance
showing that the train Of sparks which
it left behind, came from the front Z"
the mass, where, from the compression
of the air being greatest, the combus
ton was most intense. This may al
so explain why the meteor appearc,
SO white and brilliant at first, whcI
the front of it, in an incandcsccn
state, was presented to view, and red
when it had passed the beholders, who
then saw the back Of it, where the
heat was not SO violent. This sketch
Mr.. Damon sent to Professor Bond
The appearance of the sparks, as they
burst from the front of the meteor,
and then fell back to form the tail, for
chilly reminded one of Donati's comet.
as seen through the great telescope at
Cambridge.
The least diameter of the principal
mass was half a mile how much of
this may have been gas or smoke can
not be ascertaincd but it is fair to
suppose that the rapid ratc-twenty
miles in scccnd-at which it passed
through the air would leave all the
lighter particles detached from it in
its rear.