Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-07-26
The 1Ieleor I'D nIeleoroIltes.

]
Illinois and Wisconsin papers make no mem
ton of the dazzling visitor, and its first ad-
vent to earth was probably on Lake Huron
or in the wilds of Michigan or Canada. 1t
was observed rs far north as Toronto and
Oswego where it apparently passed directly
over those cities, as far east as Boston, ard
as far south as Virginia The Philadelphia
Inquirer devotes nearly a page to extracts
describing the track and appearance of the
meteor. There is a close correspondence of
the accounts Of lis appearance by the various
observers, An agree as to its apparently
close proximity to the point of observation,
the latter a matter OF great delusion, both as
to its altitude and horizontal distance.
The Inquirer makes this remarkable me-
teOr the text for "A brief and interesting
sketch Of meteoric bodies, from which we
extract as follows:
The descent of ''great stones, from Heav-
en-, is mentioned in the tenth chapter of the
book Of Joshua, and the early chronicles and
memorials Of protane history, record many
such cases. Through the mist of fable which
envelops the history of the betuE, we dis
cern some characters which correspond with
those Of meterOlites. Il is related in Life of
Isidorus, that the bqtuH fell on Mount Liba-
nus in globe of fire. We read also that
Astarte found ''star" which had "falen from
Heaven" and that the stone denominated the
smother Of the gods, had the same origin.
Livy informs US OF a shower of stones on the
Alban Mount, in the reign of Tullias Hostil-
ius or about 652 B. @. But the most re-
markable case in ancient history is mention
ed in Plinys Natural History. This meteor
lite fell in Thrace about the year ACT B. G.
II was still shown in Plinys day. and was
''as large as cart, and of burned color. p
Pliny gives another instance of an aerolite
which fell in Lucama about 56 B. c., and
Ceasar records the descent of one at Accilla
46B.C.
Coming down to modern times, the recorded
instances of the fall of meteoric bodies are
numerous, and there is now scarcely city,
pretending to learning that has not a cabinet
Of specimens. One fell near the village of
Ensisheim, in Germany, at midday, on the
9TH of November, 1892. This weighed two
hundred and sixty pounds, and large por-
ton of it was preserved at the church door
of the town for many years. Surius, Car
thusian monk, mentions a shower of stones
which fell in Lombardy in 1910. Another
author referring to the same event, states
that about eleven hundred and twenty stones
fell from the air on this occasion, one of
which weighed one hundred and twenty
pounds. A more interesting account of a
meteorite is given by Gassendi, who informs
US that on the 27th of November, 1927, about
ten o'clock in the day, he saw a flaming
stone, Of the apparent diameter Of four feet
fall on Mount Vaision, in Provence. The
stone was surrounded by q luminous circle of
different colors, which nearly resembled the
rainbow, and its fall was accompanied by a
noise like the discharge of artillery. The
weight Of this stone was ffty-nine pounds
A rare volume printed in Paris in 1872 gives
an account oftwo stones, one of which weigh
ed three hundred and the other two hundred
pounds, which fell near Verona. On the oath
or July, 1890, near Agen, in France, a me-
teoT, some what like that of Friday last, was
observed. 1t was described as a fire ball, of
a larger apparent diameter than the moon,
dragging a tail which seemed to be five or
six times longer than its body and which
gradually tspered to point. This luminous
body proceeded with great velocity from south
to north, and in two seconds split into por-
sions of considerable size, like the fragments
of bursting bomb These fragments be-
came extinguished in the air. assuming a red
color as they fell.
Passing over numerous other recorded cases
which present the same general features we
may refer to an extraordinary descent of me-
teorie stones ueur bAigle, in Normandy,
April 26, 1903, which was investigated at
the instance of the Government by Mon
sieur Bolt. The peculiarly in this case was
the large number which fell, computed by |
him to number between two and three thou !
sand, the stones being friable for some days
after their descent but afterwards becoming /
hard.
Some recent instances in our own country
and time viii present themselves to the mind
Of our readers.
No one now doubts the fall of stony or
metallic bodies from the atmosphere, and their
analysis disclOses the singular fact that
wherever they have fallen, whether in Europe,
Asia, or America, their composition is nearly
identically the same, and agrees with the COM
position of no known mineral. Their con-
'tituents are about forty per cent. of silica
twenty-five Of malleable iron; six to eight Of
nickel, with asssmall quantity of iron pyrites,
and variable proportions of lime, alumina,
and manganese, with traces of
chrome, cobalt and sulphur.
The chief phenomena attending these
blazing meteors have been thus summed up
hey appear to blaze out suddenly; they move
With a surprizingly rapid motion, nearly
but little inclined doWnwards;
hey move in several different directions with
espect to the points Of the compass; in their
light they yield loud whizzing sound; they
burst with violent explosion and
epOrt; they fall on the earth with great
orce, in slOping direction; they are very
lot at first remain so a considerable time,
nd exhibit visible tokens of fusion on their
urface; the fallen stony masses have all the
anne external appearance and conjecture,
s well al the same nature and composition |
they are totally different from all
ur terrestrial bodies, both natural and arti-
cial
There is a fine specimen of meteorOlite in
be Smithsonian Institute in Washington. In ,
be British Museum there is a collection of q.
orty-one stones, the times and places of the
escent of which are known and recorded .
# these one fell in North Carolina in 1916;
ne at Weston, Connecticut in 1907; one at
in Maryland, in 1926; one at
-ashville, Tennessee, in 1927; one at Ches- !
srfeld, Virginia, in 1928; one in Tennessee,
/ 1885; one at Littley Piney, Missouri, in
539; one at Carthage, Tennessee, l847; one :
Bishopville, S. c., in ls47; and one at ;;
abarras, N. c., ls49.
How DOUGLAS STRENGTH Is EsrIMATED.-
aniel s. Dickinson has very thorough !
nOwledge of the Democratic party, having
cen in it all his life. He illustrates the map t
er in which the DOuglasites count their /
rength by the following anecdote: )
Some fat-boatmen, descending the Missis- '
ppi, in rather jolly mood, passed a house
4 the shore Whern thew Ivara 6ddIino end