Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-05-22
rhe Great oLIe ,Ie5leorIe sLower.

Lieut Tidball, OF the U. S. Army, has in a
letter to Prof Henry of the Smithsonian In
stitute, given full and interesting details of the
showers of Meteoric Stones which fell ON the
lst of May near the villsggof Concord, Musk
ingum County, Ohio. The accounts are de-
rived from eye witnesses. One of the stones
weighed ffty-one pounds, another forty-two.
We quote:
The shower took place between twelve and
one o'clock P. NJ. The day was unusually
cold for the season of the year. and the sky
about twO-thirds overcast with clouds. Sim
ultaneously with the fall of the stones tre-
mendiOus explosion occurred in the atmos-
phere. To those near by it tresembled severe
clap of thunder in sound, but was accompanied
by jarring sensation, which, together with
the noise, was felt and heard at much great
er distance than the effect of the thunder. 1t
was observed and remarked as something pc
culiar by persons fffy miles of. was at the
time about thirty miles distant and so extra
ordinary was the detonation and jarring SEN
sation, that thought il (althOugh an unknown
occurrence in this region) an earthquake
shock; in fact such was the general apinion
of all who heard it. To those near where the
stones fell several distinct reports were heard
accounts vary from six to twelve they
were in quick succession, perhaps not over a
second of time between them. So strange
was the sensation that cattle in the fields ran,
startled at it. -Four stones were seen to fall,
and have been recovered, but the probabilities
are that many others fell. Two, which fell
within about six hundred yards of each other,
were seen by couple Of men who were labor
ingin the field. Hearing the reports, one of the
men looked up and saw large body fall into
a field close By; the other, looking in another
direction, saw another, which fell upon the
fence. Within about twenty minutes they
approached and dug out the one which had
fallen IN the held, where it had buried itself
to the depth Of about twenty inches in a stiff
limestone soil: i was still so hot that it
could scarcely be held in their hands. From
the direction in which it entered the earth its
fall appeared to be vertical It's weight was
81 pounds, and its shape irregular, long. and
fattened. Il entered the ground end fore
most. The other, which fell upon the fence.
weighed forty-two pounds. In its descent Il /
cut through the rails Of the fence and buried I
itselfin the earth, having direction appar- !
emily from the northeast. About one and a |
half miles from where these two stones fell, a /
q young man plOughihg in q field heard a
strange whizzing sound over head, and look
ing up, saw the clouds in strange state of |
The same with regard to the
agitation Of the clouds was observed by Others !
Thinking that he heard something fall, upon
searching he found stone weighing thirty
six pounds, which had fallen upon and embed.
ded itself in a deOayed log. Il was supposed
that u had in its fall direction from the
southeast.
Near ClaysYine, about six miles distant
two gentleman walking out heard the expIo.
aion, and very soon afterwards. a stone
weighing four pounds fell near them. striking
he ground 50 obliquely ss to rieoehet. The
direction Of this appeared to be from the north.
The four stones above mentioned were all that
we're seento fall; another, however, was found
fhich had fallsn in the woods and lodged in
he earth among thick cluster of roots, sur
lepnding beech tree. It weighed about
hirty pounds, and it appeared to have fallen