The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1866-01-03

Translated for The Chicago Republican from the Re
Il vue DIES Deux Mondes)
On the 18th of May, 1864, . brilliant
meteor appeared in France, the most north
ern point Of observation being Paris, and
the southermost on line Immediately south
OF Agen and Nontauban, near whcre Its
fragments fell. Itmoved from west toeast,
at an elevation Of from l5 deg. to 20 deg.
above the horizon, appearing like fiery
globe half the size of the moon, leaving be-
hind luminous train that gradually faded
into white trace like an elongated cloud.
To those residing near the point Of explo-
sion 1t appeared larger than the moon, with
an oscillatory and rotatory motion, emitting
vivid sparks and bursts Of vapor similar to
those escaping from heated green wood.
When the explosion took place, jet of fire
threw fragments in all directions, cloud
was formed, and oil disappeared. After a
space Of time, varying according to the po-
sitions Of the observers, and extending from
"a seconds to 5 minutes dull but very in
tense noise was heard, similar to dis
charge Of artillery or the rolling of thunder.
Not single defamation, like that resulting
from the firing of musket, but as ii it had
been produced in each point where the aero
lite had successfully arrived, and had
reached the ear at different times on account
Of the unequal distances to be traversed.
Immediately after the explosion of the
meteor and the cessation of the resulting
noise, an abundant shower Of -- stones
ensued. They came obliquely from west to
east, . result of their orig rapidly and
of gravity, and were warm farmer burnt
himself while pickingup one that fellon his
premises, and it was noticed that the turf
where they dropped was withered by their
touch. Their surface had a black coating like
that noticed on oyer-baked bricks, showing
that they had undergone . surface melting,
that could be afterward reproduced only by
heating them in the flames Of blow-pipe !;
and as it was necessary to warm them to a
white heat to obtain this condition, il must
be admitted that they had that temperature
before they fell
\ An analysis of these stones showed that
they differed in nothing from terrestrial
substances. They were black, soft, and
could almost be kneaded; they made marks
like lead pencil, and contained sulphur
cited magnetic iron in small crystals, that
shone in the middle Of the mass; they con-
tanned per cent. of carbon. which gave
them their color. The presence of carbon
III aerolites has been previously ascertaned,
but it is so rare that this is but the fourth
instance. 1t is not pure, but is combined
with hydrogen and oxygen, and, strange to
say, is a compound almost identical with the
! scum formed in marshes by the decay OF
4 aquatic vegetation. There have also been
| found in this new meteorite great quantities
/ of soluble salts that serve to cement a mass,
which, when plunged in water, drops in
pieces and falls to the bottom Of the vessel.
The investigations made in relation to this
| subject show that the meteor certainly came
| from spaces inaccessible to the senses, but
that when it became luminous it was 164. 900
| feet above the earth The meteor had.
therefore, entered our atmosphere wheu it
was first seen, and continued its course UNI
til within 81, $50 or 1900 feet Of the earth,
when it exploded.
Air is the vehicle of sound in proportion
as one rises, and as the air is rarefed, noises
lose their intensity. Gay-Lussac and Blot
found that at height Of &c, 24O feet, pistol
shot sounded like the crack Of a whip. Nc
one has assembled 10000 feet, but it is
known that the pressure is there lessencd
by nine-tcnths, and that sll sounds must BIZ
exceedingly weakened. But since this ex.
plosion was heard 43.5 miles, it must have
been produced on a mass, and with an in
tensity that gives great idea Of the gran
deur Of the phenomenon and by deduction
from the comparison made by observers OF
the size of the meteor with that of the moon
it is ascertained that it was from 9S4 to 16iG
feet in diameter, or four five times rs
large as the cathedral of Paris. II also
| appears that it moved at the rate of 65, zoe
feet per second-a speed comparable TO
that Of the earth in its revolution around
the sun. This fact alone authorizes the
| Ss1,, that g. ~ "a
spaces, and was actually star: but as the
following remarks are the result of previous
Investigations applicable to all asteroids Of
the particular example and elevate the SUBJ
ject by generalizing.it
In many places malleable masses are
found, almost entirely composed of iron. Of
different nature from the neighboring rocks.
but themselves identical. Wherever found,
tradition tells that they fell from heaven
One, fragment Of which is now in the mu-
scum at Paris, was found by Pallas in Sibe-
ria. The largest appears to be one at the
source Of the Yellow river, which ia fifty
feet high. The Mongols, who call it the
rock Of the North, say that it fell after the
appearance of fiery meteor. The most
numerous ones are in the CHILEAN desert of
Atacama, where they form two distinct
heaps, close together, lying on the ground,
and half buried as at the moment when they
fell, and so abundant that they were carried
TO the port of Cobija, and used to shoe mules.
Beside iron, these masses contain nickel !;
they are malleable enough to be easily
forged, and there is no doubt that the in
habitants of the old world used them with
the same ease that they did gold, which ex-
plains their scarcity there and their abund-
ance in the deserts of America. DIR. VOL
laston recently confirmed this conjecture in
Analysing the knives used by the Bailin $
Bay Esquimaux, and, US they contained
nickel, he concluded they were made from
meteoric iron. 1t is probable that that is
the common origin of these different masses;
but only one fall is well authenticated that
occurred in 1754, at Hradsphina, near Ag-
ram, in Crotia. The Oldest ae.olite fell III
Crete, in the year l41s b. c. The priests
Of Cybelc preserved it in the temple MS a
personifcation Of that goddess. The Chi
nesc annals abound in statements Of mcteors.
Ma-touan-li, in that country, and Chladni,
in Europe, have catalogued these occur
rences. Since 1902 numerous sayants have
devoted themselves to the investigation Of
the nature Of meteors, and the following
general results have been attained When
/ Of considerable size the meteors have the
characteristics of that of the l4th Of May !;
| the same splendor, the same train of sparks
followed by continuing cloud, often an
explosion, and, finally, though not so fire.
/ quently. shower Of stones They are seen
Of all sizes; as they diminish, the distance
| hxyt