The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1868-10-08
brilliant PhenOm enOn.

The Nashville Press and Times of the
18th records the following singular and
interesting phenomenon
Yesterday a strange and terrible natu-
raj phenomenon occurred in Cheatham
county, about nineteen miles from the city,
on the line of the Nashville and North
western railroad. About one o'clock,
while the men employed on the plantation
of Joshua Fulgham were going into the
field to pluck fodder, the sun being hid,
den behind clouds at the time, and gem
eral gloom pervading the sky, they were
much frightened and confused by the ap>
parent opening of the clouds, judging from
the description of the phenomenon, not
more than five or six degrees north of the
zenith. They Judged the cloud to be about
three quarters of mile high. The sin>
gular sight attracted their notice.
a brilliant whitisb red glare overspread
an immense mass of black clouds, on the
center of which appeared funnel-like
aperture about four or five feet in diame~
ter, the sides of which presented the ap-
pearance of ragged flames darting like
fiery tongues, and licking and tapping at
a large white hot object passing with in
conceivable rapidity down through the
aperture. When it left the mass Of cloud
it did not appear to fall in a perpendicu-
lar direction, but sloped at an inclination
of some ten or fifteen degrees from plumb
line, and grew more intensely bright as it
approached the earth. Ii swept down
like bright angel of death and destruc-
tion; it struck the earth with n sound
like sudden, terrific clap of thunder and
seemed to make the surrounding hills
quiver to their foundations great nuns
bers of trees on their rocky sides fell, and
continued falling for several minutes after
ward, making noises like the prolonged
reverbeIatons Of thunder among rocky
cliffs.
The men were about four hundred
yards from the place where the fiery mis-
sive from the sky struck, and were afraid
to 60 and examine the place for several
hours afterward.
They took courage, however, and being
Joined by numbers of the people living in
the surrounding neighborhood, they pro-
ceeded to the place, and found that it had
struck upon fiat ledge of rocks in wa
gon way leading from a farm house to the
public road. The fragments of stones
were thrown around for several rods in all
directions the ledge, which is said to be
three feet thick, without any seams, was
disrupted for distance Of about fifty feet,
split and torn up in fragments the soil,
which was spread in thin layers all over
IT, looked as if passed through sieve -
At the point where the strange body came
in contact with the rock there appeared
10 be no stone at all, but n very fine,
white, foury sort of paste which was
quite hot, and steam ascended out of
the hole in which it had buried ITSELF
which was too hot to approach
Several gentlemen of a philosophical
turn of mind were strongly of the opinion
that it was an erolite brought into state
Of fusion by coming down through the
atmosphere, but had not been completely
buried before touching the earth.
There was a strong odor about the
place, such as may be found in blasting
furnaces, and the passage of the ;erolite
was naked by light, yellowish sort of
'ahONS- WI hIS PSLAiSiSo VI SOuhC SuIl
of oxide continued TO fall all over the
country for several hours. II is the in
tention of the people to organize work.
ing party to quarry out what remains of
the body, which is undoubtedly metal, as
soon as the temperature of the rocks will
admit.
AS yet, it seems to be premature to en-
ter on any speculation relative to the ma
ture of the strange phenomenon. More-
over, the scientific men of the city are
already interested in the matter, and no
doubt there will be a thorough diagnosis
of the strange case.