The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-09-15
New York Stock Quotations, 2 p. M.
AN EXTRAORDINARY METEOR.

ItAHects Magnetic Instruments-Curlou
and Valuable Details from an Eye
witness.
RIO JAHEIRo, Aug. GA meteor, or aerolite,
was observed at early noon on the 30th of July,
passing in a southwest direction from Rezende,
in the south OF the province OF Rio Janeiro, into
San Paulo. A scientific gentleman, named DR.,
Franklin Massena, CHANGED to be looking at the
horizon from the observatory at Itataya, and
has communicated his observations, which are
interesting from the fact that the meteor exerted
great Influence on the magnetic instruments AS
it passed. The following is his commune ation:-
Suddenly, towards the east, at almost 80 deg.
OF the meridian, saw an immense and beautiful
acrohte crossing to the southwest | called
Messrs. Arsenic and Veja and together we
watched the disappearance of the luminous
body and its form and motion. Its form was
that of globe, having an apparent diameter of
about 43 min. and tail of deg. in an clip ical
curve, extending into space with an inclination
of about 80 degrees. The tail was OF an oval
form and very divergent towards the part way
from the nucleus. The motion was made by
the nucleus, the tail following its track. Both
the tail aud the nucleus were as brilliant as
electrical light, and emitted some luminous drops
or tear-like particles, which threw out silvery
sparkles with incredible rapdity.
Six minutes after its meridian passage the
body exploded towards the southwest.
Such was the rapldty with which it moved
that in seventeen seconds it traversed celestial
area Of n degrees, Al minutes, losing itself
behind hill NJ hours, 55 minutes, so seconds,
or II hours, 55 minutes, so seconds of true solar
time.
This aerolite so disturbed the magnetic instru
ments that the decllnometer turned Its pole
from the north towards the west and stuck
itself in the box where 1t found Ieslstance; the
horizontal magnometer turned towards the west
eight divisions of the scale; the vertical magno
meier fell in Its centre of gravity; and, finally,
the compass osclllated 16 degrees from north to
west. l showed Senor Arsenic the disturbed
state of the declinometer. Itis, therefore, de-
monstrated for physics that an aerolite has an
intense action upon the North Pole of magnets,
powerfully attracting them.
The following are some mathematical ele-
ments OF the orb of this body: Meridian
passage, 8 hours, Sc minutes 33 seconds on July
80, 1868; declination, 65 degrees south; vertical
distance, AZ degrees, 80 minutes; setting. 80
degrees, 10 minutes west by south. With these
data the orbit of the aerolte is found to have IL
degrees 40 minutes of inclination upon the line
of the earth's rotation, with its movement
contrary 10 that OF the earth.
At six o'clock, at the moment of detonation,
the state of the atmosphere to be taken into
account for the calculation Of distance was:-
Bar, 6e4.S; Their. c., degrees minutes; Hyg.,
OF relative humidity 76,6. Sky clear and cold |;
wind n. w., weak. The motion OF the eroite
was followed by noise like that OF silk dragged
over the ground. The eroite must have passed
between Itajuba and Guarantingusta, and it re-
mains now to find out where it fell in order to
ascertain its size.-N Y. Herald.