The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1874-12-03

! oui AiiCas lO4lONc0 III QAiSA sOSSc>sioh-
! We were preparing to lie down when
We were startled by brilliant meteoric
display, hundreds Of falling stars fitted
across the heavens, and to our horror We
soon began 10 see many Of them strike
the earth around US; once or twice We
felt hot singing sensation. evidently
2 caused by an unburnt but igneous meteor
coming in contact with the bodies This
/ alarmed us somewhat, but We were still
enchanted at the magnificent and won
derful meteoric display, hardly realizing
our danger, when We were sadly made
aware of it by meteor as large as
mans head falling within q hundred
yards of Us and exploding like shell.
/ Soon smother fell near, then for the first
I time it occurred to me that We were in
: the midst of a meteoric shower, and that
they were SO large that unless We could
! protect ourselves or get out Of their
reach our lives would be sacrificed.
the pinnacle, when my FOOT touched
stream of water. Ilald Mr.. Barton down
and has;ely washed his face and forced
some brandy into his mouth, when he
eyinced some sign Of returning con-
tiousness, gasped for breath and was no
more. l struck match ard built
fire. and watched over his
remains until daylight when
l protected his body as best l could, with
logs and brush. after taking all his vslu-
ables, watch, &c, and fastened 10 Ad-
olson as fast as ! could. after the terri
BE fright. and reached there on the ev-
ening Of the 18th, and reported as best
could the terrible night on the mountain.
and the terrible death Of Mr.. Barton.
fear nv mind wandered and l must have
given contradictory statements, for soon
| noticed that the crowd became !ncredu-
lous and arrested me, and after finding
Mr. Barton's valuables on my person.
they became further convinced Of iou!
play. They asked me Ia lead them 10
his body. 81 once sigD!hed my wiling
ness and started 70 do 80, but untoTtu-
na;ely I was 50 excited that l missed
my way and after leading them al lay.
We had 10 return unsuccessful. Next
morning I was informed that hunter
had found the hoiy of strange man on
the opposite side Of the mountain troE.
which | in my excited state thought II
10 be. They brought the body in, and
npon examination strange 10 say, ne
presented much the appearance OF one
who had ben killed by pi>to! sh"i
fired near him. the b.ackcned face >iHg"I
hsir and a hnlciu hi temple caused by
hi, fallin. on a sharp rock. al together,
va, almost conclusive evldrnc. agaIn>;
me. and mahcs my case very hazardous
one. Unless science and scientific m"n
espouse my cause. and prov" beyond
doubt the truth %: my statement.
My defense and explanation, winch l
hope - ,ubs;aaiiaic and p:ove beyond
doubt. /, based upon the well established
fact. and admitted by all astronomers.
that our earth pass through ne.i -
o7hlt o.: meteor- oLc" yea. near Inc
18th q; November, and every thirty
three wears. owing to the ellipsis OF the
meteoric orbit. our planet comes IN con-
tact with larger portion. hence al As
tr2nomcr> predict with certainty the
coming OF meteoric shower Il! ina,
time. Thee mrieors are doubtless SOLID
substances wh.rlns around in their orh!i.
traye!iu. with immense velocity. and
when they come in contact with our at
mosphere the friction i 50 great that
they become incanGesccnt anu most 81
them ar burned up before reaching The
surface Of The Garth. hence We rarely see
meteoric rocks falling, but immense one>
do ial!. There is one IN the Smithsonian
. Institute weighing several hundred
pounds. with the characteristic hole
through il. Where these meteOrs have
their origin and how set in motion and
neld in their orbit. Is mere speculation.
am led 10 believe that they are either
the fragments Of DESTROYED wu!!:> "7
:hev are cast off from the moon By II
immense volcanoes. with such force that
they pas beyond IL attractive power
and then become wanderers in space. and
BIZ the great law that governs all the
heavenly bodies. they fall into an ":bt
Of ;Ar:r own. and are held there b. the
attraction and repulsion Of other hodies
some say ;hev are the natural tue! for
the sun great furnace.
Terror Pinnacle !, doubtless situated
in the tract OF the meteoric orbit, and
being 50 elevated impinge> every year
upon itaad receives quantity Q! meieors
and owing 10 the e!.pscid form OF ;he
meteoric hclt, our earth strikes or cuts
into il more deeply every SO wears. and
hence We have the falling stars before
spoken az. The vast quantity 81 mete'Tic
rock and star dust deposited on the pm
nacle. the lack of vegetation show that
this theory is correct. No doubt this
mountain increases yearly certain per
cent. and every So years much more,
until Il j. a vast meieorlc mountain, ana
perhaps stands without a parallel. with
probably one exception. Mount Ararst
: nearly the anIipcde OF Terror Pm
uscj.. and i on the SANE degree OF isti-
tuie, and the only mountain of the same
height. and il Is singular 10 say that Ara
rat has almost the same SupeTstitIous
legend abou; il a. Terror Pinnacle has.
Eut one or two travellers have ever been
known ~ have assembled 20 IL top. Some
writers saw that mo man within our
knowledge has ever reached IL summit.
Noah. no doubt, assembled, but since his
dav the climate has certainiy undergone
- great change: 81 this day IT. summit i
perpetual snow. The natives around II
say that many travellers have tried :"
ascend. bu; never returned. Who knows
but this mount Is not subject
- the same disturbances and from
the SAME cause. Who can "a!
bu, the superstItious awe with which Il -
held : rot based upon the same terrible
experience OF some hapleSS morta! hk"
myself.
l have forwarded the facts - set forth
in this letter. 20 many scientific men in
the United States, amcn- whom are
Prof. Henry Of the Smithsonian Institute
20 the National Observatory, at Wash
ington, and am led r. believe that, ac-
, co-dinr 10 nv suggestion, they vi.
csus, to I've created kind of bomb
, proof building against the 18Th q! next
November in order 10 guani against ac-