The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-08-30
The Howa County AerOlite.

ted BIZ Kepler and Newton, you saw fit to
dispute the assertion made by us-viZ., that
"ASY AMOUNT, HOWEVER SMALL OR INEISlTEs-
IMAL, ADDED TO OR sUssTRACrED FROM A HEAv-
ESLY BODY WOULD INSTANTLY DESTROY ITS
RoUlLIBRIUI." You instance the case OF the
= Iowa county meteorite lately reported to
have fallen in Iowa. This, you say, was two
thousand feet dong. We see no evidence
that such was its dimension. If every frac-
ton Of the aerolite had been placed together
LoHGITUDySADLs such might possibly have
been its length. The mere size Of said aero
lite is not, however, the point in dispute.
The real issue is whether any SUBSTANCE,
large or small, could have been precipitated
instantly destroying the earth's equilibrium.
In previous article it was our endeayor TO
demonstrate, with all the lights before us,
that ttrcse so.caled meteOrites were mere at
moSphcric accretions or conglomerations OF
matter formed inside our atmosphere, ana
not exterior to it. A snbstauce formed inside
our atmosphere could by no possibility dis
turb the equilibrium of the earth by being
precipitated upon its surface, for the simple
reason that the earth and lis atmosphere are
a CN7T, or one and the same thing. Let US
not be misunderstood. Our assertion is that
neither the Iowa county aeroite nor any
other ae:olte was ever precpitated from Ex-
TERROR space upon the earth. The report OF
the Scientific Association, We think, affords
evidence to our hypothesis Of atmospheric
accretions. Professor Leorsrd, Of Iowa
City, who, we take for granted, was an
actual eyewitness of the phenomenon, states
in his paper, read on the occasion, that "a pc
culiarity of the fragments is that they show
no trace of ever forming a siUgle mass" aud
that "no two fit together in any way, and
they appear 10 have been Independent OF
each other when they entered the amos.
phere." Now, we ask in all candor ii there
were no trace or evidence that the So-caleC
fragments were ever Il unit-or, in other
words, formed an unbroken mass Is not this
very fact pKlMA FAC,E evidence that the con
glomerating process was actually going on
| at the time OF contact with the earth'S sur
| face, and that solidiGcation would bave taker
place il there had been sufficient time or {
longer space through which to " fal"s
Again Another fact atteStipS the EARTHL,
ORIGIN Of these aerolteS Is that iron is the pre-
dominating metal. Does not iron also pre-
dominate as metal in the earth itself? Ii /:
often said that the iron of aecolites is purer
and that there are fewer foreign lngre
| dientS than in the case Of the ordinary
earthly ore. Even if this were so, an eXpla
| nstion could be found from the operation o
| the COHESIVE FORCE, which has reference tc
| the attraction OF particles OF the same ma
! ture. But DR.. j. L. Smith, in bis remarks
| before the said scientific association, affirmed
| his belief in the holnogeneiiy OF aet oltic aaC
| earthly metals in these words, that the more
4" he has studied the subject as chemist tht
more evidence he found that the distinction:
l do hatyx f..rrn fria G6
teoric iron are arbitrary, and conclusion:
| based upon them are to be accepted witt
| caution." And again, :" be did not see how
a6roIitcs could be thrown of from comets, o.
q larger body, unless there existed a repelan
| force greater than the graytating force o
| the larger body, for which he saw no cVl
dencc." Therefore, MessrS. Editors, w
again affirm that Ncwton's law is universe
and infa!lible, and that ac:olites are OF earth
| IL origin. G. BROOKE DoGGETT.
Richmond, Ya., August II, 1910.
Our correspondent has seen" no evidence
that the Iowa meteorite was 1000 feet long
We present the evidence below in some eX
tracts from an essay written by Mr.. Hin
R1cus, Professor Of Mineralogy in the Stat
University OF Iowa. This meteorite was no
only 1000 feet lorg, but 400 feet in diameter
We clearly understand our correspond
enl's assertion "-namely, that no extra
mundane substance can be projected upol
the earth without disturbing the equilibrium
of "all creation" We give below ampl
proof, furnished by Professor HISRIcHs
that meteorites are eXtra-mundane objects.
Our correspondent supposes that meteor
ties are formed by accretion in our atmos
phere. 1t would be hard to imagine hoV
such bodies could remain in the atmosphere
long enough to attain to the sizes they Otter
reach. Indeed. this proposition seems 10 u
to be unthinkable," as much so as the pro
position that there might be o square circl
or a round triangle.
Our correspondent will see that Professor
HryRIcus's analysis has proved that Iron i:
not "the predominating mctal.'
In word, the extracts we give below dis
credit every one Of our correspondents the
ories. We turn him over to Professor Hin
RKHs.
Here are the extracts, taken at will, but no
conSecutiyely:
"The great Iowa meteor consisted Of al
elongated pear-shaped mass of most dazzling
whitepess. The bulk of its mass, was aDou
, Gt}e feet long, aud 400 feet in diameter
the narrow white tail was about 1000 fee
]nnp. and 40 feet in diameter. This body
was postororly enyelOped by much les:
brilliant trail, shading from orange inside tc
greeuish outside, and extending about nine
miles along the described path OF the meteor
Persons in the track of the meteor saw
brilliant circular disk of white light sur
rounded by an orange to greenish halo, The
dim light Of which was constantly ira
yersed By narrow bands of brilliant White
running from the central disk in irlegu
larly-curyed lines toward the clrcum
ference. AS this body, Increasing III oril
lancy and apparent magnitud e, was Snpldiy
approaching, both men and animals were
overcome with fear. The mett or, when Dy
striking the atmosphere OF the earth II oe'
came visible, was at an altitude CT one tfln
dred and fifty miles vertically abo We the lit.
tie village Of Pleasantville, abou.' midway
between Krksylle and Milan, in Northern
Missouri. Descending at an angle td aseu'
forty five degrees toward the earth's surface
IL moved little east of north, gradua uy oe'
WAITING more and more toward the Ell ST, So
as 10 describe curve, the concaV' " u
which is turned eastward. This track OF tne
meteor passed couple Of miles east Of Cen
treyille aud Moraya, in Appanoose county,
Iowa; almost directly over Eddyville, on the
Des Moines river; crossed almost diagonally
the northeast (Prairie) township OF keokuk
county, and finally exploded over pont.
three miles southwest of the little station OF
Norway, on the Chicago and Northwestern
railway, over the boundary line OF Benton
and Iowa counties, at an altitude OF about