The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1876-03-16
The 5 1lailg Argas,
A shower of Ca.'s-Meat.


uncommon in some parts OF the world.
Regions here and there are occasionally
visited by gentle rain OF toads, which
cover the landscape to considerable depth.
They do not fall as light as snow flakes on
the sod, nor execute the freeman's will as
lightning doth the will of God, but they
descend In a wild and straddling manner,
with amazing plenitude of leg and absence
of personal establishment, which frequently
bewlders the freeman, causing him such
pangs of superstitious alarm as wrenched
the iron heart of Pharaoh. In such a
chaos of unsolicited and undesired toads
nor king nor peasant could be expected to
preserve an unmoved equanimity of soul,
There are regions also where crimson dews
resembling blood sometimes fall out Of
heaven, deluging the terrified earth with
sanguine baptism and sending the awe
stnitten inhabitants bowling to their gods.
abound, showers of farming utensils and
partially denuded barn yard fowl are not
infreauent. Smart sprinklings of fence
rails, ox-wagons and log school houses
have likewise been known. Ia the east
the shower Of mamma still occasionally falls
as it did in the bible days-turning the
night of dearth into the dawn OF plenty.
Naturalists describe how myraids of fish
are sometimes whirled into the sky by
waterspouts and carried far on land blow
ing winds, to descend like providential
sardines on the heads OF wonder-s;ricken
populations. No authentic rain of the
large dwellers of the sea is yet recorded.
A storm Of whales descending upon quiet
inland district would be a lively and flop
ping event. Or shower of PROPOSES or
a gentle sprinkling Of hammer-headed
sharks. But some of these things may
yet be and overcome US like summer
clouds, for here comes news of an event
quite as surpasing-a shower of flesh
which has just fallen in Kentucky, and
which is said to bear close outward re-
semblance to cats meat This is the most
striking meteorological incident of recent
tunes, and it tends somewhat to impair
faith in the omniscience of the weather
signal department, that its advent was not
duly foreboded A Saskatchewan whlrl
wind scooping aloft herd of bison, and
.riturating in mid-air the astonished anC
believing bulls, should not have escaped
the attention of service so alert and wide
ly organized. The direction of the circular
storm of aerial pemmican, with its probable
point of impact with the earth, should have
been duly noted and foreseen. For if th,
weather prophets cannot foretell and mari
the incoming lines of so important pheno
menon as a northwest storm of minced
beef, it may go far to discredit their every
day common places of prophecy If W,
have correctly conjectured the origin O
this remarkable shower. it is somewha
singular that no horns or hoofs accom-
panied it, but it is Of course quite possibl
that the heavier elements of the storm
were first precipitat.d, SO that We ma
= look to hear of their descent in other an
remoter localities A driving equinoctia
of buffalo hoofs and shin-bones, with
= sprinkhng of hides and horns and hal,
would be striking event in quiet rurs
neighborhood and godsend to the loci
i, editor We are of course obliged to max
!! over to the scientists the task Of account
lug for this extraordinary fall Of flesh. an
to the mcteorolngists that OF explaiuin
why it happened t, fall in Kentucky
where beef is cheap and plenty, instead
!. some other localities where it IS scarce an
high. 1t is said that
Though index lcarping turns student pa'e,
= 1t holds the eel of -iercc by the TAIL
But it will require something more tina
index learning t. account for such an u!
cxaml led phenomenon. And as we MOI
esly distrust the theory we have venture
to suggest, we are prepared to reject b
forehand the crude Kentucky hypothes
! and bhndly paving ccnjectures which Y
sadly forbode. Since the COW jumped oy
the moon such fall of cat s-meat h;
never been heard of, even if that hig
wv vaultng bovine exploit itself PANIED o
=, so diffusively A mote it is to trouble Il
y y minds eye, and nothing but bald Sanh
drim of scientific ancientS, solemn al
If specialized, and wrapped in the profound
long continued meditation, will avail
allay the public anxiety. Were Liel
living he would fly to the blue grass regi
in on wings IF wind, and ccnoeuse quantl,i
a a of the undetermined substance in mark,
to able pots before he paused to e! boratc
I a scientific theory as to its proportions
ms fibre, albumen and ge!atine Or if Aeas
of could come forth cut of the shades, wi
10 10 what ardor he would send jars of this e
as pyreal beef to his Penikese museum
mt bait fish withap' if it resisted analy
~ and finally detied explanation. But tht
: great men gre dead, and the miracle N,
Il be explained, If at all, by their less
nowned successors in the field OF sclenti
inquiry. Meantime we do not think
is, worth while for droyers and graziers
give way to irrational alarm at the prosp
of celestial competition, and we earnes
hope that DO revlyalist will draw lessons
terror ffom the event 1t is nc. i,ely
affect the price of beef nor the appoint
order of providence. N Y. World