Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1877-11-23
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FRIDAY EVENING, NUVEMB. %.
A faete0r by Daylight.


Messr,, Editors Of Richmond Dispstch-
The meteor which burst upon US yesterday
afternoon wss;n several respects 30 remarkable
that think record should be made otlt.
had a fine opportunity Of. obserylpg 1t.
and took some pains TO noto its phenomena.
Walking up Broad street, in the w esterp part
of the city | was watching the sun assbehlnd
bank OF clouds near the horizon, apd !admir-
ing the bright rcd tinge which it gave TO !Is
whole western sky, when suddenly my attention
was claimed by an object that far outshone 1t III
brightness. 1t seemed just like ared hot drop
of some molten material, say drop ot melted
iron. 1t was almost pear shaped. the smaller
part being uppermost; and it lett the lmpres.
sion of semi fluid drop moving along through,
or over, something that slightly resisted lts mo.
ton so as to cause it to cloogate behind: a
drop of pitch or of thick moasses sliding, down
a smooth, inclined surface, would assume some.
what the figure am trying to describe. 1t Is
hard to give its apparent elzo, Tor 1t was DOT
like star and comparison with any earthly
object would be misleading But if the full
moon were cut up into eight equal parts
think ono of these would about give the slze OF
the meteor. | probably saw it as soon as it be-
came visible, add it was then about halt way from
the zenith to the horizon, say at au elevation OF
45 degrees, iu direction west OF southwest OF
where stood. 1t moved almost perpcndlcularly
down towards the horizon. say for twenty-five
degrees, or rather moro than half way. when It
quietly disappeared apparently going behind
some very light and thin patches or straaks OF
cloud that lay lust there. The motion was com
paratiyely slow and steady, and the general I'M
preston was of body close by; iusomuch that
| half expected to see it emerge from the cloud
and strike the earth. | suppose the !!mo OF
it's visibility was about half second. Consult,
iug my watch Immediately, | found the local
tinc to be 4.3S which would mako the sun to
be about six minutes high; so that mere was
rare meteor, showing itself in full daylight and
with its brilIiancy and beauty pushing Its sue
cesstu rivalry close up to the throne OF the
great king of day himself.
tur, remains to be told. The meteor left 10 It's
track a train of unusual beauty. At first it
was thin, straight, brilliant line, precisely, like
foe gilt wire, marking tho course, very sharp
and we'll defined. 1t was to watch the duratcn
of this train that [ took out my watch. mi,
mute elapsed, and it was still there. pointed
it out to some bystanders. Then 1t began TO
change. First it lost its brilliancy and became
whitish aud smoke like. Then it began gradu'
slIy to assume zigzag direction, at first vary
10 little from its previous straightness, but De-
coming slowly more and more looked and zig
gagged as long as it was observed. Atthe same
time the line itself grew broader and broader
till it was as broad say as one fourth the diam,
eter of the moon. The appearance suggested
strongly boys broad, wavy, Irregular scrlo'
bling with chalk upon close white fence
| contioued to watch this wonderful meteor,
track at intervals for twenty-five minutes ana
at the end of that time it was still distinctly
visible. Indeed, it seemed to have turned TO
cloud streak, and to be quietly sleeping 10 tho
sky.
| think this meteor was not only of great IN
terest in ITSELF but especially so as illustrating
the nature of meteors in general.
Here was evidently mass of matter which
10 its wandcrings came or Was drawn too near
our earth. Striking our atmosphere, 1t stroVc
to dash through it, but the resistance or the air
increasing with the square Of the great veloci'
ties invoved) generated heat enough hrst to
render luminous, then to melt, then 10 turn
TO vapor and to dissipatc into thin air. the rash
intruder upon our realms
The train was doubtless portions OF matter
dragged of aud left at first red hot, but gradu
ally cooling and floating away and spreading
out lust like smoke, and not differing much
from the material rocket leaves behind it.
Remarkable as this meteor Was-and we 90
not remember ever to have seen ono Whloh sur
PASSED it 10 intcrcst-it is not SO wonderful as
is the received statement as to the number or
these bodies which are moving about us. VINO
can read without shuddering the orthodox cal
cuation that during every twcnty'tour hours
four hundred millions Of meteors pass through
our atmosphere
Respectfully, Z. IL. WINSTON.
Richmond College, Virginia, November u,
1877.
WILL THERE BE NO MORE QUAKERs?-Mr.
Barclay Informs US that there are at present
81. ~ nOO 0,ctors in Fngland and Wales,