Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-05-28
A MeteOrIc Messenger Descends upon
the Line between Minnesota and
Iowa.

The Jackson (Minn.) Republic of
the 18th has the following:
Last Saturday afternoon things in
the air were lively aud exciting.
Thunder, lightning, hail and rain are
common and necessary in any well-re-
galated and healthy community; whirl-
winds, water spouts and even diminu-
tive cyclones are common and compara-
lively innocent aerial diversions, but
when it comes to shooting 500-pound
red-bot balls of iron or like metallic
kind promiscously through the air,
then it partakes the nature of grand
eur and sublimity, and ifsone happens
to be in range, it approaches mighty
near what might be termed danger.
Such was actually the missile that
went ricochetting through space that
afternoon, and whose track was plain
ly visible throughout this section of
country, aud the explosion of which
made windows rattle and people trem-
BILE
A few of the unsuspecting under
took to palm the long, red, smoky sky
ward substance off as peculiar cloud :,
and the explosion as peculiar thunder,
but most conceded that it was meteor.
On Monday all doubt in this direction
ceased when Mr.. Ridley, of Esther
Vile, brought to the Republic office a
piece of the meteor itself, and which
he saw taken from the identical spot
where it fell. 1t had opened the earth
for a space of ten feet across, just over
the line in the town of Emmet, Iowa.
One piece, weighing two aud half
pounds. had been dug out when be
left. 1t threw sods about for fifteen
rods, and other evidences went to show
that little perseverance would exhune
the strange serial visitor that bad so
suddenly sought sepulture in the beau
tiful valley of the Des Moines. On
Wednes lay Mr.. s. B. Weir, who first
discovered the terra frma destination
of the new conner, came to our Office
and informed US that after dig ing
fifteen feet they reached the FIVE hun
dred pound wonder, which had been
driven that distance into the ground,
and ten feet of which was in solid blue
clay The parties succeeded in raising
i. by meaas Of levers and cnatns, anu
it weighed 430 pounds, another piece
thirty-two pounds, and with other
pieces that were found, made the whole
meteor safely 500 pounds. Its exteri-
or is rather ragged, and its exact COM
position is matter of speculation. In
size it is two feet in length, and four
teen by twenty-one inches, hence the
sublimity in contemplating the body,
its course, its momentum, as we'll as its
destination. Its starting point is
matter not easily figured, its exact or
bit not being positively known, but its
destination is not matter of specula-
tion, for within twelve rods of the
school house, near John Barber's,
about mile east of the residence Of
our good friend Charles Jarvis. that
burning, bursting, annon-resounding,
lightning-speed missile came in contact
with the earth
Mr.. W. R. Pingrey was in our Of
flee yesterday, and informed Us that
another piece that weighed $50 pounds
was afteward found on A. A. Pingrey's 8
farm, about two miles from the other,
and which was buried FIVE feet in the
solid clay.
The track of this meteor was OBJ
served for miles around and the explo-
sion heard in many places.