The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-11-13
THE METEORIC SHOWER OF 1883
AN EYEWITNESS DESCRIBES THE woNDRoUs
SPECTACLE.

AN EYEWITNESS DESCRIBES THE woNDRoUs
SPECTACLE.
To THE EDITOR THE HERALD
In your paper Of November IL you speak of tho
shooting stars of 1888 being 'the grsndest dis
play record" without invading the mysteries
of astronomical lore, elucidated by Professor
Proctor and other disting uished scientists would
merely state my own observations at that time.
Being one of the very few. comparatively, who wit
messed that splendid. and to many that awful sight,
and among the fewer still who living Of
that number. deem it to be q matter of general
interest to state something of what saw
and heard aside from accounts at the time.
1 living at that period in Franklin street. ad-
joining the historic "Museum Hotel" 1t upon
my eighth birthday Tor night. and. as should
judge between three and four o'clock in the morn
ing. lying awake and restless in my bed. with
my eyes toward Q window facing the south, when
my attention attracted by what in my childish
ness considered ~ only beautiful sight. but one
still not approaching 1t as l should have done il
older. l crawled to the foot of the bed. and
the glorious sight without even waking
my younger brother, who lay with me.
perfectly clear. The whole of the heavens APP
peared to be on fire. most densely so toward the
southeast though the background had its dark blue
hue. All the stars appeared to be dancing amid long
bolts shafts of Are that seemed to plunge dow n
ward and then withdrew for renewed action. The
general effect was somewhat as though the stream
ing offshoots from myriads OF rockets at play
all the vast vault of the sky, accompanied
with the constant spray from the explosion of
bombs, although do not rccollect hearing any
noises at all. 1t simply magnificent.
/ watched for long time until l resumed my slum-
bers by my brothers side. and 1t only upon the
next few days that began to realize that had
witness to scene OF SO much Importance and inter
to the scientific and religious world. The whole
community had been startled and many thought
that the end of the world or the millennium at
lent and many and assembled to thor housetops
went into their yards. clothed III white
gowns, ready to meet Christ in His second
coming, waiting for the sounding trumps
of the Seven Angels. Many even imagined
that they saw "thc armies which were in
heaven upon white horses. clothed Ia fine linen
white and clean. led by another upon whose vesture
and upon whose thigh the name was written, King
of Kings and Lord of Lords; while the stars of
heaven fell upon the earth even q fig tree casteth
wind" with many of the other sights and sounds
described in Revelations. chapter onward. All
phosophzings were at fault, tor such q spectacle
had never been witnessed before, though astro-
nomical investigations have since thrown more
light upon our understandings Many aero
ltes or fragments. indeed. fell to the
ground in various parts of the country,
and buried themselves with Kissing sounds, and
some OF them were dug up, although do not re-
member to have heard that any persons property
were injured. One of the press interviewcrs was
trying to obtain Information from a Jerseynian of
what he had picked up. The bcst satisfaction that
could be got was that "it was about the size of
piece of chalk which expression became quite
current afterward The newspapers of that period
would AFFORD much entertainment. When again We
shall pass through such of starry disntegrated
matter. may II be at night, and may we be on hand
TO witness the glorious spectacle. W. IL. h