The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1879-06-19
A Meteor in the West.

Accounts from Washington, Mimi,
states that a meteor, apparently about
the size of an ordinary football, passed
over that place about five o'clock of a
recent Sunday afternoon, and descend
ing east of the town, exploded with a
report equal the discharge Of a 300.
FOUNDER, just previous to striking the
earth. The conclusion shook the town,
and the first impression among the peo-
pie generally was that there had been a
mill explosion. The shock and report
were very great. The meteor WAS plain
ly visible in its passage through the air,
looking like a ball of fire with a long
train of vapor behind it. A dispatch
from Lexington of the same day says q
remarkable meteor appeared in the sky
about4 46p. M, the sun shining bright
ly at the time. It appeared with a long
stream Of blue and yellow fame, de-
scending rapidly, exploding before
reaching the horizon. The trail of
smoke was seen for several minutes af-
terward. It was also seen at Storm
Lake, and a double explosion was heard
and houses in the town shaken.
A correspondent Of a Chicago paper
writing from Estherville, Iowa, says that
on the above day near five o'clock, a
meteor fell, The sun was shining, and
only occasionally a feecy cloud visible,
when all at once, far up in the mid-air
there was q loud report resembling the
discharge OF a cannon, only louder, fol.
lowed soon by another resembling a
heavy blast, which was followed by one
or two more reports than might have
been the echo from the first; then, for O
minute or so, there was a rumbling
sound, seemingly passing from the
northeast to southwest, as near as I could
judge from the location 1 was in. About
two miles north Mr.. Charles Ega was at
work planting corn when the explosion
came. Looking in the direction OF the
report, he could not see anything on &C.
count Of the sun, but, following with his
eye the direction of the roaring sound
that followed, he saw dirt thrown up to
some height in the edge of q ravine a
hundred rods to the north northeast Of
where he was at work, Further observ.
ations were made by S. W. Brown. He
was in the edge OF the timber, looking
in a northwesterly direction into the tops
wof some oaks, to see If there were going
to be any acorns, the direction being
quartering to the sun; he saw n red
streak, and vas looking attentively at it
when tho explosion came. He claims
that it was passing from west to east,
and when it burst there was a cloud of
smoke at the head Of the red streak,
which rushed forth like the smoke from
q cannoa's mouth and then spread in
every direction. Upon examining the
edge OF the ravine q hole was found
twelve feet in diameter and about six
feet deep, which was full Of water. Par
ties have since, by untiring labor and
search, found various pieces varying in
size from n to eight ounces, also four
pieces from four pounds, and one
weighing t~hirty-two pounds and two
ounces; but the largest was found bed
ded eight feet in blue clay and fully
fourteen feet from the surface. Its
weight was four hundred and thirty-one
pounds, aud 1 should Judge it was two
feet long by n and one.half wide, and
one foot or so thick, with ragged I'M
oven surface. 1t is composed apparent.
lv of nearlv pure metal of some kind.