Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-12-25
THE FALLING STARS.
Recollections of 4 Wonderful Night In
1898

blacKshear 1a. GeOrglan.-l nave
read many descriptions Of what was
called the falling stars or meteoric
shower OF 1883, and recently the &C
count OF an old man who saw the
shower or meteoric rain in Alabama,
an account Of which was copied from
the Birmingham Age by the News. !
do not call myself old, yet l was five
years OF age when the evert alluded to
occurred, and witnessed it as I rene,n.
Der without fear. The impress is still
fresh on my mind, though have never
read a. description that agrees with
what / saw, except when spoken of as
sublimely grand! I will try to de-
scribe it as seen ny ME in Beaufort
District, South Carolina-15O miles
up the Savannah River, and about six
miles from Matthews Bluff. At the
residence Of my aunt, at some hours
before day 1.-THE date do not remem-
ber) Uncle Fred came to my bed took
me in his arms to the front piazza
where he stood me on my feet to wit.
ness the rain of apparent liquid fire.
had no fear for he was with me and
had no appreciation of the terror it
might have for those who dreaded the
Judgment.
1t was rain OF fire, not stars. The
stars, or sparks, only occurred at the
end Of the lines of fire. Imagine rain
Of molten iron striking the earth, each
drop bursting into sparks. Nothing
else will compare. I could not now
describe it, if experience with foundries
and smiths shops had not afforded
the comparison. The fire fell in
stream like the heaviest rain
ever witnessed and swayed to end fro
just as the water is by the motion OF
the clouds or wind. The only stars l
saw were just as one sees when mol
ten iron is rushing into Or from the
ladle, or when iron with welding heat
is withdrawn from the forge, or such
as seen when the liquid metal drops
upon the earth, or such as is seen in
the wake of an exploded rocket. The
strangest feature to me was, no such
sparks or stars appeared except at the
end of the line of fire rain, which
stopped about fvefeet from the earth,
as near as I can judge. The piaz.
"a had three steps from the ground. !
could not have been more than three
feet high and the line Of fire
rain burst into sparks on a
level with my eyes. None that
| saw struck the cal tn, but after
sparkling on this line disappeared, to
be succeeded by others in quick sue
cession. I recollect distinctly observ.
ing the scene around the yard, and
the road led directly from the gate
and wondering why none of the fire or
sparks reached the earth. It was not
as light as day, but a lurid light great
er than have ever seen since. Objects
were perfectly disce1nible though not
SO well as by daylight. heard OF
many persons being terrified but saw
none. I do not recollect OF seeing
anything above the line of my vision
such as the top of trees and houses.
The fire rain was too thick to see
through. After staying as long as
was deemed prudent in my night
clothes, my uncle returned me to bed.
How long it was before day
light, 1 do mt K now. 1 met
an old gentleman some years
ago who was in camp on the Texas
prairies, who witnessed the meteoric
shower or falling stars and whose &C.
count Tailed more nearly with mine
than any have ever read or heard.
He did not have my experience with
molten metal, but when he heard my
comparisons with the sparks or from
a smiths forge, heartily endorsed