Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1889-06-29

Great fire-balls are much more nut
merous than my one would suppose
who had not paid attention TO the sub
ject Nor need this be a matter OF
surprise IL 1t be remembered tina.
when n fire-ball does arrive IL Is only
by a favorable combination Of circum-
stances that any particular individual
il privileged To witness the exhibition.
As TO the brilliant light from some of
these great fire-balls. there are numer-
Gus statements We are not infre-
quently told that even the beams Of
the full moon are Intellectual by com
parison with the blaze of the meteor;
and we find high authority asserting
that one OF these bodies displayed n
flash as ''blinding as the sun" BAIT
our knowledge OF the actual illu-
minating power of meteors Is almost
unavoidable OF rather an inaccurate
description. We could measure the
light. no doubt, with all practicable
precision II we knew when and where
10 expect IT, for then we could bring
suitable photometric apparatus to
bear at the critical moment In
the absence OF any precise In
formation. we are forced to make
the most OF such occasional compari-
sons as may be available. On the
goth OF July. 1878, tire-ball was seen
which created so splendid an illumina-
ton that 1.-THE smallest objects were
visible ut Manchester" An eye-wit-
ness states that when at its best the
fire-ball had the luster Of II powerful
electric light seen from u distance OF
thirty or forty yards. though at the
moment tho firc-hall must certainly
have been ioriy-Hve miles away. We
can make "A comparative estimate 81
the intrinsic intensity of "a light which,
when received from distance CT forty
five miles, has brilliancy equal 10
that OF known source thirty-fiye
yards away. IL is thus shown that the
ilre-hall must have emitted more light
than five millions OF the electric
lamps.
Fortunate indeed would the astrono-
mer have been who, guided by some
miraculous presence, had gone TO the
ancient city OF York on the evening OF
the Esd OF Februry. 1879. and on the
tower OF the glorious Minister spent
the night in observation OF the
heavens II would have been his priv
ilege TO have Witnessed majestic
meteor under circumstances OF almost
unique magniticence.
Ii was ut seven minutes before three
that such few stragglers as the streets
OF York still contained saw pear
shaped ball OF fire travelling across the
sky. 1t drenched the ancient city with
a flood OF light The superb front Of
the minister never bef re gluwed with
so romantic AN illumination. The un-
wonted brilliancy streamed through
every aperture in every window in the
city, every wakeful eye was instantly
on the alert every light sleeper start
ed up suddenly TO know what was the
matter Even those whom the blaze OF
the midnight light had failed TO awaken
were only permitted 10 protract their
slumbers for another minute and
half Only until an awful crash. like
mighty peal OF thunder, burst over
the town, shaking the doors. the win
dows, and even the houses themselves.
The whole city WAS thus alarmed.
Every one started at the noise. But
that noise was not clap OF thunder.
Nor was ii produced by an earthquake
Ii was merely the explosion of the fro
bali which flung itself against tho at
mosphcre after It's unreasonable vow
age through space.
Let us imagine a wayfarcr In the
streets OF Newcastle on the same
morning. lie IS struggling on his way
ia dense darkness aud through a rag
ing storm of snow. An instantaneous
transformation scene takes place.
Suddenly there was light above aud
around which rendered the white man
tie OF the city as bright as a summer
cav. The observer will AT once see
that this wondrous illumination Is not
lightning A flash of lightning lasts
for an inconccivably small fraction OF
a second. Bat while man could
count fifty the town glows with this
strange illumination And strange Il
l.. for the source OF the light II not
visible A. the snow storm would have
hidden the sun itself at mid day, 50 in
the dead OF night IL hid the great me
Leor. An exquisite phase of the pbe-
nomenon was presented by the changes
In the hue OF the light which passed
from a brilliant white To beautiful
blue ere Il disappeared
Perhaps the most remarkable In.
stance OF the explosion Of a meteor Is
recorded in tue case OF the great fire
ball so widely observed in America GA
the 2lst OF December. 1876. Tie
movements Of this superb obieet have !
been carefully studied by Prof. ii. A.
Newton and Prof. ID. Kirkwood. fof
a prodigious span Of a thousand miles
this meteor tore over the American
continent with speed OF some tan OF
0fieen miles seeopd. 1t originated