Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-11-30
SAW THE METEORs IN 1888.
A Graphic Account of the Gorgeous All Nigh,
Spectacle.

Mr.. o. b. Chapman of the government print
great meteoric display of November Is, 1888.
He writes to The STAR.
The account written by Rev. Dr. VIM. NJ.
Osborne and published in Saturdays STAR of
the great meteoric display Of 1893 has carried
me back fifty-nine years In my life, and re-
called to nv memory the event in question
with freshness as though it had occurred but
week ago. l was n lad of little over eleven
years Of age at the time, and had arisen from
my bed n little after midnight for the purpose
Of taking dog to an older brother, who had
gone on a hunting expedition the previous day,
and whom expected to find at the house of q
relative about three miles away. Ny parents
then resided about five miles west of the famous
Wyoming valley, in the state of Pennsylvania.
on the road 10 what was then called Harvey
lake. but better known by the reference made
to il in Campbells Gertrude Of Wyoming" in
the familiar line
And skim. perchance thy lake with lizht cance~
have no recollection of the appearance of
any comet that year, or of the minds of people
being IN any way excited over any expected
catastrophe. but have u very vivid recollection
OF the fears excited in the minds of the rural
population over the event itself. NV expecta-
ton was TO have clear starlight night in
which to travel. but on opening the door what
was my astOnishment TO find the whole frma-
ment A. IT were lighted up with countless thou
sands OF streaming meteors. which. TO nv I'M
tutored gaze. appeared to be falling stars. As
Mr.. Cleveland remarked on y late occasion nv
mind was at once filled with various conflict
ing emotions Had known where there
a goOd-sized hole in the ground would surely
have craSled into it and endea vored to pull the
hole IN after me. bat knowing of no such re-
treat could only cry out to nv father for help.
which did something in this ,tise.
on. father. come here. The stars are all
a-falliugr"
The old gentleman had lived on the earth a
good deal longer thar had and consequently
had more confidence in the general permanence
OF things or perhaps the thought of getting
out Of warm bed into the cold had something
To do with IL At any rate he refused to stir
rom has. snug quarters and replied: Non
sense Nonsense"
NY mother. who was of a more mercur.a
temperament than her husband. at this jumped
up and running 20 the door and witnessing the
gorgeous display at once cried out: ''Oh.
asrles, the stars are falling in every direc-
ton
And 80 thew seemingly were. The whole
heavens were constantly aglow with streaming
lights. commencing a. or the zenith and
from there curying down the sky to every
point % the compass. In their fight tEey
would often cross the traii of each other. thus
70 ming q perfect network Of fire over the en-
ttiE aeaftI~. go nos tNaEgeiHte Al All Wnen
ssN that there must have been over thou
ssr3 IN sight al any given moment of time. 1t
wa grand and truly sublime display.
At-e- J discovered that nothing was being
harmed. With nv dog for company | started on
IN vas e meet nv brother and travelled the
entire distance BY the light of the streaming
netcOs> LA; did not cease falling until the sun
was Vel m in the day.
The wise men Of the day. so far as ! saw,
coll: offer TO explanation OF the strange &C.
currence. and 1t was many Years afterward be-
fore an explanation at all satisfactory to nv
mind was offered. This was that some two
hundred years before the Christian era a comet
had become en;agled in the meshes of one of
the piane.s-Urrnus, think ii was-and that
IL had been held there ever since by. the attrac-
ton of that body, and was slowly going to
pieces: and that il while the earth in its
Orbit around the sun was passing through the
debris of this decayirg body that the display
referred to took place.