St. Landry democrat., 1893-04-08

strOyed adjoining buildings and what
ever animals were unable to escape the
cont1agration Astronomers have made
out long lists of the aerolites that have
thumped into the earth. The lists show
that the monthly average of these visi-
tors from December to June is less than
the monthly average from July to Novem-
! Der. That, moreover, the months OF
March, May, July and November
exhibit the greatest numbers. The
lists also indicate that the earth
in its annual course round the
sun would seem to encounter greater
number of acrolites between July and
January than between January and July.
1t has been asserted to be a general rule
that the area over which shower of
stones fall is oval, measuring from six to
ten miles in length by two or three in
breadth; moreover, the largest stones
may be expected to be found at one ex-
tremity of the oval. That's only one of
the odd FRANKS of playful lneteors. When
found entire the stones are completely
coated or glazed over VITA thin, dark
colored crust, formed of the molten sub
stance of their surface, fused by ignition
in the treballs. The. part which trav-
eled foremost is sometimes distin-
guishablc from that which was in
the rear. Sometimes they break
into fragments as they disappear.
| Sometimes you find fragment, and
sometimes you do not. The fall of the
aeroline of 1927 was witnessed by the
astronomer, Gassendi. He states that
when in the air it was apparently sur
rounded by halo of prismatic colors.
This being the only aeroltc of the fall of
which he had ever heard, he supposed it
was the result of volcanic eruption in
some one of the neighboring mountains.
The aerolite of Dec. 10, 1878, intro
duced itself with a loud explosion, fol-
lowed by a Kissing noise, heard through
out a considerable portion of the sur
rounding district. A shock was also
noticed as if produced by the falling of
earth of some heavy body. A plowman
saw the stone fall to the ground. 1t
threw up soil on every side and pene-
trated several inches deep into
the solid chalk rock. 1t fell on the
afternoon of hazy day, during
which there was neither thunder nor
lightning. On April 90, 1876, mass of
meteorc iron, weighing between seven
and eight pounds, fell at Rowton, Eng
land Shortly before p. m. q sound of
that like thunder, followed by reports of
a cannon, shook the air, and was heard
for many miles in that neighborhood,
but no tireball was observed. The iron
mass was found nearly an hour afterward
in meadow, where it had buried itself
in the earth to depth of eli ghteen inches
and when dug out it was still quite hot.
March IA, 1881, four railroad hands near
Middlesborough, England, heard rush
ing, roaring sound overhead, followed
Immediately by thud on the ground.
Less than fifty yards away they found
a round, verticle hole. One of the men
thrust down his arm and drew
out the meteoritc. The hole and
the meteorite were quite warm three
minutes aftcrward. 1t was of low
pyramidal or shel-like shape, measuring
5 inches by inches, and about 3 inches
high. 1t was completely cnveloped in
thin black molten crust. One of the
most extensive falls of meteoric stones on
record was that which happened in Nor
mandy, April 26, 1903. About 1 p. m.
very brilliant trcball was seen travers-
ing the country with great velocity.
Some moments aftcrward a violent ex-
plosion was heard, which was prolonged
for five minutes. The noise seemed to
proceed from IL small cloud which re-
NAMED motionless all the time, but at a
great elevation in the atmosphere. The
defamation was followed by the fall of an
immense number of mineral fragments,
nearly 5000 being collected, the largest
weighing 81 pounds. The sky was
serene and the air calm.