The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1893-12-27
A MErEOR AFTER DAYLIGHT.
Various Sections Startled by an Unususl
Appearance in the Sky.
News and Courier, 21st.l

Mr.. H. II. Corbett, of st. Charles,
Sumter County, visited the Office of the
News and Courier yesterday afternoon
to call attention TO an astronomical
phenomenon of which he was an eye
witness. He said that yesterday morn
ing while be was on a train on theWiI-
mington, Columbia and Augusta Rail-
road going from Sumter to Florence,
ard while in the immediate neighbor-
hood of Timmonsville, the passengers
were startled by great and sudden
light illuminating the country and the
interior of the car. He looked out Of
the window and saw in the sky passing
over the train an object resembling the
moon in size and color. but with a long
vapory tail. The object passed very
rapidly In q northeast direction, but
finally seemed to stand still in the sky
about IL degrees above the horizon. :.
The tail was not steady, but assumed
different shapes, at one time locking
like the letter S and at another time
like the letter 6, but it at last became
nearly perpendicular. The object was
still visible at sunrise, looking like q
small moon, but the tail had disap-
peared.
MIR. Corbett says that the negroes in
the country through which the train
passed on its way to Florence were wild
with excitement and terror caused by
the meteor, and that when he arrived
in Florence everybody was talking
about it and trying to account for the
phenomenon. A lady who was on the
train with Mr.. Corbett and who said
she had travelled 8 great deal ,acknowl-
edged that she had never seen the like
before, and said that if she had not
still seen the nucleus Of the meteor in
the sky she would have supposed that
lr had fallen into some large body of
water, and that the tail was the steam
arising theEefrom.
In regard to the meteor passing rap
idly over the cars and then at great
bdistapcs appearing to stand still in the
sky. ffsexplanatio3 sesRs 70 ner tna'ee
while tbs ACTION was directly across
the angle of vision it was easily percep-
tible, but when the meteor had passed
no far that the line Of its motion be-
came perpendicular to, or bfseeted the
angle OF vision, its motion, however
rapid, was 10 longer perceptible.
THE PHENOMENON As sEENIN NORTH
CAROLINA.
WILMINGTON, December 2.-h Gu
rious phenomenon was seen 10 the
heavens here from half-past 6 to
O'Clock this morning. It made a mag.
nificent display, but no one seems able
TO determine just what it was, some de-
scribing it as y meteor and others as
comet. One eyewitness says it had the
appearance of large star with a tai
which, To the naked eye, seemed about
one hundred yards long. The business
end of it finally bnrst, leaving u trait Of
| fire behind Of many and beautiful
coIors. One colored astronomer says
he saw the letters "W w W" distinct
| ly outlined, while another AYERS that
the word "Pyepare'' was there plain a.
day.
RALEIGH, December 20.-PassengerE
on the train near Burlington saw ar
unusual phenomenon in the western
sky this nornig from 8 to 6 o'clock. Il
! looked like flash of lightning.
zigzag, 80 deg. long, fixed in the heav
ems. At6.40 it was seen at Rsielgn
but then not so brilliant, but luml
| nous.