The morning call., 1894-02-18

x Il
as Though beating again st the wind. 1t nSt
lnirequently happens that large meteor,
IN plunglDg through our atmosphere, some
times pursueS tOrtuous path, darling this
way and that In most eccentric manner.
Even in the case of the meteor that Mr..
Lewis OF Ansonia caught photograph of
last year, a part of the path appears as
crooked as rail fence. 1t is. probable that
the ZigzagglDg motion of a meteor is due
to Irregularities in the form of the moving
mass, causing variations in the resistance
that 1t encounters from the atmosphere.
The brilliancy ascribed 10 the meteor by
the officers of the Yemassee is. by no means
incredible or unprecedented. Many meteors
nave been seen that shed an illumination
broader than that of the full moon. On
September 20, 1876, about O'Clock in the
evening, meteor passed over England
producing an lllumn alton equal to that of
MONDAY, SO that, as the celebrated DR..
Wallis said in his report to the Royal So
cIety on this phenomenon, "the smallest
pin or straw might be seen lying on the.
ground" On the night of March 81. 1876,
meteor passed over ITALY and was care-
fully observed by the malhema tician Mon
tanari. 1t appeared larger than the moon.
Sir Hans Sloane. vice-president of the
Royal Society, walking in the streets of
London at 10 o'clock in the evening on
March 10, Ills, was startled by sudden
great light in the sky, which proved to be-
L
equal that of the sun. In fact it was. SO
brilliant that he was several times obliged
to turn his eyes from it, 1t left spark
ling track that remained visible for about
one minute. The great meteor that was "
seen passing over Long island SOUND ana
Connecticut about 11:29 p. NJ. on May 20,
1869. appeared equal in diameter to: the
full moon, and study OF its path 1ndi-
Gated that it probably fell into the ocean
not far from the coast, northeast OF Bos-
ton. -.
ors also frequently last for considerable
time. a meteor seen in India on Septem-
her % 1873 left train that was visible
for three-quarterS of an hour. We have
seen the trains of small meteors remain :
half minute or longer after The disap-
nearanee of the meteOrs, undulatlng with
snakelike motion as they tioated In the
currents of the atmosphere.
The story of the gradual recognition OF
the fact that meteorc bodies, iron ana =
stone actually fell out of the sky upon the
earth is one CT the most curious In tne MS.
torv Of science Although such falls had
bee, noticed in the earliest times: although
evarv reader of ancient literature knew
the story of the stone which fell at Aegos-
notamos. the rediseovery OF which was
one of the dreams of Alexander Won hum
holdt. and of the other stone that Iell at.
,ba feet of the poet Pindar, TO procure the
Mascot for Rome. Publius Scipio Nasica
was sent as special EN- bassador to the :.
King of Pergamos, yet at the opening of
the nineteenth century even scientific men
6onbied whether anything ever really fell
ont Of the.sky from beyond the clouds and
the limits of the air. The question was
finally settled by the fall of showers. of
stones at Sienna. Italy, on June 16, 1904, !.
and at PAigle, in France, April %, 1903.
Riot. the astronomer. investigated the last
named occurrence and his report ended
all doubts.
In our day the subject has assumed fresh
and keen IN terest Oh account of the curious
discoveries made in the meteorites them
selves. They bring 10 US out of the mys-
FERROUS depths of space not only iron
whose condition indicates that it has had
an extraordinary history, and nickel and
magnetic pyrites and cobalt and various
other minerals, such as Divine and trollite,
but that Droteus of the mineral world, car,
bon. occasionally In the form, too, of dia
monds.