Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-01-16
SIGHTED A BIG METEOR.
Captain Mckee Treated to a Re-
 markable Scenesat Sea.
SAYS IT BLAzED LIKE A BIG SUN.
It Was as Big as Five or Six Full Moons, and For Half an Hour It Was In Sight, When It Ended It's Career by Going to Pieces In MIdair.

Pieces In Midair.
 NEW YORK, Jan. 16-Landlubbers may fancy that grog may have had something to do with the wonderful meteor which Captain Mckee and Chief Officer Catherine of the steamship Yemassee reported hay ing seen at sea on their arrival here from Charleston.
 They are both willing to swear that they were sober, though, at the time that this great meteor went careefiing about the heavens in a manner to make them fancy that judgment day had come and that the earth was about to be smashed into smith ereens by this awful ball of fire. The cap tain declared that the meteor was as big as five full moons, while She chief officer claimed it was as large as six full moons.
 Both agree as to oeverythiag else concern ing the meteor, which. if all they tell about it be true. is the most extraordinary me teor ever let loose to astonish mortals.
 Like Big sun.
 It must not be inferred from the fact that those who saw 1t fix it's size by saying it was as big as so many sfulP' moons that the meteor was full" Though it took zigzag course, there is nc reason for be- lieying that it was not as temperate 8 me teor as the sober men who saw it. It was just about dawn, when the Yemassee was 15 miles south of Charleston bar, that the meteor was seen. Captain Mckee and Chief Officer Catherine were the only two men on deck at the time.
 The meteor was dead ahead and far up in the heavens when we first saw it," said Chief Officer Catherine, land seemed to be coming straight for the ship. I thought judgment day had come sure and that some planet was about to strike the earth. It was as big as six full moons and burned like the sun.
 Suddenly it shot off to the east, followed by great streak of fire. When saw it was not going to strike the ship, I felt some relief. It frightened me badly, I ad init. After going about 50 degrees to the east it began to take a zigzag course. It darted about the heavens at great speed, just as bolt of lightning would. It con- tinuedto go about in that way for long time
 At last it burst into more than 100 pieces like a skyrocket. The small fireballs were shot all over the heavens in every direction and gradually died away as the fire does from an exploded rocket.
 In Sight Half an Hour.
 II pulled out my watch when the me teor, or whatever it was, began its zigzag course, and the display lasted more than half an hour. The captain and l both watched the thing from the time it started until the great streaks of fire it left in it's wake gradually died out.'
 Captain Mckee is man of few words, and after telling of the size of the meteor and how 1t acted he referred iuquirers to Chief Officer Catherine for full particulars. The mate of the ship wanted to know why he was not called to witness the exhibition of the meteor when he was first told about it. Chief Officer Catherine told him that he and the captain were "transfixed with astonishment" and did not want to lose sight of it for a moment. Scientists or skeptics can get full information about this meteor from either Captain Mckee or Chief Officer Catherine.