The evening times., 1896-07-28
ME7[0Rs FILE N lUGUsT'
Earth VIII Be Bombarded BY
Swift and Fiery Missiles.
BUT WE WON'T CARE AT ALL
The Bolts From Distant Universes
VIII Not Reach a vulnerable Point
in Our Atmosphere-Thre
But Harmless Fusiliade-The Me
teoric Stream Is Vast EIlipse.

Flaming meteors Will lombard the earth
about August 10. The sky viii be veined
with streaks OF light as the stars shoot
through the atmosphere, but the siege vii:
be raised before the meteoric combatants
get within hsiIing distance
Some of tile meteors joining in the fusiilade
may hurl the chips from their shoulders
to the earth. None of the shooters, how
ever, will come nearer this planet than
seventy five miles, though they may leave
few "reminiscences OF their visit behind
them.
Astronomers have scheduled the meteoric
shower for August 10, but though, they
hive inside information, the arrangements
may be upset a any monient. The earth is
doing the best it can to hasten the event
by travelling toward the stream or meteors
at the rate OF eighteen miles second.
In fact, two of the advance agents OF
the heavenly visitants have already made
their appearance. One was seen by Frof.
w. Z. Brooks, OF the Smith Observatory,
Geneva, n. Y, last Tuesday, as it was
taking a peep at the moon. This was
supposed to be free silver meteor which
had deserted the earth for a new love
TERRIFIC FORCE.
Part OF another meteor fell to the earth
on Wednesday in Mexico with such terrific
force that it penetrated TOO feet through
rock and soil. A clear atmosphere will be
ali that Is needed to enable everyone to
see the futile bombardment of the stars.
But thousands of meteors will shoot to-
ward the earth in the daytime, thus inter-
fering with continuous performance.
August and November are chosen every
year for the threatening but harmless
fusillade. The most brilliant meteoric
shower only occurs every thirty three years,
and is not due until 1898 or 1893. The
August display is only a sideshow. cou>
pared with the shower which takes thirty
three years to get here. Observers will
get plenty OF chances to wish, however,
whenever they see a shooting star within
the next three weeks ---
The Ineteors travel in their own circle
around the sun, and would never think OF
Threatening the earth il the latter did not
plunge right through the ring. This stream
or zone of meteors travels round the sun
in a direction almost opposite TO that of the
earth.
Consequently the latter infringes on the
t~tSiiltOt1 vi tiC htbtus at Iti ftEtOtSr
and shower of flaming stars follows.
The meteoric stream is vast eilipse, hav-
ing no beginning and no end Prof. Herbert
A. Howe. OF Charnberiin University, Dem
yer, says the meteors travel in parallel
paths, like drops in a transform.
ONLY THE STARS FALL.
Sometimes August is not favored with a
| brilliant shower of shooting stars, because
| the belt is not 30 dense in some parts as in
others. Sometimes there are gaps in tie
stream, and only a few hundred OF stars
| fail The earth strikes the belt again in
| November, and a bright shower is usually
| seen between November IL and IL. The
| August meteors are denser about the 10th
| OF the month.
The meteoric river is SO broad, how
ever, that 1t takes the earth a month to
get through it, aud shooting stars mag be
seen from July lS to August %. 1t was
one OF these Ineteors on the edge of the
| stream that sent reminder to the santos
| Reyes mine. in the State of Chihuahua, !,
Mexico. last Wednesday. A huge piece OF
| neteoric Iron struck the mountain side,
| and carried away cliffs before it buried
| itself seven hundred feet in the earth. 1t
| also destroyed II miners cottage and killed
| his two children.
Although the stream travels at the rate
| OF twenty-six miles second, it takes ii
| one hundred years to make one revolution.
| These shooting stars never strike the
earth. but onIy impinge on its atmosphere.
| So swift is the motion Of a meteor that IL
| flames into incandescence when encounter
ing the higher strata of air, skirting the
| globe at safe distance, though some
| times fiiuging a souvenir to the invader OF
| the stream. .....