The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1897-11-09
MeIody......

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the flying meteors. It is figured In the
books of authority that the velocity OF
the meteors coming into the path of
the world is about twenty-six miles q
second. Since the eartn passes through
the group In almost the exact opposite
direction the velocity with which they
enter the air is about forty-fouT miles
a second. This speed. faster than the
fight OF bullet which is heated by its
swift course through the air, Is enough
to set fire to the heavenly mass, and
long before 1t reaches the earth 1t ex-
plodes and becomes as nothlng-re-
duced to gases by the friction Of the
air.
WHEN MEN WE'RE SCARED.
1t is rarely that meteors get close
enough to the earth to become q source
OF fright, One OF the most memorable
Instances OF too-close- to-be Uncomfortable
meteors made the people of Kansas
think the day of judgment had come.
A great burning ball appeared In the
sky about o'clock IN the evening. 1t
came from n point In the western sky,
about where the moon was hanging. It
increased In brilllancy as It came along
over the sky, and all the people who
were out of doors felt that something
dlreful and final was about to happen.
The thing tore along over Iowa, MIS-
souri, Illinois. Michigan, Ohio, Pennsyl-
vania and West Virginia, and farmers
and city felix decided the last day was
dawnlng
II passed In little more than the twin
kle OF the eye, but four or five minutes
after It had gone there followed ser
les OF explosions like the noise of an
empty wagon over n rough road, The
bali seemed to break into cluster over
Illinois, each member of the cluster be-
ing computed TO be five miles broad
and forty miles long. An Indiana far
mer heard a thud In one OF his fields,
and on going to the spot next morning
found great stone which was very
the neighborhood. There was no doubt
that 1t was missile from the meteor,
a portion that accidentally escaped the
destructive power of the friction. II
was calculated that the path of this
meteor was about fifty miles above the
earth, and It went through about twen-
ty-five degrees OF longitude and fVe
degrees OF latitude in the upper region
- l.. t.,a ~, ltn,r, f,ath
NOVEMBER IA IS THE DATE.
The English astronomers who make
meteors a speciality have sent word
that the signs point to brilliant dis
play on the morning OF November II,
The show VIII begin about midnight. II
will last for two or three hours almost
to daylight. The gigantic rockets VIII
move at the opening In direction al
most horizontal TO the surface of the
earth in this part of the world, but In
the eastern hemisphere they will come
straight into the atmosphere. At about
sunrise the people who are looking for
the exhibition will be almost directly
in the line OF the advance of the me-
teors. The meteors will then appear TO
be darting directly at the spectators In
stead OF flying across the sky Some
OF them will rapidly and vlsibly In
crease in size as they approach.
The coming meteors will not only at
tract attention on account Of their
number. but they will be remarkable
for the appearances that attend and
follow their rush through the air.
There will be long phosphoresoent
streaks or wakes behind them They
will be visible for several minutes, af-
ter the bodies have disappeared or have
exploded. The meteers themselves Will
be red or orange color, while the tails
will be OF n greenlsi hue, giving a pc
culIarly weird effect as they slowly
drift through the sky, turning and
twisting much like n serpent
There Is one circumstance which may
rob the expected display of part of Its
impressive aspect. The moon will rise
about s o'clock In the evening and be
the brightest about the time Of the best
moments OF the show. This same condl-
ton has happened on many previous
occasions, but there have always been
enough neteers Of such wonderful bril-
Ilancy that the watchers always have
been able to see something OF the bonn
bardment
CHANCE FOR PROPHETS.
II may be that the events Of other
days will be repeated and that In the
midst Of the whlz2ing bits Of other
worlds there will arise flock OF pro-
phets ready to declare that the end Of
time has arrived. The bursting and dis
appearance Ofthe moteors has been made
the basis for theory as to the ultimate
fate OF the earth. There is pun, q re-
port and tons upon tons Of metal and
rock 10 into absolute nothlngness-sav
gas.
II may be that the world will even
tunlly be wiped out OF the universe In
the same way MS the November me-
teors. The earth flying around the sun
at the rate OF more than eighteen miles
each second, Is also flying with the sun
In the direction Of the great star Vega,
ut speed which In unknown, but very
great II the earth should meet n re-
slstance comparable to that which en-
counters the meteors on entering the
atmosphere It would be dissolved be-
fore the human race know what had
VNA.. 81 IA