Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1898-06-10
FLIGHT OF A METEOR.
Burlingtonians Frightened by a Visitor
from the skies.

Burlnstonians Frightened by Visitor
from the skies.
The falling of a meteonte is not very
uncommon thing, but to have one pass so
close that its flight causes the earth to
tremble and turn darkness into light
nearly as bright as that of the sun and
hear the illumined mass as it flies through
space is not common occurrence and but
few people are privileged to see such a
sight. At $50 o'clock Friday morn
ing as w. j. Bigelow and w. II. Crockett
of the Free Press were going home, sud
denly a strong white light broke about
them. Looking up Mr.. Crockett saw
large illumined body with slightly red
dish tinge flying through space in a
southeasterly direction. By the time
both had fixed their gaze on it the mass
looked like an immense white electric
light, which apparently was bursting
somewhat similar to a sky rocket. but
the light it shed was more powerful than
that of any electric light ever seen. In
a moment it was gone and seemed to
strike but short distance away, but as
it proves, about 30 miles distant. At the
same time there was weird screaming
or whistling sound which suggested the
shrek of shell in its flight. 1t was a
strange sight and so sudden in its APP
pearance and impressive in its magnitude
as to make superstitious person ques
ton what revelation was being made to
people who have just drawn the sword
in behalf of a foreign people.
About one minute later the two gen
tlemen were startled by a slight tremor
of the ground and sound like tremen-
dous explosion. 1t was greater than any
gun and reverberated through the
mountains for abOnt 80 second, sounding
to them like the roll of thunder, although
it was more sullen and of greater magni-
tude. This shock awoke people over a
large area and a large number of them
report that they felt their houses shake
one family reporting that vase was
overturned by the shock
Aroused from slumbers so suddenly
people thought it must be an earthquake
or gun fired to celebrate the victory of
Commodore Schley at Santiago. The
difference between the time the meteorite
was seen and the report is easily explain
ed by the difference IN the velocity of
| light and sound. Some fishermen on the
lake and trainmen in this vicinity report
seeing the strange phenomenon but have
not given any additional details.
The story as told in Jacksonville is as
follows. Two of Morse's teamsters,
Swedes, had started very early from the
Notch sawmill, near the foot of Mount
Mansfield, with ORLEANS loaded with
lumber, and were coming toward Jetfer-
sonville. They had Just reached the
crest of hill, overlooking the whole
valley when shortly before 3 o'clock
they saw what appeared to be ball OF
fire eliptical in shape as large as sugar
barrel, as one of the men expressed it,
apparently coming directly toward them,
about fifty feet from the earth, moving
from the northwest to the southeast, and
making a roaring noise. When the bal
was over the sugar place on the Gile;
French farm, it began to crumble, broke
into five or six pieces and fell dowr
among the tree tops, about mile from
where the men were.
Two or three minutes after it had
struck the ground as it seems to the mer
there was terrific crash or report
reverberating over and over again among
the foot hills of the mountain, shaking
the ground like an earthquake. The
oxen were very much frightened anC
the men themselves were somewha
agitated by the strange, weird spectacle
one of them running under his load o.
lumber for protection. This strange
! visitor from another world is causing
much excitement through all the sur
rounding country. - Burlington Fret
! Dracs