The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-11-14


many pounds. On striking the earth's
atmosphere they begin to burn at the
hight of seventy-four miles and are
generally entirely consumed at a hight
of fifty miles.
THE GREAT DISPLAY IN 1888.
DR.. H. w. Hardness, the well known
scientist. writes to the Record Union
saying: Thinking that a description
of the meteoric showers of 1888 and
1867, by one who had exceptionally ia
vorable opportunities for observation,
would be of public interest, have pre-
pared the following account:
In 1888 the writer was living on
farm on the western borders of the
town of Pelham, Hampshire County,
Mass, two miles due east of Amherst
College. That a boy of II was SO for
tunate as to witness the wonderful phe-
nomenon Of that year. occurring as it
did in the early morning hours, was
due largely to the fact that on the pre-
vious day my father had entrusted me
with the task of training a pair OF
young steers, suggesting that the work
might be entered upon the following
morning at as early an hour as chose
Fully realizing the dignity conferred
upon me, and its attendant responsible
ties, 1 determined that no time should
be lost in beginning the work. With
this thought uppermost in mind, re-
tired early. On awaking some hours
later, with no thought as to the time,
I aroused my two cousins, who had
volunteered as assistant trainers, and
together we started for the paddock. AS
we tiptoed our way through the kitchen
I glanced at the clock. 1t marked
1890
The morning was beautiful. The air
was crisp, but not uncomfortably cool;
the stars shone brilliantly, the heavens
being unclouded, save that dense
cumulus cloud, about fifteen degrees
above the horizon, lay in the southeast.
To an observer of the starry heavens
it was an ideal morning, morning
fitted to usher in the sublime spectacle
which was soon to follow.
From behind the dark cloud-a cur
tain hiding a stage on which was to be
produced one of the grandest spectacu-
lar productions Of the century-meteors
darted here and there at short inter-
walls. 1t was from this point in the
heavens that the greater number OF
these bodies emanated, perhaps twenty
or more appearing in as many minutes,
and the sudden flash of light from be-
hind the dense mass of cloud was in
itself a sight long to be remembered
Soon the various members of the
household were assembled on the lawn,
all looking in amaZement at the mar
velous spectacle. AS we stood looking
upward, slowly the great curtain rolled
away to the eastward, exposing grand
arch of sky. Words fail to give an
adequate description Of the scene be-
fore our eyes.
Imagine balls of fire darling in quick
succession from varying attitudes,
seemingly in all directions at once. each
leaving behind a luminous trail, often
of fiery hue, and again only a pale
phosphorescent glow. In varying in
stances these luminous trails could be
seen for many minutes after the disap
pearance of the meteors.
The glowing apparitions varied i'll
size and brilliancy, but none of them
appeared to us to be more than fourth
the apparent diameter of the moon. In
several instances the larger bodies
burst, presenting an appearance not I'M
like that of a vanishing skyrocket, the
Elimination being of such brilliancy as
to cast shadows on the ground. The
explosions occurred at SO great an
altitude that no sound reached our ears
although we listened eagerly for the re-
ports.
The wonderful exhibition continued
with undininished splendor until the
approach of dawn, when the advancing
daylight slowly and gradually faded it
from sight
No reliable estimate of the number
of these falling bodies coming within
our atmosphere during the continuance
of the shower could be made. They
came in such countless numbers at
times that it were as we'll to try to
count the flakes of falling snow. Pro-
fessor Olmstead of New Haven esti-
mated the number at 100000, but this
1 should say would be a conservative
estimate of those seen by us.
The great shower of 1888, it was be-
lieved, would be repeated in November.
1866, but it was not visible from Sac
ramento, nor, so far as I could learn,
from other points on the coast. Neither
was there any report from the Atlantic
States of meteors having appeared in
numbers. III E1uIOpG, HOWtNSr, lueIt
was a fine display. Astronomers pre-
dicted that there was a possibility that
the meteoric shower would be visible
upon this continent in November of the
following year Anticipating this being
the event, 1 made arrangements with
a night Waterman to call me at once
should there be a recurrence of the
phenomenon of 1888.
On the morning of November A. 1867,
at twenty minutes past /, I was called
and informed that shooting stars were
falling rapidly On going into the open
air. the morning proved to be clear,
with no clouds in the sky where a
nearly full moon was shining brightly.
The stars were falling rapidly, but the
trails. dimned by the light of the moon,
were only family distinguishable. I soon
perceived, with disappointment, that
the glittering pageant of 1888 was not
then to be repeated. But rarely was
the track of a meteor marked by the
fiery glow which pervaded the heavens
during the former display 1t was
rather the phosphorescent glmmer left
by a match struck in the dark, often
being so faint and slight as to seem
but the thread of a spider web hung
in the sky.
The center from which the meteors
emanated was to the southeast, the ex-
act location whence came those of thir-
tyfour years before, and the general
course of their fight was to the south
west. In one or two instances I count
ed as many as fifty appearing in a sin
gle minute.