Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1899-11-11


will attract the attention of the world
excite the admiration and wonder OF
the enlightened and civilized, and ter
rify the ignorant. A company Of these
strange visitors are billed to appear on
the right Of the 14th inst. However.
this cannot be relied upon absolutely as
to the day or the year. Records of this
phenomenon date back as early of 654
B. c. Between 9O2 and 1889 A. d. there
are records Of eighteen ofthese showers.
occurring about every 33 years and
usually about the l4th Of November.
The first recorded shower. so far as we
know, observed in America was wit
messed by Humbolt while travelling in
South America in 1899. 1t occurred on
the 18th of November, and was seen in
most parts of America and Europc. But
the finest display ever witnessed occur
red on the 18th of November, 1883. 1t
was seen over most Of the northern part
Of North America. This led to the be.
lief that these occurrences were periodic,
and. at once, astronomers begin to pre-.
dict that another shower would occur on
the l4th Of November, 1866. This, how
eyer, did not occur in America but was
seen in Europe. and in America the
following year, November 18th, 1867,
and for two or three years afterward.
Sometimes they have appeared on the
18th and l4th OF November consecu-
tiyely. SO it is very doubtful as to what
time they will appear Some claim they
will be seen on the night of the 10Th
this time. Those who wish to see them
would better watch on the 18th, l4th
and 18th after midnight as that is the
time they have usually been seen. 1t
takes us about three years to pass
through the en,ire cluster, and as quite
a number were seen on the l4th of last
November. we expect TO see some of the
rear of the shower in 1900.
This November shower always comes
from the direction of the constellation
Leo, and as that constellation will no,
be in sight till about midnight it will be
useless to look for them till that time
These little bodies are cold and in.
visible till they come within the range
Of our atmosphere where they are
heated to the melting point and some ot
them vaporize and vanish These me
teors are travelling at the rate of 26 miles
per second, and their speed combined
with ours makes a speed of over forty
miles per second At that rate, when
striking our atmosphere, heat enough
would be generated to melt any known
substance. During the last November
shower many valuable observations
were made which enan!c US 10 arrive al
some conclusion as to the hsighth Of oul
atmosphere, and while these conclus
ions do not agree, the evidence tends tc
show that an atmosphere dense enough
to offer resistance enough to produce
heat extends about 100 miles from the
earth.
While comparatively few meteorites
ever reach the earth, yet some very fine
specimens have been found, weighing
from few ounces to sixteen tons
Near the time of the last November
shower one fell near Marietta, Ohio, that
weighed $50 pounds. 1t Is now in the
college at that place. One fell in Texas
about the same time weighing 1900
pounds; this last is now to be seen in q
museum in New York. At the national
museum at Washington is a fine collec
ton of meteorites, one of which weighs
nearly q ton. This specimen is abou,
80 per cent iron. In fact iron predo,
inmates In all specimens examined sc
far as we aware A few meteors
have been seen in daylight. In 1855
between 9and 10 a. IN. a large one was
seen in the eastern part of the United
Statesj and the writer saw one in Ne.
braska about 5 p. m. OIL the first of Sep.
tember 1895. Its apparent diameter was
half that oftbe moon and was going in a
southeasterly direction, leaving in its
path what seemed to be masses Of mol.
ten matter that sparkled and fused till i,
vaporized.
Since writing the above we have found
an article In the Scientific American
which says the maximum shower will
not occur till the morning Of the 18th.
JOHN A. WATSON.