The Indianapolis journal., 1899-11-14
METEORlC SHOWER OF '33.
Graphic Description of that Famous
Fall of Stars"

correspondence Boston Transcript.
l find in the New England Magazine for
January, 1894, an account of the remark
able display of shooting stars on the night
of Nov. 13. 1885. The periodicity of the dis
play had not then been observed, although
1t is remarked as a curious coincidence
that the meteoric shower of 1899. equaling
that Of 1888 in brilliancy, occurred on the
night of Nov. u. The writer adds prophet
ically that philosophy, in her ripper age,
may draw many important inferences from
these remarkable coincidences'' 1 copy
some passages from the article, which may
prove of interest to those who are about
TO watch for the trails of flaming star
dust with which our November air is soon
to glow.
THE general description of the phenom-
enon is that of innumerable meteors, in
rapid succession, and for long space of
time, darting down the heavens, filing
them with light, leaving behind long trains
OF Drlgntness, and exploding in the most
brilliant coruscations. The least excited OBJ
servers speak of the heavens being
streaked with living fire'-of the atmos-
kindling into innumerable balls of rolling
hre'-and other comparisons equally em-
phatic. 1t may be doubted whether any
description has surpassed, in accuracy and
impressiveness, that of the old negro in
Virginia, who remarked: 1t is awful, in
deed sir, 1t looked like ripe crab apples
falling from the trees, when shaking them
for cider The meteorS differed in size
and brilliancy. some seeming little more
Snuh tnan mere points, others We're, were Larger and
Olmstead, of New Haven, mentions one as
large as the moon. Two also are recorded
as seen at Richmond, Va, of uncommon
size. which exhibited very singular and
beautiful appearances. Both were about
the size of a six-inch globe. One of these
darted TO the northeast, leaving behind IL
train of light apparently, two or three
hundred yards in length. and threw sparks
in every direction, until it exploded in
thousand brilliant particles. 1t continued in
its path of light while sixty-three were
counted by the observer. The other, equal
in size, shot to the southeast and continued
seven counted. A cracking noise at
tended both. In Newton, n. j., one OBJ
server reported dark spot. like cloud,
which gradually grew darker and smaller.
until it burst and produced brilliant and
extended flash of light: Another person at
the same place saw body OF light in the
east resembling the disk of the sun, seen
through a cloudy atmosphere. This gradu-
ally grew DINNER and more indiStinct, until
1t finally disappeared. In Warren, o., a
luminous spot was observed in the north
east, resembling the new moon. 1t then as
Sumed the appearance of the italic ), was
exceedingly brilliant, and apparently fif-
teen or twenty feet in length. The most
singular of these meteors was that which,
in some of the accounts, is called the ser
pSUI ana Is described Dy PrO1eSSOr Olm-
sted. This was ball. which shot off in
northwest direction, and exploded near
the star Capella, in the Goat. This left,
just behind the place of its explosion, a
long train of light of peculiar beauty 1t
was at first staight: but it soon began to
contract in length and extend in breadth,
folding itself up. and at last it appeared
like a small luminous cloud of vapor This
cloud was carried by the wind to the south
east, opposite to the direction of the me-
n
utes."
The duration of the shower was about
and continuing until the day yelled the
meteors, as ii did the stars. The phenome-
non was observed all over the United
states and the writer thinks il likely that
shower of 1899. He says that the current
or testimony is against any audible eX-
| ploSlons, and yet many observers report a
S. c., a meteor exploded with the noise of
a. cannon. The best observers of that time
| like Professor Olmsted, reported that the
meteors all seemed to proceed from fixed
| point in the heavens, and like the radii
of circle followed the arch of the sky
| there was really no such wild shooting as
| appeared to the excited imaginations OF
fSa r AS tbeH to yelocity it
from the earth, they would have moved
| at the rate of twenty miles a second. The
writer speculates at length as to the
that they are thrown off from some solid
BODY In state of intense ignition and
then knocking this theory in the head by
saying that such body must be lumin-
| Gus and visible itself On the whole he
prefers the hypothesis that the earth Is
| passing through the tail of a comet Pro
| fessor Caswell, of Brown University
thought that electricity might possibly be
found to be the cause of the brilliant ex-
| hibition: Our writer thinks this is con-
| firmed by reports from many places that
| electric symptoms were noticed. A gentle
man at Warren, O., wrote that he observed
| on the evening before the shower his
clothes were strongly charged with elec.
| trlcity. and emitted brilliant sparks,
Thls is only a meagre synopsis of the
article. but it gives an idea of the brilliance
or the spectacle in 1888 and of the nature
OF the speculations of the scientists at that
| time. INA