The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-12-20
VISITORS FROM OTHER WORLDS.
Meteors Usually Reduced to Dust by Com
bustion Before Reaching Earth,

bustion Before Reaching Earth,
From the New York Sun.
The atmosphere forms an arllor
which is almost impenetrable to the
meteors that are constantly pelting the
earth. Most of the meteors are small.
The come rushing through space strike
the atmosphere, and the friction
against the molecules of air heats them
to white heat and sets them abIaze.
sometimes part of one may reach tile
earth, but as rule they are consumed
and the dust alone, cosmic dust, drops
upon the surface. One of the earliest
known meteors fell in "a B. G. in Phry-
gia, where for long time it was wor-
SHIPPED. 1t was carried to Rome and
was supposed to be a messenger from
the gods. Livy describes a shower of
meteoric stones. The people were
greatly alarmed and the senators We're
demoralzed and declared nine days
festival to propitiate the gods. There
is at Mecca a meteorite which fell in
600 A. D. and is still worshiped by the
faithful. In Chinese literature there is
mention of meteors which fell in GA
B. c..
The oldest known meteorite which
was seen to fall is now on exhibition
at Ensisheim, Alsace, Germany. In
1892 it came crashing down through the
air with roar that Frustrated the
peasantry with fright. 1t buried itself
deeply in the earth. 1t weighed go
pounds and hangs to-day in the parish
church. The Chupaderos meteorite,
ahua, Mexico. The largest meteorte
known is the Peary stone, which
weighs approximately 100 tons. The
stone of Canon Diablo weighs at least
10 tons and exploded high in the air,
the pieces being found all over the sur
rounding country.
In Italy several instances are known
of the loss of life from meteortes. A
peasant was sitting in his cabin and
was killed by an iron mass that crash
ed through the roof; the act was re-
garded as a visitation of divine anger.
The city of Milan is perhaps the only
one that has been struck by mece-
orite. A meteorite of several pounds
weight fell in the heart of that city
in the year 1860, on the authority of
Paolo Maria Tezzayo, and struck
franciscan monk.
More remarkable are the falls at sea.
That a ship should be struck would
seem an extraordinary chance, yet a
Swedish ship was struck. the stone kill
ing two of the crew. On December l,
1896 the ship Walkomming was sailing
from New York to Bremen when her
officers noticed a brilliant meteor that
appeared to be bearing down on the
vessel from southeast to northwest. 1t
| passed with a loud roar and kissing
| sound and plunged into the sea ahead
of the ship. That 1t was a meteor Of
large size was evident, for a few min
utes later the ship was struck by a
| tidal wave.
Even more remarkable was the eXpe-
| rience of the British ship Cawdor,
| which reached San Francisco Novem-
Der 20. 1897. During a severe storm a
| large and brilliant meteor was observed
Al II 1T :,
a roar and filling the air with fumes
| of sulphur it passed between the masts
| Of the ship and fell into the sea not
| so feet from the rail.
One Of the greatest curiosities pos
sessed by man to-day is a supposed
| fragment of a comet in Mazapil, MeXi-
| co. The fragment is believed to be
| part of the tail of Biela's comet. In
| 1916 something happened in space: a
wreck occurred; Biela's comet rldy
have collided with another comet in
any case, the comet divided and many
| living observers remember seeing the
two parts gradually separating. Some
fatality pursued one part of the comet
and it met it's fate in infinite space,
| literally went to pieces and became
wreck upon the shoreless sea of space.
Astronomers predicted that If the COM
| ct itself did not appear in 1872 Its
wreckage would become visible as
| shooting stars, and this prediction was
realized apparently, as on November
| 81, 1872, there burst from the heavens
cloud of shooting stars. During the
display one piece dropped upon The
earth and was secured at Mazapil,
Mexico, and was declared to be part
| of the great comet.
The average meteorite Immediately
after its fall is intensely hot, but at
| least one, which was handled imme-
diately after falling, still held the in.
tense cold of space A few men could
say that they have experienced this
meteorite exploded above Dhurm-
sala, Kangra, Punjaub, India, in 1860
and a section was picked up immedi.
ately by some natives, who dropped
! it with expressions of pain. The explo-
SIGN had exposed the interior of the
meteor. which had been chilled by the
intense cold of space and was so colo
that its effect was like burn. This
fragment is now to be seen in the
| Field museum. OF it DR.. harrington
the curator, said: This is perhaps
| the only instance known where the
cold of space has become perceptible
to human Senses"