The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1899-11-14
THE COMING
METEORIC DISPLAY.
Will Be the Chief Astronomical
Event of the Season.
ONCE IN THIRTY-THREE YEARS
This Wonderful Heavenly Spectacle is wit
nessed--win BE the Most Important
Since 1S33--A Cantonians Recol-
lection OF the Previous Events.

event during this month will |
be the meteoric display from
November 18th to the 18th,
the night of the 10th the phenomena be-
ing more bright and visible in the north |
east heavens as at that time the earth
will pass through the most dense por-
tion of this meteoric stream The
event is witnessed only once every
thirty-thr years, and was last wit
messed during November 1866; but
during November 1888, probably 1t was
best seen and created a most sublime
and awe-inspiring sight. The motion
of the meteoroids is opposite to the
direction in which the earth moves,
causing them to impinge in the earth's
atmosphere. The earth will consume
several days in passing through this
stream and more or less showers will
be witnessed during the early morning
hours.
A News-Democrat reporter called on
number of citizens Friday who were
supposed to have witnessed the
meteoric shower of 1856 and though
some of them had heard others tell of
such an event, DR.. p. H. Barr, of 299
North Cleveland Ave-, was the only
citizen interviewed who had been a
witness of this event. Speaking of it
he said:
II remember we'll the night during
| November, 1866, when this shower oc-
cured. / was going home, about IL
o'clock that night when / looked heaven
ward and witnessed the sublime sight.
/ met a friend on the way and we stood
| and gazed for e. long time. / believe
the shower was seen to last until morn
| ing. l cannot tell just what it looked
| like. 1 might say that it looked like
a shower Of fiery rain drops chasing
each other in a parallel direction
through the skies and flying all direc-
tions from radiant point. There were
| millions of these small meteors. AS
| in recent years this shower did not
| impinge to any nearness to the earth
but kept quite respectful distance
away, it seems, obtaining in the
zenith only. know of many people who
witnessed that event and 1 am quite
sure it was
A MOST SUBLIME SCENE
to their eyes, as it was to mine. l
have been a student in astronomy for
| some thirty years and have noted many
of the peculiar events of heavenly
| bodies with such apparatus as L had
during that time. The meteors seem
to shoot from one part of the sky to
the other and did not drop as the shower
of 1888.
"I had often heard my parents relate
the terror which the shower in 1888
created in this country. They then
resided down in Maryland. From what
they stated the heavens were one
conflagration and it was assumed by
the terror stricken people that the
| n 4
an end. The heavenly spectacle must
have been an awe-inspiring one. 1t
began shortly after midnight ON the
18th of November 1888, and at 5
o'clock in the morning it was at it's
greatest display. 1t was visible from the
great lakes to the equator. From what
have heard it must have been a
stupenduous and awe-inspiIing spec
tacle. People prostrated themselves on
the ground, believing the day of resur-
rection had surely come
| Another citizen who did not desire
that his name be mentioned, speaking
with reference to this event in 1888,
stated that his grand father many
times related to him the details so
far as he had witnessed OF that shower
in that year. He said:
"If ever there was q time in the
history of the people of this country
| when there was real fear assumed by
| them, 1t must have been during that
night Of November 18th, 1888 My grand
father had been calling on q neighbor
and was walking homeward about mid
night when his attention was attracted
to the heavens above. IN his story he
said that he had never witnessed such
a fearful or wonderful spectacle as in
that year. 1t was a scene of
IMPOSING GRANDEUR,
but the poor, terror stricken people,
who were susceptible to the superstition
of the appearance OF heavenly orbs,
| attached disaster and all else to this
scene and many became prostrat-
| ed and did not recover from it's effects
| for long time. According to the
story the heavens seemed to open all
at once and shed forth meteoric fire and
1T appeared that the sky was really
burning.
'I am told this action of the meteors
| is caused by the earth entering a circle,
or in it's orbit, entering that atmos-
pheric condition or electrical condition
in which these meteors abound. The
| meteorS emanate from radiant points
in the heavens and ricochette through
the skies, although seldom. If ever, do
these particles of burning metal reach
the earth"
A SCIENTIFIC OPINION.
The coming display is attracting the
attention of scientific men all over the
country Among the interesting lectures
delivered on the subject was one given
by Prof. j. X. Reese, before the New
York academy of science. The lecture
was illustrated by stereopticon illustra-
tions made from drawings of famous
astronomers, which were based upon
observations made from time to time
since 1896
"It is calculated" said Prof. Rees,
that the metoric exhibition next week
will be the greatest since 1888, and will
far outshine that of 1866 About every
S3 years the same astronomical phe-
nomena are obs >rvable, and it will be
strange If New Yorkers do not have
\.