Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1900-05-23
PELTING THE EARTH.
A Constant SHOWER or METEORs
INTO OUR ATMOSPHERE.

the earth. .NCoui 1000 OF tLt..e wan
uerers in space lit our atmosphere ev-
cry "a hours Most Of the metcors nv.
small They come rushing through
space. strike the atmosphere. and tns
friction against the mOleculcs OF AL,
heats them 90 white heat aud sets
them ablaze. Sometimes part of one
may reach the earth: but. as rule.
they are consumed. and the dust alone.
cosmic dust. drops upon the surface.
One or the earliest known meteors
fell in 204 B. c. in Phrygia. where for
long time IL was wOrShiped. II was
carried TO Rome and was supposed 10
be messenger from the gods. Livy
describes shower of metcoric stones
The people We're greatly alarmed. and
the senators were dcmoralized and de-
clared nine days festival TO propiti-
ate the gods. There is at Mecca 4
meteorite which fell i'm COO 4. ID. and
is still worshiped 10y the faithful.
In Chinese literature there is men
ton OF meteors which fell in G4I Il.
G. The oldest known meteOrite which
was seen 20 fail is now on exhibition
at EnsiShcim. Alsace. Germany. In
l492 II came crashing down through
the air with roar that prostratcd the
peasantry with fright. II buried it.
self deeply i'm the earth 1t weighed
26O pounds ana hangs today i'm the
parish church
The ChEpadovos mcteoritc. which
weighed - tons. s"ll i'm Chihuaht:a.
Mexico. The largrs, mctcorif,. known
Is the PcarN Snuc. which weighs an
prONimatcly iloi tons The stone OF
Canon Diahl, weighs AT least ton tons
and eNpioucd high i'm air. the pieces be
Ing found all over the surrounding
country. In Italy several instances arc
known Of the loss OF life from meteor
ties. a peasant was sitting in his
cabin ami WAS killed 10y an iron mass
that crashed through the roof The acl
was regarded rs visitation OF divine
anger.
The city OF Milan is perhaps the on
ly one that has been struck 10y a
meteOrlte. y mcteortc Of several
pounds weight fen in the heart OF
that city i'm She year 1860. on the au-
thority OF Paolo Maria Tczzayo. and
struck Franciscan monk
More remarkable are the falls at sea.
That ship should be struck would
seem an extraordinary chance. yet a
Swedish ship was SO struck. the stone
killing two of the crew. ON Dee. I.
1896. the ship Walkamming was sail
Ing from New York TO Bremen when
her officers noticed a brilliant mcteol
that appeared 10 be bearing down on
the vessel from southeast TO northwest
Il L.
sound and plunged into the sea ahead
OF the ship. That il was meteor og
large size was evident. for a few min
utes later the ship was struck 10y i
tidal wave.
Even more remarkable was the rN-
pericncc of the British ship Caw,ior
which reached san Francisco Nov. 80
1897 During severe storm II lar-e"
and brilliant meteor WAS observed
rushing down upon the ship. and with
roar ana filling the air with fumes of
sulphur il passed between the mastS OF
the ship ~: fell into the sea not -
feet from ;nc rail
one of ,hc greatest curioSiticS pos
sosscd 10y man today is Il supposed
fragment ut comet in Ma-.nil. Mex
leo. The fragment is believed To he a
part of the tail OF Biela's comet. in
1916 something happened i'm space. \
wreck occurred. Biela'S comet may
have cOllidcd with another ccluvt. 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. ana il met its fatc in in
finite space. literally went to pieces
and became Il wreck upon the shore
less sea of space. 4 ronomerS predict
ed that if the comet itself did not APP
pear in 1872 lis wreckage would be-
come visible as shooting stars. and
this prediction was realized apparent
ly, rs on Nov. %, 1872. there burst
from the heavens II cloud of shooting
stars During the display one piece
dropped upon the earth and was Sc
cured at Mazapil. Mexico. and was de-
clared To be n part of the great comet.
The average meteorte Immediately
after its fall is intensely hot, but at
least one. which was handled immedi-
ately after falling, still held the in
tense cold of space 4 few men can
say that they have experienced this.
a meteorite exploded above DhurmSa
In, Kangra ana Punjab. India, i'm 1850.
and section was picked up immedi-
ately by some natives. who dropped il
with expressions of pain. The eXplo-
sion had exposed the interior of the
meteor. which had been chilled 10y the
intense cold Of space and was so cold
that its effect was like Il burn. This
fragment !. wv To be seen i'm the Field
museum. r il DIR. Harrington. the
curator, said, ''ThiS is perhaps the on
ly instance known where the cold of
space has become pcrceptible to human
senses" New York Sun.
UnweicOme Suitor.
"Wpll Miss Cropn timn NXaS tinn