Evening journal., 1901-11-13


ter pursuing its Cwn course unswerv-
inS-y independently and each bit fin
ishing its mighty journey, thousands OF
millions of miles in length, in a little
more than thirty-three years. Once a
year the earth completes its revolution
around the sun, and on its journey, be-
tween the 18th and IA of November.
crosses the track in which the meteors
move 1t usually happens that the
great mass of meteOrs is not at this
point when the earth is passing-only
the stragglers that tumble into the at
mosphere around the earth. But once
IN every thirty-three or thirty-four
years the earth arrives at the critical
point during the time the mighty pro-
cesslon OF meteors is passing, and then
the majestic display is seen.
sometimes There viii. be a recurrence
OF unls experience for two or three sue
cesslve years, then after that a period
OF thlfty years and more elapses be-
IoIe the eartlh's orbit and that of the
mighty throng Of hurrying particles
cross each other.
WHY CALLED LEoNlDs
The name Leondis has been given to
the November meteors because Tn
the observer they seem to come from
uhe constellation Leo. The velocity of
The Leonids-which sometimes exceeds
tWenty-siX miles a second, many hum
dreds OF miles swifter than the fastest
railroad train-is responsible for the
hulliancy of tine Shooting stars" As
they pass from empty space into the
atmosphere which envelops the earth
uhe friction caused by the contact de-
ve1ops the heat, which increases stead
lily in the course toward the earth
causing the brilliant glow which makes
INC up-to-that-time invisible bits Of
matter visible.
a slis'ht imeguarity in the time Of
the appearance Of the showers has led
scientists to believe that there has
been a slight change in the orbit of the
moteoric matter. This shifting of the
path is believed to be due to the at
traction of Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus.
and this shifting, in changing the
point Of contact of the orbits Of the
earth and the meteOric mass, is held as
responsible for the non-appearance at
the time expected of the great periodic
display of November meteors.
MR.. MAC BENNETT ON DATE
f. Mac Bennett, Of Long Island City.
New York, writing recently in the
open-lctter department of the Scientific
American, does not hold this view. He
claims that thle computations which
sought to make THE periodic shower of
meteors due in 1899 were based upon
a hasty examination Of the records of
,he past appearance Of these meteOrs.
Professor McClune, of Philadelphia, and
Professor Herrick, of Yale, and a few
Others, Mr.. Mac Bennett says, esti-
mated THE period correctly in 1867, put
ting ii at thirty-fOur years and one day.
or total of 12419 days Thus" he
says. 'the first recorded shower was
witnessed on the night of November
Hip, 1899; the next on that of No
vember 1913, 1888; the following one
occurring on November 1874, 1861 so
that the next becomes due on the night
of November i4-15. 1901"
There are other indications, MIR. Mac
Bennett says, that the shower may be
expected this year.
"A notable circumstance" he con-
tinues, lin connection with the visits OF
the Leonid mcteors is that the weather
of the Northern Hemisphere has ex-
perienccd remarkable vicissitudes at
each of the recurring periods. The
sudden and violent change in the tenn
pcrature observed in 1899 by United
States Commission E,licOtt off the
coast of Florida was noted again in
1898. THE thermometer having rum down
twenty degrees in this vicinity Cat
other points as mudh as thirty degrees
from a few hours before the appear
ance of the meteOrs until sunrise of
the 18th Of November. And the fall
i'm the temperature continued until the
21st, at which time the daily mean had
fallen from fifty-four degrees on the
9th to twenty-sevcn degrees. A similar
perturbation occurred in 1867: and if q
rapid decline should occur Within few
hours after sunset on the evening oI
November II next it with probably in.
dictate the close proximity Of the eartf
TO tho approaching meteoric swarm.
so. too. the rainy character of thos,
years is remarkable. No records OF
this score are Obtainahie for 1893. Br
IN lS33 i'm this vicinity generally th'
rainfall was in excess of from four q
seven inches above the mean of a quar-
lter-century. The summer of 1867 wa
noted for its heavy. incessant rains
There fell in the month"; OF June 1913
inches. and in July six inches, or al
aggregate for tho first seven months o
the year of 30.O5 inches-the annua
average being about forty-three inches
"The present year, 1901. ihas been jus
such a rainy one as those which hav
| heretofore marked the LeOnid periods
At the end OF last August the rain an
snowfall footed up for this vicinit
about 36.4 inches, or about six inche
more than the average of the frs
eight months during a period of thirty
two years. THE extraordinary phC
nomena noted this year are precisel
! those which characterized the previOu
periodical years. So that there seem
5 lsuificient reason to look forward wit
confidence 10 a temperance of Oh
u great Le0nid shower This fal.'
On Saturday afternoon the Hcmet
pathic Hospital Association of Deli
ware will hold its annual meeting
Ian