The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1902-08-23
HAILING BULLETS.
A Battle In The Clouds.
A RECENT PHENOMENAL ELECTRICAL
STORM IN CECIL COUNTY.

the local reporter of a daily or weekly
newspaper. The office of the latter when
located in country town, is generally
made the repository of every curiosity or
monstrosity of the animal vegetable, and
mineral worlds. Here. the colossal DO
tato with more eyes that the mythology
cal Argus is on view. the tall crimson
clover, the mammoth ear of corn, the
boated tomato, the beet that beats all,
the royal apple. and the quccnly peach OF
rarest hue and flavor They all find q
ready museum in the sanctum of the We
country Editor
But the curiosity we now tell about -
not of the vegetable variety.
y severe electric storm recently passed
over this town, accompanied by an I'M
usual fall of hail of the midsummer var
iety. 1t was on Friday afternoon. the
first day of August.
To the average mortal, the hail stones
seemed just the ordinary kind varying in
size, all smooth by attrition. and which
rattle against the window pancs, cut the
young vegetables in the garden and when
large enough. play smash with the green
house sash. But this particular fall Of
stones was not of the ordinary variety,
as the centre or core Of one of the stones,
now lying before the writer Of this. at
tests. When the shower was at its
height, on Il porch of a dwelling on the
South side Of Main street. in this town,
Ia number of persons We're watching it
with interest. The direction of the fall
ing stone being from the North. they fell
aSlant, and rolled over the porch floor to
the amusement of the ladies and child
rem. who aStOnlshed at the size of some
.0f them. gathered the largest as they
rapidly fell One particularly large ono
attracted the attention of one of the
ladies. Failing at her feet in its celestial
purity, she picked it up. and placing it
in her mouth. enjoyed the experience of
cool morscl. fresh. from the floating,
but fleeing refrigerator that showered
them about her. She noticed when she
put in it her mouth how heavy it was,
and how solidly frozen. 1t was quite
little time before il melted, in her mouth,
and her establishment was complete,
when placing her fingers to her lips, she
took from her mouth the core of the hail
stone, which instead of being ice as its
outer covering was, proved to be 4 fiat
tened ball of mineral resembling lead,
irregular in its surface, and in its gen.
eral appearance like Il large bullet which
had been recently fired from musket
or rifle
Now for the question.
How came the metallic ball. imbedded
in the solid hail stone. coated thickly
with ice, as well covered and concealed,
rs the kernel of Il peach or plum?
1t had never touched the earth in Elk
ton mt least, but its centre or core it
would seem had been taken up from
some locality on the earth's surface, and
being carried along by the swift move
mcntS of the sir currents. through vap-
orous clouds near the earth, had fallen
rs described. when the storm burst over
Elkton.
1t is Il we'll known meteorological fact,
that electricity plays an all-important
part i'll the formation of hail stones dur
ing summer thunder storms. The vapor-
Gus clouds highly charged with clectri-
city, condensing into rain drops in an
upper stratum of warm air, in falling
pass through lower stratum of cold air.
freeze, and fall to the earth in the shape
of frozen rain or snow. known as hail.
In the winter, these hail stones or pellets
at" small. equal III size. and we know
them as Sleet. In the summer however
when the radiation of intense heat from
the earth rapidly evolves electricity. and
the clouds near the earth's surface be-
come heavily charged with it, different
result follows. The falling rain drops
freeze when they strike cold stratum
of air. and are eddcd and whirled in
great masses upon each other, and by
rounded and smoothed when they reach
the earth The smaller ones are COM
pactcd into large ones. or become large
by accrctiOn showing n well defined
nucleus or centre. with successive outer
layers of ice and snow.
But while this rude description may
suffice, to explain the ordinary formation
of summer hail stones, it leaves the pres
ence of foreign matter in this particular
hail stone still unexplained
That earthly or mineral matter is taken
up into the higher strata of the air and
being held in thick vaporous clouds, is
| carried long distances from it's original
locality, and subsequently unloadcd upon
| the sea or earth is not Il new thing, but
II well attcstcd fact. After the recent
| volcanic eruption of Mount Pelee on the
Island of Martinique, thick vaporous
clouds of volcanic dust were carried
hundreds of miles. and obscuring tho
sun light. We're discharged upon the
decks of passing vessels.
But whence came this metallic missile :?
| Is it of volcanic, or meteoric origin, or
was it fired by some Marian Sharp
shooter who for amusement, was max
| ing the hub of the t'niverse-Elkton--
his target?
The Wing is silent on the subject
Let each one explain, as he thinks
best.
An Elkton Lawyer at our elbow.
whose ingenious brain is rich in the
quips and quirks of the law. thinks it a
fake.
Let him think so.
At least he must not give language to
his doubts. in the presence of the We
man, in whose mouth its icy covering
melted, and whose truthful lips tell the