The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1908-06-19
der on she glowing apparition

AOOulnS Herf Wake, ana apparently
heading directly for the ship. BY
this time, admit, was getting lit
tie uneasy, for there was no telling
where the thing was going to drop.
Mr.. Hughes was also specializing on
the Cambrians chances, should this
aerial bomb--comet, meteor or what
ever it was--take it into its head to
alight on our deck. We both knew
well enough it would be all UP with
our ship; still another vessel would
be reported mysteriously missing.
Unless time than it takes to tell we
were confident that a meteor of enor-
nous size was after us. The sus-
pense was awful The great lumin-
Gus shape seemed to pause awhile in
its flight, and then drop toward the
sea, heading directly for us as it
came. It's light transformed the
night into day, and the bright stars
that had been whizzing here and
there were lost sight of in the bril-
liancy of this newer light. The phe-
nomenon was taking place so quick
ly that it would have been useless to
alter its course in an effort to avoid
the onrushing meteor; there was
nothing to be done but stand on and
take our chance.
AS the meteor began to plunge
downward in its fight through the
atmosphere we heard strange roar
ing sound-faint at first, but growing
louder and louder as the glowing
sphere came nearer. The whole sea
and sky were now bathed in blind
ing bluish-white light, such as is pro-
duced by calcium burner, and the
electric bulbs on the ship. became
dimmed and turned sickly yellow.
Nearer and nearer rushed that
stronge visitor from space, and l
caugh hit hold of the bridge rails and
held my breath in an agony of sus-
pense. The meteor was now quite
close, and such was its brilliance that
it was almost impossible to turn our
eyes toward it. The kissing and roar
ing noise which accompanied its pro-
gross was sufficient to strike terror
into the heart of the most hardened
of seamen. In the fraction of a Sec
ond, as it seemed, its glowing head
had expanded to the size of balloon,
against which the funnel and after
masts were sharply shouted.
Good heavensi It's going to drop
on the foredeck!" yelled Hughes.
And I, with my ear close to his lips,
could scarcely make out his words
above the din of the approaching
peril
1t was awful to stand there and
feel there was no escape from this
fiery monster which had dropped
upon us from the skies. 1 felt that
the ship was doomed, and l turned
my head and waited for the end.
Nothing could SHUT out the dazzling
glare of the meteor which pierced
through our closed fingers, clasped
tight over our faces to protect our
eyes. The air was filled with deaf
ening din, such as a dozen railway
trains in tunnel might create, while
the hiss Of the fiery fragments as
they struck the water gave me the
impression OF ships boilers leaking
in every plate. Then, with crash
that shook the ship, the meteor
struck the sea-not fifty feet away!
The upheaval was terrific, but we
paid little attention to it, for the peril
was past.
The Cambrian had escaped, but
by an exceedingly narrow margin.
Not rope or spar was touched
when the meteor, literally as big as
q house, passed close over our mast
heads and fell into the sea. The
vessel soon ran out of the commotion
caused by the aerial monster, though
not before she had shipped some wat
er along the afterdeck, caused by the
first wave which rushed from the spot
where the monster had disappeared
The sky now seemed overcast, as
though some yapor emitted by the
flying meteor had enveloped every
thing near it's path, but it soon cleared
away again and the stars shone as
brightly as before.
The remainder Of our passage to
port was uneventful, but we who saw
that meteor are firmly convinced that
such appalling visitations must be
reckoned with in considering the fate
of well found, well manned ships
which mysteriously disappear at sea.
The Wide World Magazine.