Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-04-02
N. BAKER TELLS
OF SEEING COMET
PIONEER RESIDENT VIEWED A
METEOR IN NATIVE LAND IN
THE 40'S.
WAS
IT b
HALLEY.s?

ottumwa Man Saw the Phenomena Of
The Skies in AIsace-Lorraine
When Five Years Old
Affected Food stuffs.
An Ottumwa man wonders If he
saw Halley's comet and if the meteor
ic body that illumed the skies and
caused no little excitement In his ma
tive Alsace-Lorraine away back in the
distant days of 1844-5 was the same
celestial body that astronomers are
watching for this summer. Nicholas
Baker, $50 East Second street, one of
the real pioneers of Ottumwa and this
section of Iowa, tells of an immense
comet that he witnessed when a small
chap in his native land of Alsace
during the month of August 1914 or
|1845. In relating his vision of the
meteoric body Mr. Baker states that
his recollection of the occurrence is
very vivid Notwithstanding the great
lapse of years and his early youth at
the time he saw the meteor. This he
accounts for by the awful effect it had
on growing things in his native land
and by the unusual brilliancy of the
body which impressed itself on his
mind indelibly.
Rotted Potatoes.
81 recall the comet very clearly"
said Mr.. Baker, who despite the fact
that seventy-two summers have pass
ed over his head, is one Of the most
active men in Ottumwa today. while
the astronomers claim that Halley's
comet is visible every seventy-five or
seventy-six years, the comet saw
was to the best of my recollection as
to date, visible in Alsace-Lorraine In
August 1874 or 1S45. While l am not
positive as to the date. know l was
five or six years old at the time, and
being born In, 1888, the date seems
about that time. In looking over the
papers in the treatment OF the great
HALEY comet, find that the picture
and description given fits that which
1 saw very true, and am inclined to
think 1t the same. The terrible ef-
feet it had on the growing things
made it memory in the old country
for many years The potatoes and
the vines turned black. The rot of
the potatoes was not wet rot, but
dry and streaked the potato nth
black through it. But few were left
unframed by the rot and these were
scarcely larger than an egg and bare
ly supplied seed for the next years
crop.
Blamed the Comet.
Chose that were rotted the farm
ers thought to feed to the hogs, but
they would not eat them and when
they had to be thrown aside the
stencil affected the entire community
causing the potatoes to be buried to
kill the odor. The young clover met
a similar fate to the potato plants and
it turned black too. The wheat and
oats, as we'll as other grain was not
affected by the comet, for such at
least was attributed the cause OF
the blight on the growing food /stuffs
injured that year.
Large and Bright.
"The comet became visible about 8
a. m. and remained visible and very
bright until the sun overcame its rays
later in the morning. It lasted for
about a week and then departed at
least as far as the naked eye was con-
cerned. Az 1t grew older, it became
more brilliant and it's size was enor.
nous. It appeared larger than the
sun at it's head or larger part and at
its brightest the tail stretched appar-
emily miles across the heavens, 80
long was it that one could scarcely
see the end. Its rays were brighter
than the moon and illumined the sky
a bright red glare while visible"
May Be the Same.
Astronomers state that there was
comet visible in March 1S43, 1916. and
two in 1852. The encyclopedia states
the following regarding the comet Of
1913:
Few persons now living remember
distinctly the great comet Of 1S43. It
appeared suddenly in the northern
hemisphere about the middle Of
March, and was not long visible. 1t
was notable for the great length OF It's
tail and its small perhelion distance
the smallest Of record. This amount
ed to $1,000 miles It's centre there
fore came within $4,000, and the nesr-
er side of its head within $4,000 miles
of tho suns surface Holden's table
of periodic comets January 1. 1904
tells Of a comet, Ode Vico) appearing
March 6, 1916 and the next reported
in the table in point Of closeness to
the comet of which Mr. Baker tells of
seeing, is that which appeared Sep
TENDER %, 1852 and October 13 OF the
same year"
COMBINE lNTERURBAN LINE.
T..4..r;,1a NS,,aA ~ rh... l..