The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1910-02-17
EXPECT BIG FIGHT FOLLOW MANY CLEWS LOOK FOR METEORSE
Kenosha People May See
Falling Portions of Comet
Which Has Bursted
FATHER MCHUGH TALKS
LkS MEN KNOWN HERE ARE NAMED

Some time ago when it was an
nounced that Kenosha could watch the
flight of johannesburg or Comet 1910,
many awaited themselves of the oppor-
tunity to study the heavens. Then
came the report that the comet tail
was splitting and now comes the re-
port that the comet itself is bursting
to pieces. From Italy comes word
that the red hot bits of the comet have
fallen upon the crops and ruined them.
According to a Chicago dispatch dam
age is being done even nearer home
and perhaps Kenosha may have taste
of the shower of heavenly bodies be-
fore it all stops. The dispatch from
Chicago says:
"Another meteor in the shower of
heavenly bodies that has been falling
with violent explosions in various parts
of the country within the last few
days fell near Quincy at 1880 O'Clock
in the morning and discussion of the
phenomenon today among Chicago as
tronomers brought out the theory that
the falling bodies are not true mete-
orites, but are what are known as fire
balls" and in all probability were cast
off from "comet A 1907 as it passed
close to the, earth two weeks ago.
Father McHugh, professor of as
tronomy at DePaul University, said
that details of this latest explosion
tended to confirm his theory that this
meteor and those recently reported
from Connecticut are fire balls that be-
came detached from comet A when it
passed through the solar system and
have been travelling toward the earth
ever since.
"Comet AS balance of gravity
probably became disturbed as it came
close to the rival pulls of gravity from
the various bodies in the solar system,
and it began to disintegrate, accord
ing to Father McHugh's theory. This
caused the splitting and diminishing
of the tail noted by various astrono-
mers, and several fragments got into
the sphere of the earth's attraction.
"There are two distinct classes of
meteorites, one known as fire balls,
which explode violently as they strike
the earth, leaving little trace of their
composition, and the other composed
of solid matter, iron or stone,'' said
Father McHugh.
FtThe fire balls seem to be construct
ed more like the bombs that are used
in warfare, a shell holding together
masses Of gas which explode in the
violent heat caused by collision with
the earth.
cit is my belief that they are
pieces Of comets that have come close
to the earth The most reasonable
supposition is that this fire ball report
ed at Quincy and those that struck
the earth in Connecticut came from
comet. A" 4
Father McHugh was Inclined to dis
count the calculation of several as
tronomers that the earth will pass
through the tail of Halley's comet in
May. He says that the tail will be
entirely too short by May, when the
comet will be within 100000 miles
of the earth, to reach to the earth IS
atmosphere. He bases this on his
theory that the tail of comet is not
an appendage, as many astronomers be-
lieve, but is gaseous matter exhaled
from the comet because of heat from
the sun, much as the sun causes yapor
to rise from the earth.
This causes the tail to reach to its
greatest length as it approaches closest
to the sun, and to shrink gradually as
| it recedes. Halley's comet will be
nearest the sun on April 10 and will
not be in its closest to the earth until
May IS. The twenty-nine days of
shrinkage in the comets tail will
bring it entirely out of danger of con-
tact with the earth, in Father Nc
Hugh's opinion.