The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1916-11-02
GIFTS FROM SPACE
Wonderful MeteoriteS That Drop
to Us Out of the Sky.
ONCE REGARDED AS SACRED.
In the Early Days They Were OBJ
jects Of Reverence and Worship
as Is the Famous Stone at Mecca To-
day-Their Fiery Flight to Earth.

day-Their Fiery Flight to Earth.
In considering the wonders of the
universe have you ever realized how
conspicuous among them are the me-
teorites, those wonderful messages
dropped from the sky for US to wonder
at and study? They are the only ma
terial objects which come to the earth
from the vast outer world.
Among the collections shown in the
National museum at Washington is
remarkably fine exhibit of meteorites.
II includes complete meteorites rang.
ing in size from the merest pebbles to
great bowlder-like masses and casts re-
producing giant forms like that OF Ba-
cubirito, which has been estimated to
weigh twenty-five tons and still rests
where it fell in Mexico.
The National museum has issued
handbook and descriptive catalogue Of
the meteorite collections in the niu-
scum, written by DR.. George +. Mer-
rill, head curator of geology. from
which the following is an abstract:
Although meteorites presumably have
fallen since time immemorial, skep-
ticism was felt at first by both the
popular and scientific minds regarding
the possibilities of stones falling from
space. In the few early recorded cases
, where meteorites seen to fall were re-
covered they were regarded as objects
of reverence and worship. A stone
which fell in ancient Phrygia. in Asia
Minor, about 200 years before Christ
was worshiped rs Cybele. the mother
of the gods. Another, which dates
back to the seventh century, is still
preserved at Mecca, where it is built
into the northeast corner of the Na'a-
ba and revered as one Of the hottest OF
relics. The great Casus Grandes iron.
weighing about 5000 pounds, now in
the national collection at Washington,
was found in an ancient Mexican ruin
swathed in mummy clothes in man
ner to indicate that it was held in
more than ordinary veneration by the
prehistoric inha bitants.
The earliest known undoubted me-
teorites still preserved are those Of
Elbogen, Bohemia and Ensisheim, Up.
per Alsace The first mentioned is
iron, the second stone. The iron was
of our era. The Ensisheim stone. seen
to fall on Nov. 16, 1892, about the time
Columbus made his discoveries, was
accompanied with a loud crash like
thunder Portions Of this stone are to
be seen in the National museum ex
hibit.
The fall of meteorite is usually &C.
companied by noises variously describ-
ed as resembling the fire Of musketry,
cannonading or even thunder. If the
fall takes place during the periods Of
darkness it is also accompanied by q
flash Of light and followed by a lumi
nous rocket-like trail. These phenome.
ma are due to the rapid passage Of the
objects through the air and conse-
produce fusion Of the outer surface
and even ignition, thus giving rise to
the thin, dark, glasslike crust which
is found to cover all stony meteorites
The time Of passage through the at
mosphere is, however, too short to per-
nit the heat to penetrate to great
depths, and nearly all meteorites are
quite cool, or scarcely warm, on reach
ing the surface of the ground. 1t is
to the sudden rise in temperature an(
pressure Of the atmosphere that the
breaking up Of a meteOrite and it,
reaching the ground as a shower Of
fragments rather than a single individ
ual are due.
We have little to guide us in estimat
ing the speed at which a meteor1t'
reaches the earth and it's consequent
power of penetration. The velocitie:
as given by various observers vary be
tween two and forty-fve miles a sec
ond The greatest recorded depth O
penetration of meteoric stone is tina
of Knyahinya, Hungary. where 66
pound stone penetrated to depth o
eleven feet On the other hand, still
heavier masses have been found unde
such conditions as to lead one to infe
that they scarcely buried themselves.
All statements relative to the temper
allure Of meteorites Immediately afte
reaching the ground must be accepte
guardedly, owing to their extremel
contradictory character. Some stone
which fell in Syria in 1859 are state
to have remained in a state of incar
descence for over five seconds and fo
a quarter Of an hour were too hot
be handled On the other hand, tn
Dhurmsala stone is said to have bee
intensely cold when picked up immed
ately after falling.
The largest known meteoric mass
that brought by Commander Pear
from Cape York, Greenland. It weigl
ed $4,000 pounds. The next larges
lies in. the plain near Bacubirito,
Mexico, and has been estimated
weigh some 10000 pounds, while tt
third is that of Willamette, Ore
weighing 10y pounds. These are a
iron meteorites. The largest know
individual aerolite Of meteoric stone
that Of Knyahinya. Hungary, weighin