The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1917-01-03
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 10 the Famous Stone at Mecca To-
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 ii
remarkably fine exhibit of meteorites
1t 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 pa
cubirito, which has been estimated to
weigh twenty-five tons and still rests
where 1t fell in Mexico.
The National museum has issued
handbook and descriptive catalogue of
the meteorite collections In the mu
scum. written by DR.. George p Mer-
rill. head c.;Sator 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 as CybeIe. the mother
of the gods. Another. which dates
back to the seventh century. Is still
preserved at Mecca. where 1t is built
into the northeast corner of the Ka'a-
ba and revered as one of the hottest OF
relics. The great Casas Grandes iron.
weighing about 1900 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 1t was held in
more than ordinary veneration by the
prehistoric inhabitants.
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
found somewhere about the year 400
of our era. The Ensisheim stone. seen
TO fall on Nov. Is. 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.
cannonsding or even thunder. If the
fall takes place during the periods of
darkness II Is also accompanied by
flash of light and followed by lumi-
nous rocket-like trail. These phenome
ma are due TO the rapid passage of the
objects through the air and conse
auent rise In temperature. sufficient to
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 al
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. Ii Is
to the sudden rise in temperature and
pressure of the atmosphere that the
brea king up of a meteorite and its
reaching the ground as shower of
fragments rather than a single individ-
ual are due.
We have little to guide Us In eStinat
ing. the speed at which, Qletoarite |