Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1917-03-08

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
teriai objects which come to the earth
from the vast outer world.
Among the collections shown in the
National museum at Washington is a
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 Ba-
cubirito, which has been estimated to
weigh twenty-five tons and still rests
where it fell III Mexico.
The National museum has issued a
handbook and descriptive catalogue of
the meteorite collections in the mu-
scum, written by DR.. George P. Mer-
rill, head curator of geology, from
which the following is an abstract:
Although metecrites presumably have
fallen since time immemorial, skep-
tieism 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 Cybele, the mother
back TO the seventh century, is still
preserved at Mecca, where it 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 5000 pounds, now in
the rational collection at Washington.
was found in an ancient Mexican ruin
swathed in mummy clothes in a man
ner to indicate that 1t was held in
more than ordinary veneration by the
prehistoric inhabitants.
The earliest known %undoubted me
t~eorites still preserved are those Of
Elbogen, Bohemia and Ensisheim, Up
per Alsace. The first mentioned is
iron. the second a stone. The iron was
found somewhere about the year 400
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 q meteorite is usually ac-
companied by noises v~ariously 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 a
fash 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 a conse-
quent 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 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. It is
to the sudden rise in temperature and
pressure of the atmosphere that the
breaking up Of a meteorite and it's
reaching the ground us q shower of
fragments rather than a single indiyid-
ual are due.
We have little to guide us in estimat-
Ing the speed at which a meteorite
reaches the earth and it's consequent
power of penetration. The velocities
as given by various observers vary be.
tween two and f~orty-fve miles a. e c
ond. The greatest recorded depth Of
penetration Of a meteoric stone is that
OF Knyahinya, Hungary. where a ego
pound stone penetrated to a depth Of
eleven feet. On the other hand, still
uSaNiSi ladSocS nave DeeH IOuIlu unQer
such conditions as to lead one to infer
that they scarcely buried themselves.
All statements relative to the temper
ature of meteorites Immediately after
reaching the ground must be accepted
~guardedly, owing to their extremely
contradictory character. Some stones
which fell in Syria In 1859 are stated
to have remained in a state of incan-
d%escence for over five seconds and for
a quarter Of an hour were too hot to
be handled. On the other hand, the
Dhurmsala stone is said to have been
intensely cold when picked up immedi.
ately after falling.
The largest known meteoric mass is
that brought by Commander Peary
from Cape York. Greenland. It weigh.
ed $4,000 pounds. The next largest
lies In the plain near Bacubirfto. In
Mexico. and has been estimated to
weigh some 10000 pounds. while the
third is that of Willamette, Ore,
weighing BLOT pounds. These are all
iron meteorites. The largest known
Individual aerolite Of meteoric stone Is
that Of Knyahinya. Hungary. Weighing