The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1917-11-22
MANY THEORIES OF THEIR ORR.
GIN-THE ONE GENERAL.
~ ACCEPTED.


present ideas and the most probable
theory as to their origin.
The knowledge of stones which have
fallen from heaven extends into the
oldest history of humanity, back into
prehistoric times. Among the Chinese
the mention of heaven stones goes
back to 5000 years, and falling stones
have always been known by the peo-
pie of Asia Minor, by the Greeks and
Romans. BY all these ancient peoples,
the messengers of heaven were gen.
orally regarded as divine gifts. But
with the advance of Christianity an
other idea of meteorites became prev
alent Gradually there was lost the
oriental conception of them as bless
ings, and through the whole middle
ages and almost down to the present
day, the falling of meteorites was con-
sdered a warning of approaching mis-
fortune.
Were Almost Forgotten.
BY the latter part of the eighteenth
century the occurrence of falling
stones had been SO long forgotten that
fall which occurred near Luce in
France in 1868 caused great embarr-
assment to the professors and acade-
micians at Paris, because they did not
know what to make of the event
similar condition prevailed also in Am
erica for when someone told President
jefferson in 1907 that two professors
had described the fall of a stone he
declared, "One can rather believe that
two Yankee professors lie than believe
that stones fall from heaven"
Passing over the beautiful mythical
conceptions of the oriental peoples and
the assumption in the middle ages
that they might be due to lightning,
one can divide into two groups those
holding opinions as to the origin of
meteorites; supporters of the hypothe-
sis that they came from space and did
not belong originally to the earth ana
its atmosphere, and the supporters of
the hypothesis that they did originally
belong to our planet The first of these
groups falls into two sub groups,
those who believe that meteorites come
from unlimited space and the support
ers of the hypothesis that they are
elected from lunar volcanoes. Inc
second group upholding the terrestrial
origin of meteorites is divided into
those who think that they originated
from the constituents of the atmo-
sphere and those who consider them
elected from terrestrial volcanoes
Hypothesis Fails.
There have been many respected ad-
herents of the hypothesis of the origin
o. meteorites from the volcanoes OF
the moon. Telescope observation gave
information as to the surface of the
moon, upon which craters could DE
seen. and not until it was established
that a volcano on the moon would not
possess sufficient energy to lmpart 10
an elected block of stone the necessary
| initial velocity to reach our earth, ala
the hypothesis of lunar origin fall IN
= to disfavor. The idea that meteorltes
atmosphere was held only as long as
their composition was as yet little
known. 1t was soon seen that IRON
9 nickel chromium, silica, etc, could not
=, be contained in the air, and this and
many other reasons withdrew every
:, support from the hypothesis of the or
igin of meteorc masses in the atmo-
G sphere.
9 OF longer duration was the theory
Of their terrestrial origin. According
, to this they are said to have beer
:, thrown out of the interior of our plan
:. ct in the dim early ages with so grea'
;, force that they are carried beyond the
limit of its attraction to form a ring
around it, like that of Saturn, out OF
which fragments fall to the eartf
again. Astronomc hypothesis as tt
the origin of meteorites did not de-
= velop until much later and took thei'
= rise from the idea that meteorites
shooting stars and comets were all o.
the same character. BY studying TIM
=. orbits of comets and meteors the the
: ory was formulated that comets which
have become periodic split init
- periodic swarms of shooting star'
=. which revolve in the courses of TIT
mother comet The fireballs are, ac
= cordng to this theory, nothing NOR
=, nor less than shooting stars whicl
= have been driven into lower layers o
- air and appear to us in larger sizes.
n Fragments From Planets.
- In opposition to this theory, an ny
pothesis was proposed in 1875 base
upon a mineralo- geological basis, up
~ on the study of the component mater
"A ial of the meteorites, and upon tn
times of arrival of meteorites of Xix
composition. According to this the
-, DRY, which is generally accepted to
day, from the shape and slicken side
surfaces of meteorites, they are frag
ments broken from small planetar
es masses by volcanic explosions. Sue
III explosions can only be brought abou
at by sudden expansion of gases an
IN OF am, anoonp which hydrogen ma