The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1917-01-18
GIFTS FROM SPACE
Wonderful Meteorites That Drop
to Us Out of the Sky.
ONCE REGARDED AS SACRED
IN the Early Days They Were Oh
jacts Of Reverence and Worship.
as Is the Famous Stone az Mecca To.
day-Their Fiery Flight to Earth.

cay het5 Ftefy Su9Ht 20 GS's".
In considering The wonders nt the
universe have you ever realized how
conspicuous among them are the me-
feorites those wonderful messages
dropped from the sky for US 10 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 fiue exhibit of meteorites.
Ii includes complete meteorites rang
ing in size from the merest pebbles to
great bGwlder like masses and castsre-
producing giant forms like that or Ia
cnbirito, which has been estimated 10
weigh twenty-five tons and still rests
where it fell in Mexico.
The National museum has issued
handbook and descriptive catalogue OF
the mcteorite collections in the mu'
scum, written by DR.. George r. Mer-
rill, head curator of geology. from
which the following is an abstract:
Although meteorites presumably nave
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 Cybele, 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 aud rcvered as one of the hottest OF
relics The great Casas 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
her 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 a stone. The iron was
found somewhere about the year AGO
| of our era The Ensisheim stone. seen
| to fall on Nov. 1G. 1902, about the time
Columbus made his discoveries. was
accompanied with loud crash like
thunder. Portions of this stone are to
be seen in the National museum ex-
hibit.
The fall of a meteorite is usually ac-
comranied by noises variously describ-
cd as resembling the fire of musketry.
cannonading or even thunder. II the
| fall takes place during the periods of
/ darkness 1t is also accompanied by q
fash of light and followed by lumi.
nous rocket-iike trail These phenomc.
ma are due to the rapid passage OF the
objects through the air and conse.
qlent rise in temperature. sufficient to
produce fusion Of the outer surface
and even ignition. thus giving rise to
the thin. dark. glass,ikc crust which
is found to cover all stony mcteorites
The time Of passage through the at
| mosrl,ere is. however. too short to per.
nit the heat to penetrate to great
depths, and nearly oil mcteorites are
quite cool. or scarcely warm. on reach
ing the surface of the ground. 1t Is
| to the sudden rise in temperature and
pressure Of the atmosphere that the
breaking up of meteorite and Its
reaching the ground as shower Of
ual are due.
We have little to guide us in estimat
ing the speed at which a mctcoritf
reaches the earth and its consequent
power of penetration The velocities
as given by various observers vary be
tween two and forty-dve miles q sec
ond The greatest recorded depth Of
penetration Of meteoric stone Is tha'
Of Knyahinya. Hungary. where GGt
pound stone penetrated to depth o.
eleven feet. On the other hand. still
J, heavier masses have been found under
such conditions as to lead one to infel
that they scarcely buried themselves
All statements relative to the temper
allure Of meteorites Immediately afte1
reaching he ground must he accepted
gnardedly. owing to their extremel.
contradictory character. Some stones
which fell In Syria in 1850 are stated
!, to have remained In state of fncan
descenee for over Eve seconds and 70
] a quarter of an hour were too hot Il
he handled. On the other hand. TIL
Dlurmsala stone is said to have beer
d intensely cold when picked MP immetli
atelv after falling
8 The largest known meteoric mass /
that brought by Commander Pear.
: from Cape York. Greenland 1t weigh
J I'd $4,000 pounds The next larges
} lies in the plain near Racubirito. II
Mexico. and has been estimated t
weigh some 10000 pounds. while tn
, third is that of willamette Ore
! weighing 81 1O7 pounds. These are al
! iron mefeorites. The largest know
] individual aerolite of meteoric stone
J. that OF Knyahinya. Hungary. weighin
some $50 pounds. now In the Vienn
} National museum
; DR. Merrill says that all known me
!, teorites We're produced by the nctio
! of heat and hare Yielded no traces Q
! animal or vegetable life. although part
J of their peculiar structures were a
d one time mistaken for organic remains