The Washington times., 1919-01-13
Scores Hunting For Meteor That Descended in Brilliant

( that 1t fell in Washington. and pr b.
ably near the Eastern branch OF
the Potomac River.
"1t was not of the gaseous variety.
or many residents in the northeast
section Of the District would have
believed the war was still going on
and that Washington was the target
for an enemy gas raid from the air"
Mr.. Naulty was asked how the bril-
liantly'. illuminated nature Of the
imeteor was accounted for then.
"This is explained by science as
caused by the friction of the meteor
and the air firing the hydrogen and
loxygen gas through which It passes"
said Mr.. Naulty, (which. in turn,
fuses the outer coating of the meteor.
covered with Frost.-
"Iteteors have been found in two
different instances where they fell
flaming. but did not. explode. and
when discovered were found to be
covered with, FROST the explanation,
being that the interior of the meteor
was so cold from the intensely frigid
Temperature of space that when the
friction abated the entire piece of
matter was frosted from the moisture
of the air on earth and its interior
frigidity."
How does science account for the
iorigin Of these meteors?" Naulty was
asked. x. ~. r. ...
TV"Between Mars and Jupiter" he
!said. there are innumerable small
pianetoids of all sizes, some very min
ute and some of fair size. They are
believed to be fragments of planets
and are generally, found In large
groups called streams Every once
in a while the earth cuts through one
OF these streams and causes numbers
of them to fall to the earth.
Il Last nights meteor was An eXcep-
tionally brilliant one, ami fcom the
| fact that it appeared to be travelling
alone believe il was ansfsolated one
which probably dropped when IL cane
within the Disturbance OF "+:he air
caused by the earth's mcVement
through space"
III what is the composition and shape
of these meteors?' he was asked.
Contrary to the public's conception
Of q meteor, which Is sometimes called
Afalling STAR" he said, "they are
ver found in a spherical shape. They
, generally look like a piece of stone
! and are composed of irregular strata
of metal, mostly iron and nickel"
'.Supposing one of these ueteors
should fall directly on a person or
buflding-whal would be the result?''
he was asked.
There Is no record OF a falling
meteor ever having struck a person
or building" he replied, but IL 1t did
hit a person squarely, there wouldn't
be enough Of him left to pick up In a
bucket When it is considered that
meteors sometimes drop at the rate
1000 miles per minute the truth of
n
There are three distinct types Of
falls for meteors-one in which the
earth meets 1t head on, another in
which the planetary fragment catches
UP with the earth in its journey
through space, and third one in
,, which the meteor falls perpendicular
ly to the earth.
I or Last Named Type.
Last nights phenomena was of
the last-named type and appeared to
strike the earth at an angle of about
forty-five degrees. Millions of me-
teors fall on the earth in a year.b but
few are as brilliant as the one last
night. Many OF them dissipate into
the air before reaching the earth"
Neither Father Francis Tondorff
nor Father Peter Archer. OF the
Georgetown University Observatory,
saw the meteor.
Father Herman I. Storck, head OF
the department of chemistry OF
Georgetown University. was one OF
the witnesses of the meteor's fall
He said: 60:
II was walking along Thirty fifth
street and had reached Q when a flash
in the sky arrested. my attention. 1t
was red at first, then turned white,
then red again. In all it didn't last
more than two or three seconds and
looked like the flame of a gas explo,
sion.
The source of light was in the
northeast, about 35 degrees from the
zenith. 1 never saw anything like 1t
and can't make 1t out. All I know
Is what 1 saw, and IL was a strange
sight. The street was bright as day
while 1t lasted. / asked Father Arch
er, OF the department of astronomy
about it, but as he had not seen it. he