Year: 1859

OswEGo, N. Y.-The Oswego IN. " Palladium, of
the 20th contains further particulars in regard to the
falling of the immense meteoric body in Boyeston,
near that city. The dimensions of the body have
been materially curtaled but the phenomenon is still
most interesting The Palladium gives the fol.
lowing statement, made by Mr.. James Hadley near
whose house it fell:


The atmosphere had been very oppressive during
Tuesday, and especially in the evening" something
which witnessed in the West Indies in 1885, I was
awakened at about o'clock on Wednesday morning
by the room in which slept being filled with light,
and Immediately heard rushing sound like the COM
ing on of great wind. This did not last above
few seconds after | was awake, when an explosion
followed OF which can give no description it was
terrific. The whole house shook as il hundred can
non had been fired under the windows quite num-
ber of panes OF glass were broken out of the window
and the plastering of the room was in came tumb
ling about me- Thelight, which was so brilliant that
could plainly see every object in the room was at
once extinguished The window of my room is on the
opposite side of the house from the place where the
meteor fell, that can only judge of its direction
The light seemed to come from some body moving
very rapidly, and south to north, and seemed to in
crease rapidly during the brief space that preceded
the explosion, but was unable to find the spot and re-
turned. The spot where the body fell is about mile
from my house.


A correspondent of the Palladium adds:


This is the substance of the observations of all who
were near the spot. Many were awakened by the
shock at distance of five miles, and until the
truth was ascertaned, thought an earthquake had
occurred


The aerolite struck the earth in some timber land
belonging to Mr.. Sanger, in thiny inhabited por-
tion of the town. We believe Mr.. Hadley's is the
nearest dwelling. 1t seems to have been an almost
spherical body OF, as near as we judge from the
fragments remaining, about seventyiive feet in di-
ameter Its course was from southwest to northeast,
q mr. of nF rnf rt,
degrees from the horizon, which it proved by its
track through the heavy hemlock trees before it
touched the EARTH The trees are cut through as
cannon ball would cut through a hedge, leaving a
clear track The velocity must have been immense.
The earth is torn up for several rods and the huge
trees are spintered and piled up like brush.


The large hemock, at least four feet in diameter,
near whose roots the meteor struck, was thrown
bodily for eighty yards-crushng the surrounding
trees like pipe-stems Fragments of a huge sand.
stone boulder, which lay in its under the sur
face, were thrown in all directions, and weighing
half tun was found in the road, threefourths of d
| mile away.


The aerolite seemed to have been formed of nu.
cleus of crystalized substance of semi-vitreous
character, but harder than quartz and unlike any
thing with which we are acquainted. This was sur
rounded by crust of about three feet in thickness,
which was probably the same substance oxidzed or
changed by combustion The crust broke off in frag.
ments and lays about the spot but the nucleus pen.
etrates the earth to the distance of twenty feet and
I
who are choppng away under the impression that it
| consists of precious material of some sort.
From appearances the outer crust of the aerolite
seemed to have been in partial state of fusion,
which is caused according to philosophers who have
written on the subject of aerotes, by heat generated
| by its rapid passage through our atmosphere The
crust which was broken off pieces would be broken
off green chestnut burr by collision, somewhat re-
sembles iron ore but the traces Of the vtreous char
acter of the interior evident That it was very
hot when it fell is proved by the grass and whatso
ever substance the fragments rested upon being
| charred by the contact. | send you specimen Of
the outer crust, hut every specimen which had the
slightest trace Of the crystalline matter which proba
bly, forms the nucleus, has been seized by the eX
cited people, who from its hardness and brillancy
conceived it to be at least as valuable as diamonds
and will not part with it at any price. l presume
they will be mistaken sadly, but the fever was or
them, and they could not be convinced.


After all this dispatch of the Goth from Oswego
| says:


The accounts which are being extensively pub
lished in the papers relative to the falling of i'm
mense meteorlc body in the eastern part of thi:
county, are entirely destitute of foundation.


The following is from the Buffalo Courier:
| 1t turns out thatthe account of the Meteoric Phe
| nomenon which was reported by the Oswego Palla
dium to have occurred near that city, and which W.
| copied was hoax, a "sel,f a fabrication. Tht


Palladium, of Saturday conlesses to have stutitet


itself, and endeayors to consrue its alsehoods
good joke. The public will be likely to look upol
| the matter in very different light and to know


hereafter how much confidence is to be placed in an,
| statement it may make.