[meteorite-list] NPA 09-20-1950: (Murray) Meteor Jars Kentucky Area, Fragment Found

[MARK BOSTICK]

Paper: Maryville Daily Forum
City: Maryville, Missouri
Date: Wednesday Evening, September 20, 1950
Page: 1

Meteor Jars Kentucky Area

     NASHVILLE, TENN. - (AP) - A meteor flashed through the sky to the west 
of here early today and apparently exploded in the air, jarring an area from 
Paducah, Ky., to Memphis, Tenn.
     The Illinois Central railroad dispatcher in Paducah said reports from 
all along his line to Memphis told a jar of an explosion.
     He said a railroad signalman at Covington, Tenn., 40 miles north of 
Memphis, told of seeing a ball of fire in the sky getting larger and larger, 
then exploding.

Patrol Activated

     The IC dispatcher's account was related here by Fred Denton, Tennessee 
Central dispatcher who said the IC man called to ask if there had been an 
explosion.
     At Memphis, 220 miles southwest, the Shelby county and state highway 
patrols sent six cars racing north of the city. The county radio officer 
said one car reported the meteor hit in the vicinity of Hatchie Bottoms, a 
semi-swamp area between Memphis and Millington naval base, about 20 miles 
away. This report was not confirmed.

Piece Falls on Farm

     At Murray, Ky., William Barnett, a filling station operator, reported a 
piece of the meteor fell on his farm nine miles east of Murray, near Wildcat 
Creek on Kentucky Lake. He took the object to the west Kentucky town. 
Observers said it was about the size of a man's head.
     A report of the sky flash was given in Memphis by American Airlines 
Capt. H. J. Garman, of Dallas, Tex. Garman had just landed a DC-6 with 41 
passengers from Washington.

A Brilliant Flash

     "We sighted that thing abut 1:30 a., CST, some 50 miles east of 
Nashville." Garman said.
     "I was flying at 18,000 feet and it looked as though it came right 
across our nose.
     "I tell you, I never saw such a brilliant flash of light before. No, it 
wasn't a clear light. It seemed to be burning with an orange, yellow and 
blue flame.
     "I can't say for sure whether it burned out in the air or hit the 
ground. I've seen hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of meteors, but that 
was the lowest I ever saw one.
     "I tell you, it lit up the whole sky."
     Garman had seen the flash up close about 250 miles from where it 
apparently ended.  The CAA operator at the Nashville airport said it lit up 
the sky "bright as day" and he thought it landed between the field and the 
city, only five miles away.

Leaves Black Cloud

     Patrolman Albert K. Yancy of Paducah said witnesses reported the meteor 
lighted up the Paducah area about 2 a.m. (CST) so brightly "you could almost 
read a newspaper."
     Yancy said the CAA told him that the meteor apparently exploded between 
Paducah and Nashville, though the exact location was not determined.
     At Cairo, Ill., Wayman Presley reported the meteor appeared to exploded 
and then continue on its course over southern Illinois, leaving a black 
cloud in its wake.

(end)

Clear Skies,
Mark Bostick
http://www.meteoritearticles.com

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