[meteorite-list] Rochester Meteorite - 12-28-1876 NPA's - Ohio/Illinois

[MARK BOSTICK]

Paper: Athens Messenger
City: Athens, Ohio
Date: Thursday, December 28, 1876
Page: 1 (of 8)

Under "State Items."

     A very large meteor, presenting numerous brilliant colors, and having a 
long tail, like a comet was seen in various parts of the State about nine 
o'clock Thursday night.

(end)

Paper: Cambridge Jeffersonian
City: Cambridge, Ohio
Date: Thursday, December 28, 1876
Page: 3 (of 4)

     Last Thursday night about nine o'clock a meteor of remarkable size and 
brilliancy passed through the heavens from West to the east.  It was visible 
at St. Louis and cities even farther west, and was noticed by persons in 
every part of Ohio.  When first seen here it was about four feet in diameter 
but soon increased to ten or fifteen feet.  It was visible for several 
minutes, and excited much curiosity.  D.C. Kennon writes on that it, was 
seen in Oxford township.

(end)

Paper: Decatur Republican
City: Decatur, Illinois
Date: Thursday, December 28, 1876
Page: 1

>From Friday's Daily

THAT METEOR.

     Last evening the attention of people who happened to be out doors about 
eight o'clock, was attracted by a huge ball of fire rising in the west, 
which when at an angle of about forty-five degrees, seemed to burst, sending 
out innumerable jets of light similar to what appears when a rocket explodes 
in the air.  The immense body of light, with its thousand or more 
attendants, moved rapidly in an easterly direction and disappeared over the 
eastern horizon at about the same altitude which it had reached in the west 
when first seen.
     In about four or five minutes after the light was first seen, followed 
the report of its explosion of a canon, causing the buildings and ground to 
tremble, as would the shock of an earthquake.
     Those who say the light, of course associated the sound with it as its 
origin; but those who were inside and simply felt the shock, had an idea 
that an earthquake had taken place, until they learned of the meteoric 
display which immediately preceded it.
     From the length of time which intervened between the appearance of the 
light and explosion and the report which followed, it must have been many 
miles away, and we shall probably hear of the phenomenon from remote parts 
of the country.
     One very interesting fact that goes to show the distance of the 
luminous body from this locality, is that its appearance at Wapella was 
telegraphed at this station, and the telegram was read to bystanders before 
the report reached here.
     These fire balls or shooting stars are very fully described in 
Encyclopedias.  They are said to be generally from fifty to one hundred and 
fifty feet in diameter; their size tot he eye of an observer of course 
depending upon their distance from him.
     Humboldt claims that some of the largest of these shooting fire-balls 
must have had a diameter of from five hundred to two thousand feet.  Their 
height at the points where they begin and finally disappear, is said to be 
from fifteen to one hundred and fifty miles, and their velocities are said 
to vary form eighteen to thirty-six miles per second.  They sometimes appear 
singly - as was the case last evening - and sometimes in large numbers, as 
was the case in November, 1883, which the most remarkable meteoric shower 
ever witnessed on this continent took place.
     It is supposed that there is in all these fire-balls solid matter, 
which finally falls to the earth, numerous specimens of which have been 
found from time to time- many of which are in the cabinets of our colleges 
and other institutions of the country.  In most instances these specimens 
are composed of about ninety parts of iron, to ten of other metallic matter. 
  Various theories have been suggested as to the origin of these aerial 
travelers, which we have not room to notice, all of which will be fully 
stated and discussed in the standard Encyclopedias of the day.  The study is 
an interesting one, and especially so at this time, when everybody is 
talking about the wonderful phenomena of light and sound.

(end)


Clear Skies,
Mark Bostick
Wichita, Kansas
http://www.meteoritearticles.com
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The NPA in the subject line, stands for Newspaper Article. The old list 
server allowed us a search feature the current does not, so I guess this is 
more for quick reference and shortening the subject line now.