[meteorite-list] Rochester Meteorite - 1-11-1877 NPA - Ohio

[MARK BOSTICK]

Paper: The Ohio Democrat
City: New Philadelphia, Ohio
Date: Thursday, January 11, 1877
Page: 2 (of 4)

That Meteor.

     Many persons were fortunate in seeing the splendid meteor that shot 
across the northern heavens at about 9 o'clock on the evening of Dec. 21st, 
1876.  The most glowing description of the phenomena we have seen was 
furnished by Mr. Charles F. Smith, of Tanktown, Delaware county, Ohio, to 
the Cincinnati Times, from which we make the following extract:
     On the evening of December 21, at about 9 o'clock, while returning from 
a prayer meeting at Tanktown, Delaware County, Ohio.  I stopped to looked 
after my sheep, which were in the wrong field, and while facing the west, 
saw a large bright light burst out from behind the clouds and move rapidly 
in the north-easterly direction.  The moon was shining bright in the 
south-western sky.  My first thought was, that this was the moon, but ht 
next instant I saw that there were several lights, somewhat resembling our 
modern sky-rockets.  As they came near they looked larger and shone 
brighter, each seeming to excel the other in beauty and grandeur.  I stood 
gazing with admiration upon these heavenly travelers, estimating their 
number at forty.  The foremost one appeared the largest, the others varied 
in size, and as they got opposite or north of me I had a grand view of them. 
  They seemed to be scattered promiseously, like a flock of birds all going 
in the same direction, and strung out apparently for half a mile.  Some of 
them were white, some red, and some blue, and one or two of them seemed to 
have a trail, like a banner of flame, and as they darted behind the 
scattering clouds, seemed to go out, but on they grandly moved, glittering 
in their shining garments, each shedding, as it were, sparks of fire.  I 
expected to see some of them go out, but all seemed to go on, each one 
maintaining its position on its heavenly journey, and on and on they went 
till they disappeared behind the distant eastern clouds.  A number of 
persons in this neighborhood saw those lights, and all say that they never 
saw such a grand sight before.  I could never tell whether these lights were 
only a few miles away, or whether they were thousands of miles away; whether 
they were a flock of meteors or a system or worlds traveling through the 
illimitable space, or whether it was a multitude of heavenly host, clothed 
in their glittering garments, taking a hasty bird's eye view of our country. 
  I have witnessed several earthly fireworks, but this was the grandest and 
most magnificent scene I ever beheld.

(end)


Clear Skies,
Mark Bostick
Wichita, Kansas
http://www.meteoritearticles.com
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PDF copy of this article, and most of those on my website, are available 
upon e-mail request.

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.