[meteorite-list] 1860 New Concord NPA, more reports...

[MARK BOSTICK]

Paper: Whitewater Register
City: Whitewater, Wisconsin
Date: Saturday, May 19, 1860
Page: 1 (of 4)

Fall of Meteoric Stones in Ohio.

>From the Zanesville Courier

     An extraordinary phenomenon occurred on Tuesday, about noon, which has 
been noticed in many counties in Eastern Ohio. This occurrence, although it 
may be incredible to some, was certainly noticed by many in different 
localities about the same time. In this city the explosion or noise was 
distinctly heard. At New Concord, sixteen miles east, a gentleman who was 
out in his field heard a large crash, similar to sharp thunder, a succession 
of which lasted half a minute, and then died away, like the sound of a 
receding train of cars. On looking up he observed an object descending, with 
great rapidity, in an angling direction, and on marking where it touched the 
earth, he there found a stone imbedded two feet in the earth, and somewhat 
warm, weighing 52 lbs. Another was found of 56 lbs., one of 40 and one of 86 
lbs., in weight, all within the circumference of a few miles. A small 
portion of one of these we have in our sanctum.
     At Bellair the concussion was so strong as to force open the large 
doors of a car house.
     At Malaga some of the inhabitances wore frightened, thinking of an 
earthquake. The shock at Barnesville seemed to jar the buildings to their 
foundations.
     Some boys were out in the woods near McConnellsville, which is perhaps 
thirty miles from Concord, and observed what they termed a large red ball 
descending to the earth with a fiery tail to it, but were so frightened as 
to immediately return home.

>From the Columbus Statesman, May 5th.

     A correspondent in New Concord, Muskingum County, in a letter published 
in the Statesman on Tuesday morning, mentioned a singular phenomenon in that 
neighborhood on Tuesday. It was an astounding noise in the sky like the roar 
of a cannon, which was followed by the fall of a number of stones, weighing 
from two to fifty pounds. Since the date of our correspondent's note we have 
received other letters from the same region of country, which not only 
corroborate his statement, but add greatly to the singularity of the 
phenomena. It appears that the noise alluded to was heard through a wide 
range of country, and that stones of the kind described were found freshly 
imbedded in the earth in the same manner, miles apart.
     In Morgan, Muskingum, Coshocton, Morrow and Tuscarawas County the 
explosion was distinctly head. Near McConnellsville several boys observed a 
huge stone descend to the earth, which they averred looked like a red ball, 
leaving a line of smoke in its wake. A gentleman walking the field, near New 
Concord, hard a terrific crash like thunder , which lasted half a minute, 
and then plainly saw a large body descending through the air in an angling 
direction, with a velocity apparently much greater then it could have 
attained by its own momentum. Going to the spot where it touched the ground, 
he found a rock weighing over fifty pounds, embedded in the earth a depth of 
two feet. The phenomena seems to be unprecedented. These stones were found 
nearly fifty miles apart, although the explosion was heard at all the places 
mentioned from the direction of New Concord. Houses were shaken by the 
shock, and in one or two instances the doors bursted open. It occasioned a 
great deal of consternation in that section of the country, as well it 
might.

(end)

Mark Note: This article refers to the New Concord meteorite.  This meteorite 
fell in Muskingum county, Ohio on May 1, 1860 at 12:45 p.m.  More then 
thirty pieces, 227 kg., of this L6 stone chondrite was recovered. 
(Reference: Meteorites A to Z: Second Edition).