[meteorite-list] Newspaper article, 1-12-1886, Meteoric Stone Origin

From: MARK BOSTICK <thebigcollector_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:06:56 2004
Message-ID: <OE30x4A2DreBBsQwY6Y00018a55_at_hotmail.com>

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Reno Evening Gazette
Tuesday, January 12, 1886
Page: Front
Meteoric Stones
WHERE DO THEY COME FROM TO EARTH?
The falling of the huge one in Western Pennsylvanie recently - a stone as=
 large as an average house - seems to have excited some interest on the p=
art of many persons to learn something more about these strange and dange=
rous visitors. It is rare that we hear of one of such great size as this =
Pennsylvania meteor; indeed, one may well question the truth of the accou=
nt. But there have been even larger ones, though not, probably, in modern=
 times. The theory of some persons, that these red-hot stones have been t=
hrown out of some volcano, and then been drawn back to the earth's surfac=
e by gravitation, is wholly untenable. These fiery rocks come from "other=
 worlds than ours." It is not probable that they are recent emanations fr=
om one of the other planets; they are drawn, in all probability, by the e=
arth's great attraction, out of their place in some of the great meteor s=
treams that revolve, like the earth, around the sun, each in its own orbi=
t. At certain points in the annual journeys of our own world and of these=
 great streams of loosely aggregated rocks of many sizes, the two orbits =
evidently so nearly touch as to make it possible for the globe on which w=
e live to capture some of the meteoric bodies which constitute the fringe=
, or skirt, so to speak, of the meteor stream. Once, on the 13th of Novem=
ber, 1833, our globe must have brushed through the thinner outer fringe o=
f the astonishing aggregation which has since come to be known among astr=
omoners as the "November stream," in contradistinction to another whose s=
kirts we almost touch in August, and which is called, therefore, the "Aug=
ust stream." Other streams may exist, in the interplanetary spaces, of wh=
ich the astromers have no positive knowledge; or, there may be irregular =
masses, or even endless cases of separate meteoric bodies, all rushing ar=
ound the sun in different orbits. It is certain that countless millions o=
f these objects, mostly quite small bodies, are actually drawn in upon th=
e earth. Most of them, apparently, are burned up before reaching the eart=
h's surface, and descent in an invisible, impalpable form of exceedingly =
fine dust. Occasionally this can be plainly seen - as it was once, in the=
 suburbs of this city, some time ago, when it seemed at first, shown agai=
nst the afternoon sun, like a real shower of rain, only a rain from a cle=
ar sky, but which proved to be a shower of dust, so fine, that unless it =
chanced to be seen against the sun, it as invisible. Mr. Proctor, the ast=
ronomer, holds this unseen falling meteoric dust to have been an apprecia=
ble, indeed an important, factor involved in the problem of the alleged g=
rowth of the bulk of our planet, and has actually tried to compute someth=
ing of the rate and extent of that supposed increase. However, that may b=
e, our globe certainly does capture an anormous number of little foreign =
bodies. One or more can be seen silently straming across the sky on almos=
t any clear, calm night; sometimes a number of them - their seeming cours=
e across the sky, instead of plunging straight down, being merely an opti=
cal effect, due to the angle at which the appearance in seen. These meteo=
rs, entering the earth's atmosphere, and plunging with more and more velo=
city as they get nearer the surface, are heated to a white heat (and thus=
 made luminous and visible) by the increased friction and the increased d=
ensity of the air. Most of them appear literally "burnt up," but some, us=
ually the larger ones, hold out against their own conflagration till they=
 burst with a great explosion, or plunger intact (but red-hot) into the g=
round - or the sea. Without giving credence to the Western story, a few y=
ears ago, of a man being killed by one of these meteors, there is still s=
ome small degree of likelihood that such a thing might happen; a much les=
ser chance than the danger of being struck by lightning. =20
The August train of meteors in computed to be 90,000,000 miles long - or =
about as long as the distance from the earth to the sun. Others are of un=
known length.
Where do they originate?
The question is easily asked. The answer, while it is one about which we =
feel but little doubt, seems to be not susceptible of being sustained by =
actual proof. These meteoric bodies appear to be not exactly like any of =
our rocks. Many of them are more like a kind of half-vitreous "iron stone=
" than anything else; they show the work of heat, and ring, on being stru=
ck by a hammer. - (Hartford Times)

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<HTML><BODY STYLE=3D"font:10pt verdana; border:none;"><DIV><BR><FONT size=
=3D2> <P>Reno Evening Gazette</P> <P>Tuesday, January 12, 1886</P> <P>Pag=
e: Front</P> <P>Meteoric Stones</P> <P>WHERE DO THEY COME FROM TO EARTH?<=
/P> <P>The falling of the huge one in Western Pennsylvanie recently - a s=
tone as large as an average house - seems to have excited some interest o=
n the part of many persons to learn something more about these strange an=
d dangerous visitors. It is rare that we hear of one of such great size a=
s this Pennsylvania meteor; indeed, one may well question the truth of th=
e account. But there have been even larger ones, though not, probably, in=
 modern times. The theory of some persons, that these red-hot stones have=
 been thrown out of some volcano, and then been drawn back to the earth's=
 surface by gravitation, is wholly untenable. These fiery rocks come from=
 "other worlds than ours." It is not probable that they are recent emanat=
ions from one of the other planets; they are drawn, in all probability, b=
y the earth's great attraction, out of their place in some of the great m=
eteor streams that revolve, like the earth, around the sun, each in its o=
wn orbit. At certain points in the annual journeys of our own world and o=
f these great streams of loosely aggregated rocks of many sizes, the two =
orbits evidently so nearly touch as to make it possible for the globe on =
which we live to capture some of the meteoric bodies which constitute the=
 fringe, or skirt, so to speak, of the meteor stream. Once, on the 13th o=
f November, 1833, our globe must have brushed through the thinner outer f=
ringe of the astonishing aggregation which has since come to be known amo=
ng astromoners as the "November stream," in contradistinction to another =
whose skirts we almost touch in August, and which is called, therefore, t=
he "August stream." Other streams may exist, in the interplanetary spaces=
, of which the astromers have no positive knowledge; or, there may be irr=
egular masses, or even endless cases of separate meteoric bodies, all rus=
hing around the sun in different orbits. It is certain that countless mil=
lions of these objects, mostly quite small bodies, are actually drawn in =
upon the earth. Most of them, apparently, are burned up before reaching t=
he earth's surface, and descent in an invisible, impalpable form of excee=
dingly fine dust. Occasionally this can be plainly seen - as it was once,=
 in the suburbs of this city, some time ago, when it seemed at first, sho=
wn against the afternoon sun, like a real shower of rain, only a rain fro=
m a clear sky, but which proved to be a shower of dust, so fine, that unl=
ess it chanced to be seen against the sun, it as invisible. Mr. Proctor, =
the astronomer, holds this unseen falling meteoric dust to have been an a=
ppreciable, indeed an important, factor involved in the problem of the al=
leged growth of the bulk of our planet, and has actually tried to compute=
 something of the rate and extent of that supposed increase. However, tha=
t may be, our globe certainly does capture an anormous number of little f=
oreign bodies. One or more can be seen silently straming across the sky o=
n almost any clear, calm night; sometimes a number of them - their seemin=
g course across the sky, instead of plunging straight down, being merely =
an optical effect, due to the angle at which the appearance in seen. Thes=
e meteors, entering the earth's atmosphere, and plunging with more and mo=
re velocity as they get nearer the surface, are heated to a white heat (a=
nd thus made luminous and visible) by the increased friction and the incr=
eased density of the air. Most of them appear literally "burnt up," but s=
ome, usually the larger ones, hold out against their own conflagration ti=
ll they burst with a great explosion, or plunger intact (but red-hot) int=
o the ground - or the sea. Without giving credence to the Western story, =
a few years ago, of a man being killed by one of these meteors, there is =
still some small degree of likelihood that such a thing might happen; a m=
uch lesser chance than the danger of being struck by lightning. </P> <P>T=
he August train of meteors in computed to be 90,000,000 miles long - or a=
bout as long as the distance from the earth to the sun. Others are of unk=
nown length.</P> <P>Where do they originate?</P> <P>The question is easil=
y asked. The answer, while it is one about which we feel but little doubt=
, seems to be not susceptible of being sustained by actual proof. These m=
eteoric bodies appear to be not exactly like any of our rocks. Many of th=
em are more like a kind of half-vitreous "iron stone" than anything else;=
 they show the work of heat, and ring, on being struck by a hammer. - (Ha=
rtford Times)</P></FONT><BR></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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Received on Sat 05 Oct 2002 10:52:18 PM PDT