[meteorite-list] Newspaper, 1-24-1880, Sodom and Gomorrah killed by meteorites

From: MARK BOSTICK <thebigcollector_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:06:56 2004
Message-ID: <OE46777GxdRj3k9qk9Z00018921_at_hotmail.com>

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Denton Journal =20
Denton, MD =20
Saturday, January 24, 1880
Page: Front
Sodom and Gomorrah
Professor Proctor white from Hion, Ill., inder date of December 26th as f=
ollows: "The idea that Sodom and Gomorrah may have been destroyed by mete=
oric downfall is not altogether a new one. I advanced it, but not very se=
riously, several years ago in the English Mechanic, and it was taken up q=
uite seriously by an ingenious, though rather fiery correspondent of that=
 journal, Mr. E L. Garbett, the well-known architech. He took up the theo=
ry precisely in the form in which I had, half jesting, suggested it, viz.=
; that the meteor system which produced the destruction of the cities of =
the Plain, was the so-called November system, which at that remote date w=
ould have been a September system. It can be shown that Tempel's comet, i=
n whose track the November meteors travel, must have passed near, and may=
 have passed very near indeed to the earth, at about the time which tradi=
tion assigns to the destruction of Sedom and Gomorrah. Moreover there can=
 be little doubt that the comet's meteor train was then far compact than =
it is at present. Again, it is certain that among the meteors of the Nove=
mber system are many which far exceed in size those seen during the displ=
ay of November 13th and 14th, 1833, some of the falling stars were bright=
 enough to cause distinct shadows to be thrown. Supposing the meteors for=
ming the comet itself, or very near to the comet, to be larger yet, they =
would probably be able to break their way through the air as the large me=
teorites do, and if strewn with proportionate density, so as to fall in t=
he form of a compact stream, they would descent as a very destructive sho=
wer upon whatever part of the earth's surface happened to be most fully e=
xposed to them. Now it happens, strangely enough, that at the time mentio=
ned in the verse you quote, "The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot en=
tered into Zoar; ther. the Lord rained apon Sodom an Gomorrah brimstone a=
nd fire from the Lord out of heaven' - the destroyed cities lay almost ce=
ntrally on that disk of earth which was turned toward the "radiant" of th=
e November meteors. If ever a special and not very large district of the =
earth could be so rained upon by meteors that towns in it could be destro=
yed the catastrophe would unquestionably be attended by just such circums=
tances as these - that is, the region would be as fully as possible expos=
ed to the hail of meteors, and this hail would be as heavy as possible, w=
hich would require that either teh comet itself or a part of its meteor t=
rain very close to the comet should be the source of the meteoric hail, I=
n the case supposed the velocity you have mentioned would be far exceeded=
; for not only does the earth herself speed along round the sun at the ra=
te of 1,100 miles per minute, or more than 18 miles per second, but the N=
ovember meteors travel with a great velocity - about 24 miles per second =
- meteorite her almost tilt, so that we have for the velocity with which =
the meteors rush through the air, something like 40 miles per second. Add=
 to this list when the meteors of November 13th and 14th, 1866, were exam=
ined with the spectroscope, the element which was found to be most largel=
y present was sodium, the chief component of our common salt, whence may =
be derived a "naturalized" explanation of the fate of Lot's wife. Those w=
ho take interest in this theory of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah =
might possibly manage to find some evidence of heavy meteoric downfall in=
 that part of the earth. The search would be as likely to be rewarded wit=
h success as that which my esteemed friend, the Abbe Moigno, has suggeste=
d should be made for the chariots, ect., of the destroyed army of Pharaoh=
.

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<HTML><BODY STYLE=3D"font:10pt verdana; border:none;"><DIV><B><FONT size=3D=
2> <P>&nbsp;</P> <P>Denton Journal</FONT><FONT face=3D"Times New Roman"><=
FONT size=3D3> </FONT></P></FONT><FONT size=3D2> <P>Denton, MD</FONT><FON=
T face=3D"Times New Roman"><FONT size=3D3> </FONT></P></FONT><FONT size=3D=
2> <P>Saturday, January 24, 1880</P> <P>Page: Front</P></B></FONT><FONT f=
ace=3D"Times New Roman" size=3D2> <P>Sodom and Gomorrah</P> <P>Professor =
Proctor white from Hion, Ill., inder date of December 26th as follows: "T=
he idea that Sodom and Gomorrah may have been destroyed by meteoric downf=
all is not altogether a new one. I advanced it, but not very seriously, s=
everal years ago in the English Mechanic, and it was taken up quite serio=
usly by an ingenious, though rather fiery correspondent of that journal, =
Mr. E L. Garbett, the well-known architech. He took up the theory precise=
ly in the form in which I had, half jesting, suggested it, viz.; that the=
 meteor system which produced the destruction of the cities of the Plain,=
 was the so-called November system, which at that remote date would have =
been a September system. It can be shown that Tempel's comet, in whose tr=
ack the November meteors travel, must have passed near, and may have pass=
ed very near indeed to the earth, at about the time which tradition assig=
ns to the destruction of Sedom and Gomorrah. Moreover there can be little=
 doubt that the comet's meteor train was then far compact than it is at p=
resent. Again, it is certain that among the meteors of the November syste=
m are many which far exceed in size those seen during the display of Nove=
mber 13th and 14th, 1833, some of the falling stars were bright enough to=
 cause distinct shadows to be thrown. Supposing the meteors forming the c=
omet itself, or very near to the comet, to be larger yet, they would prob=
ably be able to break their way through the air as the large meteorites d=
o, and if strewn with proportionate density, so as to fall in the form of=
 a compact stream, they would descent as a very destructive shower upon w=
hatever part of the earth's surface happened to be most fully exposed to =
them. Now it happens, strangely enough, that at the time mentioned in the=
 verse you quote, "The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into=
 Zoar; ther. the Lord rained apon Sodom an Gomorrah brimstone and fire fr=
om the Lord out of heaven' - the destroyed cities lay almost centrally on=
 that disk of earth which was turned toward the "radiant" of the November=
 meteors. If ever a special and not very large district of the earth coul=
d be so rained upon by meteors that towns in it could be destroyed the ca=
tastrophe would unquestionably be attended by just such circumstances as =
these - that is, the region would be as fully as possible exposed to the =
hail of meteors, and this hail would be as heavy as possible, which would=
 require that either teh comet itself or a part of its meteor train very =
close to the comet should be the source of the meteoric hail, In the case=
 supposed the velocity you have mentioned would be far exceeded; for not =
only does the earth herself speed along round the sun at the rate of 1,10=
0 miles per minute, or more than 18 miles per second, but the November me=
teors travel with a great velocity - about 24 miles per second - meteorit=
e her almost tilt, so that we have for the velocity with which the meteor=
s rush through the air, something like 40 miles per second. Add to this l=
ist when the meteors of November 13th and 14th, 1866, were examined with =
the spectroscope, the element which was found to be most largely present =
was sodium, the chief component of our common salt, whence may be derived=
 a "naturalized" explanation of the fate of Lot's wife. Those who take in=
terest in this theory of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah might poss=
ibly manage to find some evidence of heavy meteoric downfall in that part=
 of the earth. The search would be as likely to be rewarded with success =
as that which my esteemed friend, the Abbe Moigno, has suggested should b=
e made for the chariots, ect., of the destroyed army of Pharaoh.</P></FON=
T><BR><BR></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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Received on Sun 06 Oct 2002 12:06:33 AM PDT