[meteorite-list] NP Article, 04-02 1880 Death By Meteors
From: MARK BOSTICK <thebigcollector_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:22:41 2004 Message-ID: <BAY4-DAV767lAhj16tF0000157b_at_hotmail.com> ------=_NextPart_001_001A_01C3367A.C15D40D0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Title: Bismarck Tribune =20 City: Bismarck, North Dakota =20 Date: Friday, April 02, 1880 Death by Meteors Mr. Proctor wrote: "I have received several inquiries, some of them rathe= r auxious inquiries, respecting the dangers to be fared from meteoric dow= nfall. If we know the average number of meteoric masses which break their= way through the earth's armor - that is, through the "firmament," expans= e of ether, pure transparent elemental air - it wold be very easy to calc= ulate the exact chance of dearth by meteoric downfall. As a matter of fac= t, we have no satisfactory evidence on this point, because ost of the met= eorites which fall upon the earth escape attention. I suppose, however, t= hat if Prof. Newtpm, of Yale College, rightly assumes the number of falli= ng stars of all orders to be 400,000,000 yearly, we may fairly assume tha= t about 4,000 meteorites fall annually upon the earth's surface. This all= ows one meteorite for 100,000 falling stars. Now let us take the total nu= mber of human beings at any one time on the earth as 1,500,000,000, Assum= e the risk of persons within doors equal to that of persons in the open a= ir - for a meteorite falling on a house would not be seriously interrupte= d in its course, since it would travel with a velocity of several miles p= er second. Again, remembering that the meteors do not fall vertically, no= r, even if they did, do men always stand upright, we must take a larger s= urface for each person that that which he presents as seen from above whe= n standing. We may take a square ueard for an adult, and perhaps a quarte= r fo a square yard for the average human being. Now, the earth's surface = contains about 200,000,000 square miles, each containing about 3,000,000 = square yards - in all 2,400,000,000,000,000 quarter square yards. Thus th= e chance of a single meteorite striking some one is as fifteen in 24,000,= 000 or as one in 1,600,000; and if 400 meteorites fall per aunum, the cah= nce of one death occurring in any given year is about 1-400th. On the ave= rage one death by a meteor strike might be expected to occur in 400 years= . If it is true, as I have recently stated, that nine such deaths have oc= curred in the last 900 years, it would appear probable that 16,000 meteor= ites, instead of 4,000, annually reach the earth." Please visit, www.MeteoriteArticles.com, a free on-line archive of meteor= and meteorite articles. ------=_NextPart_001_001A_01C3367A.C15D40D0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <HTML><BODY STYLE=3D"font:10pt verdana; border:none;"><DIV><B><FONT size=3D= 2> <P>Title: Bismarck Tribune </P> <P>City: Bismarck, North Dakota </P> <= P>Date: Friday, April 02, 1880</P></B> <P> </P> <P>Death by Meteors<= /P> <P> </P> <P>Mr. Proctor wrote: "I have received several inquirie= s, some of them rather auxious inquiries, respecting the dangers to be fa= red from meteoric downfall. If we know the average number of meteoric mas= ses which break their way through the earth's armor - that is, through th= e "firmament," expanse of ether, pure transparent elemental air - it wold= be very easy to calculate the exact chance of dearth by meteoric downfal= l. As a matter of fact, we have no satisfactory evidence on this point, b= ecause ost of the meteorites which fall upon the earth escape attention. = I suppose, however, that if Prof. Newtpm, of Yale College, rightly assume= s the number of falling stars of all orders to be 400,000,000 yearly, we = may fairly assume that about 4,000 meteorites fall annually upon the eart= h's surface. This allows one meteorite for 100,000 falling stars. Now let= us take the total number of human beings at any one time on the earth as= 1,500,000,000, Assume the risk of persons within doors equal to that of = persons in the open air - for a meteorite falling on a house would not be= seriously interrupted in its course, since it would travel with a veloci= ty of several miles per second. Again, remembering that the meteors do no= t fall vertically, nor, even if they did, do men always stand upright, we= must take a larger surface for each person that that which he presents a= s seen from above when standing. We may take a square ueard for an adult,= and perhaps a quarter fo a square yard for the average human being. Now,= the earth's surface contains about 200,000,000 square miles, each contai= ning about 3,000,000 square yards - in all 2,400,000,000,000,000 quarter = square yards. Thus the chance of a single meteorite striking some one is = as fifteen in 24,000,000 or as one in 1,600,000; and if 400 meteorites fa= ll per aunum, the cahnce of one death occurring in any given year is abou= t 1-400th. On the average one death by a meteor strike might be expected = to occur in 400 years. If it is true, as I have recently stated, that nin= e such deaths have occurred in the last 900 years, it would appear probab= le that 16,000 meteorites, instead of 4,000, annually reach the earth."</= P></FONT><BR><BR>Please visit, www.MeteoriteArticles.com, a free on-line = archive of meteor and meteorite articles.</DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_001_001A_01C3367A.C15D40D0-- Received on Thu 19 Jun 2003 04:52:15 PM PDT |
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