[meteorite-list] NPA 07-05-1939 Washougal Meteorite Creates Interest

From: MARK BOSTICK <thebigcollector_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed Jan 26 12:06:06 2005
Message-ID: <BAY4-F160590BC7ECB62834D0C75B3870_at_phx.gbl>

Paper: Reno Evening Gazette
City: Reno, Nevada
Date: Wednesday, July 5, 1939
Page: 4 (of 16)

PORTLAND'S METEOR

     THE METEOR which burst in the air near Portland, Ore., has revived the
public interest in this type of celestial visitor and has kept the
scientists busy explaining that as far as the record goes no one has ever
been killed or injured by meteorites, as the fragments of bursting meteors
are called. Indeed, as compared with lightning, which is an earthly
phenomenon, not a heavenly visitor, the element of danger is practically
non-existent.
     One of the first recorded falls of meteorites took place in China about
644 B.C., and other strange fragments which fell from the sky are recorded
by Plutarch and Pliny as objects of worship. The stone referred to in the
Acts as the image of Diana of the Ephesians, which "fell down from Jupiter,"
is believed to have been a meteoric stone, as is doubtless the sacred stone
built into the Kaaba at Mecca.
     The largest meteorite on display is that brought back from Cape York,
Greenland, by Commander Robert E. Peary, which weighs some thirty-six tons.
A large crater-like depression near Canyon Diablo in Arizona, a mile across
and some 550 feet deep, is believed to have been made by a meteor in some
prehistoric day.
     The interest of science in meteorites particularly is that of
determining the identity of rocks and minerals from the regions of outer
space, but to date no new element has been found in them. On the other hand
some common elements, including the strongly radioactive ones, have yet to
be definitely detected. These visitors from outer space bombard the earth at
fairly frequent intervals, many more than are recorded, since some of them
burst about the sea or the uninhabited regions, but so far their mission
seems to be a beneficent one. Nature seems to have arranged for dissipating
their force before these "shrapnel: shells from outer space reach the
earth's surface.

(end)

The “Portland Meteor” is the Washougal meteorite. This meteorite fell July
2, 1939 in Clark County, Washington at 7:35 a.m. A single stone, 225 grams,
is all that was recovered.


Clear Skies,
Mark Bostick
Wichita, Kansas
http://www.meteoritearticles.com
http://www.kansasmeteoritesociety.com
http://www.imca.cc

http://stores.ebay.com/meteoritearticles

PDF copy of this article, and most I post (and about 1/2 of those on my
website), is 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.
Received on Wed 26 Jan 2005 12:04:58 PM PST