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* m V «a « Vf m m wr m W W ** ^ ■ W * V ^ W+ V ^ *lav meeting.On motion the council adjourned.The Meteor*Last Thursday, in company with John A. Lovely, the senior editor of the Standard boarded the three o’clock train on tbo Southern Minnesota with a lieree delernii-natiou to see the meteoi’ which fell ti few days previously near Esthcrville, Iowa. At Fairmont wc were joined by Hon. F. A. Day, editor of the Sentinel, and at Jackson W. G. Kcllar of this ciiyT cubaled, Friday morning, after looking over the thriving young town of Jackson, we left for the meteor, reaching 1 lie hot2Se where it was supposed to be loeated about three o’clock, having been delayed by a hospitable reception at the house of Mr. Day’s parents, two miles north of where the meteor fell Mr- Rewey, the gentleman who had the meteor in charge, declined to permit a view of his strange possession; onthe ground that there vnis likely to he a legal contest as to its ownership, and because it wus hidden away at some distance, lie gave us all the information in his power as to the strange affair, which, however, did not contain tnything new, In regard to Mlc ownership of the iueteor, it seems the man upon whose lain I it fell did not take much interest in the matter, and permitted other parties to dig it up and take it away. After war da, seeing ihe curiosity excited by the article, be concluded it was valuable, and commenced legal proceedings for Us recovery. For this reason the parties holding it had hidden it, and had refused a sight of U io many persons, some of whom had travelled five hundred miles to scc#it. ATtcr considerable parley iv [tli the gentleman* he finally partly promised if we came buck that way on Sunday to let us soc it. We then resumed our journey towards Spirit Lake, which was the real objective point of our trip, tuid which wc found to be One of the loneliest places imaginable.On Sunday wc came back to Mr, Ucw-ey’s, and found that, owing to the rain, he had not expected us, and had not gooc after the meteor. Finally, being advised by Mr. Lovely that his cnac wus not ben-efitted by ooucealmg the article, he told * us to drive to a certain house and he would meet us there, which he did, and dug the meteor from the ground where lie had it hid near the state line. We found it to be a rough, irregular btook, nearly two feet long, about fourteen inches in diameter one way and nine inches the other, almost Jhit on one side and round on the olher. aacl about the color of iron ore. After we bad examined it to our salislaclion, Mr. llcwey took it to his house, where, wc suppose, it now ia.The place where it fell is about three miles south of the state line, and three miles north of Esterville It struck' in tlio edge of a slough, and went into the ground about fifteen feet, teu of which were in blue ciny. It was seen to strike, falling from a clear sky i?i the day time, and threw mud and sods far a distance of thirty rods Immediately after it struck a puff of steam arose, indicating that it was in a heated condition. In digging it up numerous smaller pieces were found, including one weighing 32 pounds. The largest one was found to weigh 43 L pounds, and the total weight of the pieces was about 500 pounds. Another piece which fell two miles distant weighs 150 pounds. The stream of smoke which followed the descent of tlio missile was visible at points at least 150 miles apart, and was said to look like a ribbon in the sky. There undoubtedly was an explosion or report caused 'by concussion before it struck, which was heard at least twenty miles away- This report was heard by parties in tho vioinity about two see-‘onda, as near as they could judge, before they heard tho sound caused by its coming in contact with the earth, and was what attracted their attention. The one weighing 150 pounds foil on dry ground and bored a perpendicular hole four feet into the ground/ The J)ole made by the largest one was almost if not quite pcrpcrdlo tlar.A great many mclcors have fallen at different times. One iu India is said to weigh twelve tons; Two were found in Norway of immense size, and, no doubt, mauy fall which are not noticed. A large one fell ’near West Liberty, Iowa, about six years since. Prof. Newton, of Yalo College, in an interesting thesis on tho subject of meteors, informs us that while meteors are peculiar to themselves in ihe matttcr of their component parts, they contain, nevertheless, nothing which is not found in the mineral substances of our earth. All metoora are not of the same composition, ua he shows, some being composed almost, wholly of stone, while others ure composed principally of metal, iron nearly always being present, and mckle usually so. Prof. Newton is of tho opinion that comfctary substances bear a close relationship to meteors and meteoric substances, and cites a number of instances in proof of the fact that daring the existence | of ft comet within the range of earthly vis-1 ion meteors and meteoric showers are | more common than at other times. Prof. i Newton also informs us of another fact j that can but seem strange, and that is, that wo ‘never aoo a meteor at a greater distance from the earth than one hundred miles These meteors 1loat as invisible particles in space, and only become visible j when they oomo iu contact with an atmos-I plicric pressure sufficiout to produce a blaze.atortvianhiinwitalir:onVcitbncasi fi\VailnoanthIt1ft!Ata iso=thtailU:HnteiteiStorisso:inimefieofcdufinpcprehbopi,witincasismlt;anthofallThticclcbiiswibitkebnfatnoor.“carorbobuwibuJoonentinmeinihobtith,he13.lasB.,m,theP«rofriyriv10 n atex;IoninSar.sle011 roi mi.(pr.Mi• ex-Mif^r^5:4m. •
Newspaper Details
Standard
Albert Lea, Minnesota, US
Thu, May 29, 1879
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Boyd C.
KY, USA 27 Apr 2022
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