What follows is a quote from "Benjamin Silliman, A Life in the Young
Republic". It was written by Chandos Michael Brown and published by
Princeton University Press, 1989. The book was referenced by Cathryn Prince
in her work "A Professor, a President and a Meteor", but the following quote
was not included in her book:
"But the bald truth is that Silliman's contributions to science, as such,
were negligible" (p. xiv)
Silliman's accomplishments were the promotion of meteoritics and science in
general, having established a school of chemistry at Yale, as well as the
American Journal of Science. However, as noted in the Meteorite Manuscripts
review of Prince's book, his work on the Weston meteorite was "professional,
but certainly not exceptional."
For more details, see www.meteoritemanuscripts.blogspot.com and scroll down
to the review of Prince's book, or see the Facebook or Twitter links below.
Thanks.
Mark
Mark Grossman
Meteorite Manuscripts
http://meteoritemanuscripts.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/MetManuscripts
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Meteorite-Manuscripts/152949358073543?v=wall
----- Original Message -----
From: "Shawn Alan" <photoph...@yahoo.com>
To: <meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com>
Sent: Thursday, March 10, 2011 3:34 PM
Subject: [meteorite-list] Weston 1807 meteorite fall - Analysis report
bySilliman and Kingsley
Hello Listers,
A couple weeks ago I made a post about the Weston fall and the rivalry
between Silliman and Woodhouse. What I didn't post is the analysis/ field
study report that was done by Silliman and Kingsley published in
Transactions in 1809 and read in front of the American Philosophical
Society on March 4, 1808. This report at the time catapulted American into
the international lime light of the meteoritic science scene and has been
haled to be "no scientific paper had before appeared in the United States
which excited so much attention and comment as this." (THE American
Chemist,Volume V.—July, 1874, To June, 1875.)
Silliman's analysis report which has been deemed as "the earliest and best
authenticated account' of the fall of a meteor in America."( APPLETONS'
CYCLOPEDIA OF AMERICAN BIOGRAPHY VOL V. PICKERING-SUMTER 1888 pg. 528)
exhibits first hand account of the Weston meteorite fall and great detail
that fallows witness accounts. Down below is the introduction of the
analysis report that put America on the map for meteoritic science.
Transactions of the American Philosophical Society vl 6, 1809.
Memoir on the origin and composition of the meteoric stones which Jell
from the Atmosphere, in the County of Fairfield, and State of Connecticut,
on the 1 ith of December 1807; in a Letter, dated February \8th 1808, from
Benjamin Silliman, Professor of Chemistry in Vale College, Connecticut,
and Mr. James L. Kingsley, to Mr. John Vaughan, Librarian of the American
Philosophical Society.
Read March 4th, 1808. .j'
Sir,
We transmit, through you, to the Philosophical Society of Philadelphia, a
revised, corrected, and somewhat enlarged account of the meteor which
lately appeared in this vicinity. The substance of this account was first
published in the Connecticut Herald, as public curiosity demanded an early
statement of facts. Since that, the stone has been carefully
analysed, and the details of the analysis, forming a distinct paper,
having never been published, are now transmitted to the society. The
result of this analysis has been such as to confirm the general statement
of the composition of the stone, which was published in the Herald, but
without any of the details or the exact proportions. Under these
circumstances, our present communication will probably be considered as
sufficiently original, to merit the attention of the respectable body to
whom it is transmitted.
It may be well to repeat, that in the investigation of the facts, we spent
several days, visited and carefully examined every place where the stones
had been ascertained to have fallen, and several where it had been only
suspected without any discovery; conversed with all the principal original
witnesses, and obtained specimens of every stone.
We are Sir, respectfully,
your very obedient servants.
BENJAMIN SILLIMAN.
JAMES L. KINGSLEY.
On the 14th of December 1807, about half past 6 o'clock in the morning, a
meteor was seen moving through the atmosphere with great velocity, and was
heard to explode over the town of Weston, in Connecticut, about 25 miles
West of New-Haven. Nathan Wheeler esq. of Weston, one of the justices of
the court of common pleas for the county of Fairfield, a gentleman of
great respectability and undoubted veracity, who seems to have been
entirely uninfluenced by fear, or imagination, was passing, at the time,
through an enclosure adjoining his house, and had an opportunity of
witnessing the whole phenomenon. From him the account of the appearance,
progress, and explosion of the meteor is principally derived.
The morning was somewhat cloudy. The clouds were dispersed in unequal
masses; being in some places thick and. opaque, and in others fleecy, and
partially transparent. Numerous spots of unclouded sky were visible, and
along the Northern part of the horizon, a space of 10 or 15 degrees was
perfectly clear.
The attention of judge Wheeler was first drawn by a sudden flash of light,
which illuminated every object; looking up, he discovered in the J^orth, a
globe of tire, just then passing behind the first clcud, which obscured
although it did not entirely hide the meteor.
In this situation, its appearance was distinct and well defined, like that
of the sun seen through a mist. It rose from the North, and proceeded in a
direction nearly perpendicular to the horizon, but inclining by a very
small angle to the West, and deviating a little from the plane of a great
circle, though iu pretty large curves, sometimes on one side of the plane,
and sometimes on the other, but never making an angle with it of more than
four or five degrees. Its apparent diameter was about one half or two
thirds the apparent diameter of the full moon.
Its progress was not so rapid as that of common meteors and shooting
stars. When it passed behind the thinner clouds, it appeared brighter than
before; and, when it passed the spots of clear sky, it flashed with a
vivid light, yet not so intense as the lightning in a thunder-storm, but
rather like what is commonly called fieat-ligfitmng. Where it was not too
much Obscured by thicks clouds, a waving conical train of paler light was
seen to attend it, in length about 10 or 12 diameters of the body. In the
clear sky a brisk scintillation was observed about the body of the meteor,
like that of a burning fire-brand, carried against the wind.
It disappeared about 15 degrees short of the zenith, and about the same
number of degrees West of the meridian. It did not vanish instantaneously,
but grew pretty rapidly fainter and fainter, as a red hot cannon-ball
would do, if cooling in the dark, only with much more rapidity. There was
no peculiar smell in the atmosphere, nor were any luminous masses seen to
separate from the body. The whole period between its first appearance and
total extinction was estimated at about SO .seconds.
About 30 or 40 seconds after, three loud and distinct reports like those
of a four-pounder near at hand, were heard. They succeeded each other with
as much rapidity as was consistent with distinctness, and, all together,
did not occupy three seconds. Then followed a rapid succession of reports
Jess loud, and running into each other so as to produce a continued
rumbling, like that of a cannon-ball rolling over a floor, sometimes
louder, and at other times* fainter: some compared it to the noise of a
waggon, running rapidly down a lopg and stony hill; or, to a volley of
musquetry, protracted into what is called in military language, a running
fire. This noise continued about as long as the body was in rising, and
died away apparently in the direction from which the meteor came. The
accounts of others corresponded substantially with this. Time was
differently estimated by different people. Some augmented the number of
loud reports, and terror and
imagination seem, in various instances, to have magnified every
circumstance of the phenomenon.
The only observation which seemed of any importance beyond this statement,
was derived from Mr. Elihu Staples, who said, that when the meteor
disappeared, there were apparently three successive efforts or leaps of
the fire-ball, which grew more dim at every throe, and disappeared with
the last.
The meteor was seen East of the Connecticut, and West of Hudson river, as
far South as New-York, and as far North as the county of Berkshire
Massachusetts; and the explosion was heard, and a tremulous motion of the
earth perceived, between 40 and 50 miles North of Weston, and in other
directions. We do not however pretend to give this as the extent of the
appearance of the meteor; all that we affirm is, that we have not heard
any thing beyond this statement.
From the various accounts which we have received of the appearance of this
body at different place*, we are inclined to believe, the time between the
disappearance and report as estimated by judge Wheeler to be too little,
and that a minute is the least time which could have intervened. Taking
this, therefore, for the time, and the apparent diameter of the body as
only half that of the full moon, its real diameter could not be less than
300 feet.
We now proceed to detail the consequences which followed the explosion and
apparent extinction of this luminary.
We allude to the fall of a number of masses of stone in several places,
within the town of Weston, and on the confines of adjoining towns*. The
places which had been well ascertained, at the period of our
investigation, were six. The most remote were about 9 or 10 miles distant
from each other, in a line differing little from the course of the meteor.
It is therefore probable that the masses tell in this order—the most
northerly first, and the most southerly last. We think we are able to
point out three principal places where stones have fallen, corresponding
with the three loud cannon-like reports, and with the three leaps of the
meteor, observed by Mr. Staples. There were some circumstances common to
all the cases. There was in every instance, immediately after the
explosions had ceased, a loud, whizzing or roaring noise in the air,
observed at all the places, and so far as was ascertained, at the moment
of the fall. It excited in some, the idea of a
tornado; in others, of a large cannon-shot, in rapid motion, and it filled
all with astonishment and apprehension of some impending catastrophe. In
every instance, immediately after this, was heard a sudden and abrupt
noise, like that of a ponderous body striking the ground in its fall.
Excepting two, all the stones which have been found were more or less
broken. The most important circumstances of the particular cases were as
follows:
1st. The most northerly fall was within the limits of the town of
Huntingdon on the border of Weston, about 40 or 50 rods east of the great
road leading from Bridgeport to Newtown, in a cross-road, and contiguous
to the house of Mr. Merwin Burr. Mr. Burr was standing in the road, in
front of his house, when the stone fell. The noise produced by its
collision with a rock.of granite, on which it struck, was very loud. Mr.
Burr was within 50 feet, and searched immediately for the body, but, it
being still dark, he did not find it
* It may be necessary to remark that the term toixn, is, in Connecticut, a
territorial designation, meaning a given extent of ground, (anciently 6
miles square) and has no necessary reference to a collection of houses.
U
till half an hour after. By the fall, some of it was reduced to powder,
and the rest was broken into very small pieces, which were thrown around
tovthe distance of 20 or 30 feet.
The rock was stained at the place of contact, with a deep lead-colour. The
largest fragment which remained, did not exceed the size of a goose-egg,
and this, Mr. Burr found to be still warm to his hand. There was reason to
conclude, from all the circumstances, that this stone must have weighed
from 20 to 25 pounds.
Mr. Burr had a strong impression that another stone fell in an adjoining
field, and it was confidently believed that a large mass had fallen into a
neighbouring swamp; but neither of these had been found.
It is probable that the stone whose fall has now been described, together
with any other masses which may have fallen at the same time, was thrown
from the meteor at the first Explosion.
2nd. The masses projected at the second explosion seem to have fallen
principally at, and in the vicinity of Mr. William Prince's in Weston,
distant about five miles from Mr. Burr's, in a southerly direction.
Mr. Prince and family were still in bed, when they heard the explosions,
and immediately after, a noise like that ordinarily produced by the fall
of a very heavy body to the ground. They formed various unsatisfactory
conjee-' tures concerning the cause, nor, did even a fresh-made hole
through the turf in the door-yard, about 25 feet from the house, lead to
any conception of the cause. They had indeed formed a vague conjecture
that the hole might have been made by lightning; but, would probably have
paid no farther attention to the circumstance, had they not heard, in the
course of the day, that stones had fallen that morning, in other parts of
the town. This induced them, towards evening, to search the hole in the
yard, where they found a stone buried in the loose. earth, which had
fallen in upon it. It lay at the depth of two feet; the hole was about 12
inches in diameter, and as the earth was soft and nearly free from stones,
the mass had sustained
little injury, only a few small fragments having been
detached by the shock. The weight of this stone was about thirty five
pounds. From the descriptions which we have heard, it must have been a
noble specimen, and men of science will not cease to regret, that so rare
a treasure should have been sacrificed to the dreams of avarice, and the
violence of ignorant and impatient curiosity; for, it was immediately
broken in pieces with hammers, and, in the hands of unskilful pretenders,
heated in the crucible and forge, with the vain hope of extracting from it
silver and gold: all that remained unbroken of this mass, was a piece of
I'2 pounds weight, since purchased by Isaac Bronson Esq of Greenfield,
with the liberal view of presenting it to some public institution.
Six days after, another mass was discovered, half a mile north west from
Mr. Prince's. The search was induced by the confident persuasion of the
neighbours, that they heard it fall near the spot where it was actually
found, buried in the earth, and weighing from 7 to 10 pounds. It was found
by Gideon Hall and Isaac Fairchild. It was in small fragments, having
fallen on a globular detached mass of gneiss rock, which it split in two,
and by which it was itself shivered to pieces.
The same men informed us, that they suspected another stone had fallen in
the vicinity, as the report had been distinctly heard, and could be
referred to a particular region, somewhat to the east. Returning to the
place, after an excursion of a few hours to another part of the town, we
were gratified to find the conjecture verified, by the actual discovery of
a mass of 13 pounds weight, which had fallen half a mile to the north east
of Mr. Prince's. Having fallen in a ploughed field, without coming into
contact with a rock, it was broken only into two principal pieces, one ot
which, possessing all the characters of the stone in a remarkable degree,
we purchased, for, it had now become an article of sale......
For the full report click on this link down below
http://books.google.com/books?id=DbkAAAAAYAAJ&dq=silliman%20%20meteorite%20transactions%20Transactions%201809&pg=PA323#v=onepage&q&f=false
Shawn Alan
IMCA 1633
eBaystore
http://shop.ebay.com/photophlow/m.html
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