Paper: Middletown Daily Argus City: Middletown, New York Date: Wednesday, August 14, 1895 Page: 8
THE BURSTING OF AN AEROLITE
The Mystery of the Deafening Crash of Sunday Night Explained - Not a Thunder Feat - The Wonderful Sight seen by a Party Returning from Crystal Run - A Meteor Flies Into Pieces Before Their Eyes.
The cause of the terrific report, early yesterday morning, which startled everybody in this city and surrounding country, and which was supposed to have been a single peal of thunder, has been discovered. It was the bursting of an aerolite in the heavens. Several persons have been found who saw the great meteor at the time of the explosion, and as they describe it, it must have been one of nature's grandest of pyrotechnical displays. A party of six young people, Mr. Mile Smith, of this city, Mr. Orin VanGordon, Linda, Hattie and Lizzie VanGordon and Sadie Youngs, of Dingman's, Pa., had been visiting friends at Crystal Run and were on the big bill near Michigan, on their way home, when the horses stopped suddenly and trembled with fear, and at the same time the whole heavens were lighted up and a great ball of fire with a train of light following it came up over the southern horizon and passed swiftly over the east, and when, apparently between Middleton and Mechanietown, the great mass exploded, breaking into four parts which went sailing in as many directions but soon ceases to give forth light. Mr. Smith says the report was the loudest he ever heard and seemed to fairly shake the earth. He estimated that the aerolite was in plain view at least two minutes before the explosion came and all had a good view of it. Miss Martha, daughter of Mr. Archie Gordon, of Franklin street, this city, also was the aerolite, and her description of it is the same as that given by Mr. Smith. She was sitting in the window of her room and was so thoroughly frightened by the unusual spectacle that she rushed back to her bad, and did not see the explosion of the meteor, and probably missed the grandest sight it will ever be her privilege to witness. Sergeant Wilson and Officer Sharpe of the police force were standing under the awning at Pronk's corner when the aerolite passed through the air, but did not see the great fiery ball itself, but noticed that the whole street around was lighted as they had never seen it before. Even the explosion which followed the flash of light did not convey any explanation to them of the great light they had seen. Please visit, www.MeteoriteArticles.com, a free on-line archive of meteor and meteorite articles. |
