This is a well-known historical hoax. Obviously the writer of this article did not take the time to do his research; all of the photos in the article are out of context. Dirk Ross...Tokyo
--- On Sat, 2/27/10, Greg Stanley <[email protected]> wrote: > From: Greg Stanley <[email protected]> > Subject: [meteorite-list] The Middleburg Meteorite > To: [email protected] > Date: Saturday, February 27, 2010, 7:07 AM > > Just one more. > > Greg S. > > > http://www.jaxobserver.com/simplertime/2010/02/the-middleburg-meteorite/ > > > The Middleburg Meteorite > > by Joseph E. Miller on February 26, 2010 > > “You should have seen it!” shouted a young boy in the > crowd. Pointing to a large black stallion drinking from a > trough, he added, “It was as big as that ther horse over > ther’.” > > But, we don’t need to rely on the word of a child to know > that this “rock from another planet” was gigantic. There > were dozens who saw it fall and thousands more that touched > it. > > In January, 1888, several Florida residents witnessed a > “large green streak” falling through the sky. Known as a > shooting star, the meteorite was visible throughout the > entire southeast. Trying to project its final location and > landing zone, each witness pointed to a field nearby where > they were standing. Whether they lived in Key West, Miami, > Palatka or Jacksonville, they would motion in a particular > direction and then say, “Its got to be right over > there.” > > It turns out that the monstrous meteorite (the envy of the > world) fell to the earth in Middleburg, Florida. It was late > in the evening when several passersby witnessed its arrival > then heard a tremendous “thud.” Every house in the town > shook. > > w_meteoriteRunning to farmer J.W. Barber’s newly > cultivated land, they approached a smoking hole and right > there in front of them was this catch of a rock. > > Farmer Barber rode up on his horse in his bedclothes and > inquired, “What the hell is all the commotion on my land > about?” > > “Take a look for yerself, knucklehead,” one man > shouted. > > Farmer Barber approached the smoldering hole and said, > “Just which one of yous dug this hole and burned some > wood.” > > Shaking his gun like an Indian spear, he said, “I’ll > use this on ya. I’ve got rock salt loaded to the top. Doya > think I’m crazy?” > > Pointing at the large steaming rock, one man shouted, > “J.W., have ya ever seen a rock on fire?” > > Farmer Barber was now close enough to see the large rock. > It had a whiteish appearance and looked similar to a lump of > coal just after it was pulled from the fire. > > “Now just where did that thing come from?” he inquired. > He looked around at everyone, scanning their faces for some > type of reaction. > > An older boy, unwilling to be shot in the behind said, > “Put down that gun and we’ll tell ya.’ > > The farmer obliged and sat the gun on the ground. Lifting > his head back up he noticed that everyone was looking to the > sky. > > Pointing upward, the boy said, “This is going to sound > stupid fer sure, but it fell from up der.” > > The farmer, now with a look of disgust shouted, “Now > I’ve just about had enough.” He reached down toward the > gun when a big man with a badge stepped on its barrel. It > was the local sheriff. He said, “They told you the truth > J.W., that thing fell from the sky.” > > Scratching his head in disbelief, farmer Barber said, “Oh > my goodness gracious. Now I’ve seen dang near > everything.” > > The next morning, farmer Barber was the town’s celebrity. > Pointing to the > sky like some kind of expert, he could heard saying, “The > thing just dropped from the sky and don’t let me hear ya > say ya don’t believe it.” He had taken time to build a > wooden fence around the hole in order to preserve his find. > > Observing a young boy sticking his head through the fence, > farmer Barber shouted, “Boy, don’t get too close now,” > People were standing ten deep just to get a peek at his > “stone from the heavens.” > > A neighbor said, “J.W. you are so lucky. That’s damn > near the largest stone from the sky that anyone has ever > found. > > Suddenly, a man they termed a “city boy” stepped up and > said, “You could be right. There were a couple of > meteorites that fell in Spain that might be larger but this > one is truly a keeper and may be in the record books.” > > sub tropical jaxThe timing could not have been better to > have a natural amusement enter the earth’s atmosphere. It > was just weeks before Florida’s Subtropical Exposition and > this was a unique item. Exposition organizers approached the > farmer for permission and after guarantees that his land > would be returned to its original state; he accepted their > offer to remove the iron stone and display it in > Jacksonville. > > It was not clear whether the farmer requested the > meteorites return after its display. > > Block and tackle assisted in its removal and placement on a > washboard wagon pulled by several horses. The trip from > Middleburg to Jacksonville, > Florida, took nearly two full days. > > kids in meteorite For nearly three years, the 200 pound > magnificent piece was displayed in > its special cradle. It was touched, sat on, kissed, prayed > to and even > painted. It was stroked by the President of the United > States, the First > Lady, the Governor, Mayors of several cities and many other > dignitaries. > There were those who brought tools to remove a piece for > posterity but none were successful. They left empty-handed. > > Sometime during its display, Dr. Hahn, meteorite expert > from Germany, traveled to Jacksonville to photograph and > examine the meteorite. He exclaimed that he had proof of > fossils inside the giant ore and wrote a paper outlining his > find. Years later, his claims were discredited. > > Sadly, after Jacksonville’s Subtropical Exposition, the > meteor was removed and never seen again. There are several > newspaper articles published during this time period > throughout the world which suggest a group of thieves would > acquire meteors for its mineral deposits. They would melt > the rock which would separate each individual metal and sell > the results to the highest bidder. > > Whether this theft occurred or not the Middleburg Meteor > has never been seen again. > > > > > _________________________________________________________________ > Hotmail: Trusted email with powerful SPAM protection. > http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/201469227/direct/01/ > ______________________________________________ > Visit the Archives at > http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html > Meteorite-list mailing list > [email protected] > http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list > ______________________________________________ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html Meteorite-list mailing list [email protected] http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
