5 i2 POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



Another remarkable meteor fell into the Atlantic Ocean far out 

 at sea, July 20, 1860. It resembled the one mentioned above in that 

 it was accompanied by a marvelous pyrotechnic display. It first ap- 

 peared in the vicinity of Michigan, blazing out with a fiery glow that 

 filled the heavens with light. Cocks crowed, oxen lowed, and people 



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Section of Interior of Coon Butte. 



rushed from their homes along its course over the States of New 

 York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. When last seen, over the At- 

 lantic, it had separated into three parts, which followed each other as 

 separate fire bodies, without the noise which was the accompanying 

 feature of the Kansas meteor. 



Doubtless the majority of meteors plunge into the ocean, and in 

 modern times several large meteoric bodies have narrowly escaped 

 passing vessels. On December 1, 1896, the officers of the ship Wal- 

 komming, bound from New York to Bremen, noticed a large and 

 brilliant meteor flashing down upon them. Its direction was from 

 southeast to northwest, and it plunged into the sea ahead of the 

 vessel with a loud roar and hissing sound; a few minutes later an 

 immense tidal wave, presumably caused by the fall, struck the ship, 

 doing no little damage. Even more remarkable was the escape of the 

 British ship Cawdor, which was given up by the underwriters, but 

 which reached San Francisco November 20, 1897. During a heavy 



Section of Coon Butte. 



storm, August 20th, a large meteor flashed from the sky and passed 

 between the main and mizzen masts, crashing into the sea with a 

 blinding flash and deafening detonation. For a moment it was 

 thought the ship was on fire, and the air was filled with sulphurous 

 fumes. 



In 1888 a meteor dashed into the atmosphere of the earth and 

 made a brilliant display over southern California. It appeared be- 



