CHICORA METEORITE — PRESTON, HENDERSON, R,\NDOLPH 399 



On the evidence of the crows, and the apparent ti-ajectory, Mr. 

 McCormick has spent many hours searching the ravine in question. 

 He reports that it is scarcely possible to stand without hanging on to 

 the trees, and that it takes one man a day to search an acre or two. 

 His searches have so far proved fruitless. Mr. Aderhold chartered a 

 small plane and flew over the woods in this district looking for evi- 

 dence of damaged trees, but he was also unsuccessful. Obviously a 

 meteor or coUection of fragments weighing many hundreds of pounds 

 and perhaps tons could fall in such a place and except by accident 

 never be discovered. 



The evidence, however, of the two fragments actually recovered is 

 that fragments falhng nearly vertically were shed miles ahead of the 

 theoretical impact point. Since we cannot assume that two small 

 fragments of stone, weighing a few ounces each and traveling witli a 

 normal terminal velocity, could have created a sound hke an airplane 

 or a great rush of wind, it is clear the main meteor lies northeast of the 

 recovered fragments. But suice there are some miles of territory 

 between Garing's farm and the theoretical im_pact point, and the 

 country is mostly under dense vegetation, the prospects of recovery 

 are not bright. 



Theoretical impact point is about latitude 41 °1' N., longitude 

 79°40' W. 



Recovered fragments are from approxim-ately latitude 40°56' N. 

 longitude 79°44' W. 



TOP OF SMOKE TRAIL 



This is probably a fairly definite point physically and represents 

 the place at which incandescence reached the boiling or vaporizing 

 point. Obviously, as this was at a high altitude, the true "boiling 

 point" would be low, but what is here meant is a point at wliich the 

 stone had fused to a glass of low enough viscosity to be ripped into a 

 vapor or dust by the rush of air. This is a fairly definite point, and 

 observers ought to be able to agree on the position of the top of the 

 trail, whereas they will not agree on the bottom of it, because this is 

 usually settled for each observer by obstructions on his horizon. 



Unfortunately, while it would have been easy to sight on the top 

 of the sm.oke trail with a "transit" at the time of the phenomenon, 

 it would not be easy in most cases to mark the position for future 

 reference, as the open sky rarely has landmarks. A few observers 

 saw the trail through the treetops, or past gable ends of houses, but 

 while these could have been good markers, the observer rarely knew 

 his own position to v/ithin a few feet, and this makes a significant en-or 

 of angle. 



Taking account of the various situations of the observers, it appears 

 to us likely that the top of the smoke column actually observed was 



