BOOK OF THE DAMNED 281 



for a cloud, but "nothing could be more unlike the rush of a meteor." 

 In the Philosophical Magazine, 5-15-318, J. Rand Capron, in a 

 lengthy paper, alludes throughout to this phenomenon as an "auroral 

 beam," but he lists many observations upon its "torpedo-shape," 

 and one observation upon a "dark nucleus" in it host of most 

 confusing observations estimates of height between 40 and 200 

 miles observations in Holland and Belgium. We are told that 

 according to Capron's spectroscopic observations the phenomenon 

 was nothing but a beam of auroral light. In the Observatory, 6-192, 

 is Maunder's contemporaneous account. He gives apparent approxi- 

 mate length and breadth at twenty-seven degrees and three degrees 

 and a half. He gives other observations seeming to indicate struc- 

 ture "remarkable dark marking down the center." 



In Nature, 27-84, Capron says that because of the moonlight he 

 had been able to do little with the spectroscope. 



Color white, but aurora rosy (Nature, 27-87). 



Bright stars seen through it, but not at the zenith, where it 

 looked opaque. This is the only assertion of transparency (Nature, 

 27-87). Too slow for a meteor, but too fast for a cloud (Nature, 

 27-86). "Surface had a mottled appearance" (Nature, 27-87). 

 "Very definite in form, like a torpedo" (Nature, 27-100). "Probably 

 a meteoric object" (Dr. Groneman, Nature, 27-296). Technical 

 demonstration by Dr. Groneman, that it was a cloud of meteoric 

 matter (Nature, 28-105). See Nature, 27-315, 338, 365, 388, 412, 



434- 



"Very little doubt it was an electric phenomenon" (Proctor, 

 Knowledge, 2-419). 



In the London Times, Nov. 20, 1882, the Editor says that he 

 had received a great number of letters upon this phenomenon. He 

 publishes two. One correspondent describes it as "well-defined and 

 shaped like a fish . . . extraordinary and alarming." The other 

 correspondent writes of it as "a most magnificent luminous mass, 

 shaped somewhat like a torpedo." 



