340 MEMOIRS NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, VOL. XIII. 



(I mention Jacob Leonhart and two sons, of Bear Creek) caught glimpses of the meteor through the clouds, north and a 

 little west of north, at such altitudes as to show that if its course was nearly northwest its height was not far from 40 

 miles over the central and northern parts of Noble County. Many persons in the eastern border of Athens County, west 

 of Marietta, saw the meteor in a northeasterly direction passing from cloud to cloud at such altitudes as lead to the same 

 conclusion. Mr. John Brabham and several others undertook to show the angle at which the body was descending 

 toward the horizon and it was such as to give a path not differing widely from the above when combined either with 

 Mr. Welles's observation or with that of Mr. Mackley. The statements of different observers at the same places of 

 course vary somewhat, but none have been used except those which seemed well attested. The directions were taken 

 whenever possible, as pointed out by observers themselves, from their places of observation. Every case of very wide 

 discrepancy in testimony was by this means made to disappear. 



Let us now use the data furnished by Messrs. Welles and Mackley for estimating the velocity of the meteor. It is 

 to be observed, that its bearing, as above estimated, being so nearly at right angles with the lines of vision of both 

 observers, reduces the velocity almost to a minimum. Now Mr. Welles saw the meteor pass from 50 east of north to 

 20 east of north, a distance of 11 miles, in about three seconds. This gives for its velocity in the first part of its visible 

 path 3J miles in a second. Mr. Mackley estimated that the meteor was visible to him for six seconds. The distance 

 in this case is 18 miles; the consequent velocity 3 miles a second. Here is as close agreement as could be expected, 

 and in view of the tendency to exaggerate the time we may presume that neither of these estimates of the velocity is too 

 great; but of the two that based on Mr. Welles's observation should be preferred, since the shorter interval of time is 

 the easier to estimate with precision. 



There is no strong evidence that the meteor was seen farther southeast than where it first appeared to Mr. Welles, 

 nor farther northwest than where it was last seen by Mr. Mackley. The distance between these two points projected on 

 the earth is about 35 miles. In a former communication I gave the testimony of Joel Richardson, of Warren, as tending 

 to show that it was seen over the district where the stones fell ; but from comparison of his statements with those of others 

 in the same neighborhood I am disposed to admit that he made an error of 10 or 15 degrees in the direction. Rumors of 

 persons in Morgan County having seen the meteor descend nearly to the horizon have, upon investigation, proved 

 groundless. 



It was a circumstance favorable to correct estimates of directions, on the part of observers, that they saw the body 

 through openings in the clouds. From the east side of its path it was not seen at all, as the sky was completely overcast, 

 but no pains have been spared to collect and examine all the observations from the west side by personal communication 

 with the witnesses. 



The 'conclusions which we have derived from the evidence may now be briefly summed up as follows: The course 

 of the meteor was about 40 west of north. It was first seen over the eastern part of Washington County (about lat. 

 39 27', Ion. 81 8') at a height of 41 miles, nearly. It was last seen over the northwestern border of Noble County 

 (about lat. 39 51', Ion. 81 34'), at a height of 38 miles, nearly. Its velocity relatively to the surface of the earth was 

 from 3 to 4 miles a second. 



As the time was half past 12, noon (May 1), it follows from the results just given that its velocity in the solar system 

 was from 20 J to 21 miles a second. 



As the data can not be claimed to be more than approximations to the truth the conclusions can not. I have given 

 the results found by comparing the data of two excellent observers at advantageous posts as the most likely to be near 

 approximations. These results agree nearly with my first estimates, formed by a general comparison of less select data, 

 before the most material statements in Mr. Mackley's testimony or any part of the testimony of Mr Brabham and many 

 others were yet known to me. Any attempt to establish a path differing widely from that now given, whether in the 

 bearing or in the height above the earth, or in the amount of departure from parallelism above the earth's surface 

 between the points indicated, will cause the statements, not only of Messrs. Mackley and Welles, but of all the observers, 

 to clash hopelessly with each other. 



These views are entirely inconsistent with the hypothesis that the whole of the blazing body described by witnesses 

 came to the earth in Guernsey County. If the principal mass fell at all it must have fallen at a great distance beyond. 

 Whether we suppose it was consumed in the air or passed on there is no difficulty arising from the fact that it was not 

 seen farther to the northwest, for there is evidence that the sky along its path was overspread with clouds not only from 

 Northwestern Virginia to New Concord but to a considerable distance beyond; and I have ascertained from meteoro- 

 logical reports recorded in the Smithsonian Institution that there were clouds (early in the afternoon, May 1) over a 

 large part of northwestern Ohio. Nor is there any difficulty in conceiving how different bodies of the same density, 

 after entering the atmosphere together and moving through it a great distance, could have been so far separated. For 

 the smaller bodies having more surface in proportion to their weight than the larger (the surfaces being as the squares 

 of the diameters while the solidities are as cubes) would encounter more resistance from the air. And the smaller bodies, 

 having once fallen below the larger, would receive a still further acceleration to their descent from the increased density 

 of the air; for it is an established fact that through atmospheric strata of equal depth the increase in density downward 

 is by a geometrical ratio. In order, however, to account for a separation of over 30 miles in a vertical line it is necessary 

 to concede that the part which passed over was much larger than any of those which came to the ground. It must also 

 be conceded that they began to separate long before crossing the Ohio River, a view which is strongly supported by the 

 fact already stated that over the southern part of Noble County the stones which fell had already descended far enough 

 to cause a concussion in the lower atmosphere that was heard over a vast region. 



