226 Mr. Bowditch’s estimate of the height &c. 
‘“ thunder-storm. © Where it was not too much obscured by thick 
‘clouds, a waving conical train of paler light was seen to attend 
‘*it, in length about 10 or 12 diameters of the body. In the clear sky 
“a brisk scintillation was observed about the body of the meteor, like 
*¢ that of a burning fire-brand carried against the wind. It disappear- 
‘¢ ed about 15 degrees short of the zenith, and about the same num- 
“ ber of degrees west of the meridian. It did not vanish instantane- 
‘*‘ ously, but grew, pretty rapidly, fainter and fainter, as a red hot can- 
* non ball would do, if cooling in the dark, only with much more ra- 
“¢ pidity.—The whole period between its first appearance and total ex- 
‘¢ tinction, was estimated at about 30 seconds.. About 30 or 40 sec- 
“ onds after this, three loud and distinct reports, like those of a four- 
“ pounder, near at hand were heard.—Then followed a rapid. succes- 
“sion of reports less loud—so as to produce a continued rumbling— 
# This noise continued about as long as the body was in rising, and 
“ died away apparently i in the direction from which the meteor came.” 
Mr. ‘Staples observed, “ that when the meteor disappeared, there were 
“ apparently three successive efforts or leaps of the fire ball, which 
“ grew more dim at every throe, and disappeared with the last.—From 
“the various accounts which we have received of the appearance of 
“ the body at different places, we are inclined to believe, that the time 
“ between the disappearance and report, as estimated by Judge Whee- 
“ Jer, is too little, and that a minute is the least time that could have | 
“ intervened.” The latitude of Weston is about 41° 15’ N, longitude 
73° 27’ W from Greenwich, but there is a little uncertainty in both 
these quantities, though not enough to affect materially the result of 
the calculation. 
The observations made at Rutland were procured by the kind of- 
fices of Professor Hall, of Middlebury College, Vermont, to whom 
Mr. Page communicated his valuable observations in a paper, € - 
