252 Zz Account of the Meteorite of Castine, Maine. 
great rapidity. Something was seen and heard to strike the 
ground in the road, but a little distance from the place where he 
was standing, w which proved to be the stone in question. Mr. 
Giles Gardiner also saw the stone strike the ground, but he did 
not notice the meteor. I could not learn from Mr. Blaisdell that 
the meteor had any apparent motion, except with the cloud, be- 
fore the explosion. He stated that he was looking at it from eight 
to ten minutes. ‘The report was heard by great Pet in the 
village and elsewhere. Some saw a streak of ligh 
rof. Cleaveland’s account of the stone and the ge. phe- 
nomena is the following. “It fell at Castine, Maine, May 20, 
(4h. 15m. aan,) 1848. The fall was accompanied by a noise 
similar to thunder, but quicker and more’ like that of agun. The 
yeport was distinctly heard at a distance of thirty or forty miles 
from Castine. “a second report, resembling the discharge of mus- 
kets, was also 
“The stone ame ‘from the southeast, and by its fall penetrated 
to the depth.of two inches into a dry, hard road. No flash of 
light was observed by the person who witnessed the fall, although 
the stone struck the earth within a few feet of him. Others as- 
sert that they saw a flash. 
ts whole al wen entire was 14 oz. avoir. The finder 
ices off a piece to examine the inside, and threw the fragment 
away. It was fatther | dimniniabbd by the portion sent to you. _ Its 
present weight is loz. 3pwts. 5grs. The whole was invested by 
a black crust. Its shape was somewhat wedge-shaped, one sur- 
face being nearly plane, and the ether irregular or slightly waved. 
This stone is now in the mineralogical cabinet of Bowdoin Col- 
lege, to which it was presented by Mr. Lemuel W. Atherton, of 
Casti : bs ae s fall.” 
1 from ment so bli ngl i 
sent od ‘to me for: purpose by Prof. agent _ aan 
wp. iar, °>= 3-4 
In general ene, it resembles “ Poltawa stone (of March 
12, 1811); but is distinguishable from that, by possessing a much 
lighter color, a more pearly lustre, a in beirig destitute of specks 
of iron-rust. The nickeliferous iron is in smaller points, and pos- 
sessed of an unusually brilliant silver-white lustre. Rass mag- 
eed e 
- % ab 
