OBSERVATIONS OF LUMINOUS METEORS. 211 



III. Aerolites and Meteoe-Showebs. 



Iowa, United States, America, 1875, Feb. 12th, 10" 30™ p.m. (Chicago 

 time). — The Committee is indebted to Mr. B. V. Marsh, of Philadelphia, for 

 many contemporary descriptions of this meteor and of the stonefall that 

 accompanied it, from American local journa,ls, of which the accompanying 

 outline map roughly represents the geographical positions, together with the 

 probable line over which the meteor was vertical in its course. The accounts 

 contain descriptions of its appearance at Iowa city, where it was observed 

 by Prof. N. R. Leonard (Iowa St. Univ.), who afterwards examined and 



Vinton 

 Toledo 



Marengo 

 • G-Ti- lyii. 



Neitflon . £roo7e- _ jt 



DCS rieUj^ 

 Moines __-.— • -^"""^ C^<y 



Marion Siganrney tVestZibtrey 



Oskaloosa 



SO, Miles. 



described the sites of the meteor's faU at GrineU, Oskaloosa, Vinton, Des 

 Moines, &c., and additional observations of it at Brooklyn and "West Liberty 

 are supplied by Mr. Marsh. The apparent size of the meteor as seen at 

 Iowa city was half that of the full moon, and its light appeared at West 

 Liberty as strong as that of fuU daylight. It presented three separate 

 explosions (attended apparently by as many distinct reports), and a streak 

 of bright light marked its course, described at GrineU as intensely bluish 

 white and at Iowa city as slightly tinged with green ; the apparent colour 

 of the nucleus itself at the latter place was that of molten iron, and the 

 whole duration of its visible flight was estimated at about one second. The 

 sound of the report followed the appearance there in two or three minutes, 

 like three blasts of a quarry, accompanied by a rolling or rumbling noise. 

 The explosion at Brooklyn and westward from Iowa city was stiU more 

 violent. It followed 3™ after the appearance of the meteor (by watch) at 

 GrineU, and at an interval of about 5° at Searsborough (10 miles south of 

 GrineU). Its description at Washington is as of a rumbling earthquake 

 sound lasting a minute, and shaking houses plainly. At Vinton it consisted 

 of three or four cannon-Uke reports, foUowed by a sound resembUng that of 

 a raUway-train crossing a bridge. The meteor and its report were seen and 

 heard over a space 125 mUes in extent from E. to W., and over half as 

 wide a space from N. to S. Fragments, varying in size from a few lbs. to 

 150 lbs., were found at Homestead and other places in the neighbourhood 

 of Brooklyn and Iowa city, having excavated to a great depth both earth 

 and snow upon which they fell. The point marked x in the map is the 

 site of one of the first fragments found, about 6 lbs. or 7 lbs. in weight, in 

 N. lat. 41° 46', W. long. 92° 0'. 



Descriptions of this meteorite and of another stonefaU which took place a 



p2 



