150 



REPORT 1877. 



sylvauia aud to Western New York, U. S. — A fireball of unprecedented 

 magnificence and length of course (not excluding even the great fireball seen 

 in England on the 18th of August, 1783), was extensively observed in the 

 northern part of the United States of America on the night of the 21st of 

 December last, of which some highly elaborate investigations have been made 

 and an unusual number of exceedingly extraordinary descriptions have been 

 published. The following particulars of its real path and appearance are 

 taken from two very complete discussions of the various accounts and state- 

 ments concerning it which had appeared, by Prof. H. A. Newton and Prof. 

 1). Kirkwood, in the ' American Journal of Science ' of February and March, 

 1877 (vol. xiii. pp. 166 and 207), and from a further review of its real 

 course by Prof. Kirkwood, contained in a paper (see the note appended to the 

 date and place of appearance of the last meteor) read before the American 

 Philosophical Society on March 16, 1877. 



Minesota \7- 



•fo Wisconsin // 



Br f an booster 

 ) Peoria^r^^o^hisur'; 'j^PMsburgk 



^JaolcsonMU-, Indianapolis ^^f-—-.. 



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Kansas \ Missouri 



J' Scale of Miles 



.' O 50 100 200 300 400 



lieal tracks of large fireballs observed in the United States of America, 18151-77*. 



1. November 15, 1861 (stonefall). 



2. September 5, 1872. 



Z. February 12, 1875 (stonefall). 



4. December 27, 1875. 



5. January 5, 1870. 



6. July 8, 1876. 



7. December 21, 1876 

 (stonefall). 



According to Prof. Newton the meteor first made its appearance at a height 

 of about 60 miles over the neighbourhood of Topeka, in Kansas, crossed the 

 Missouri and Mississippi rivers near the towns of Leavensworth and Hannibal 

 respectively, undergoing some explosions over the centre of Missouri State, 

 and breaking into several fragments over Illinois, soon after crossing the 

 Mississippi. The breaking-up continued while the meteor was crossing the 

 States of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, and in fact it consisted at this time of 

 a large flock of from 20 to 100 brilliant balls chasing each other across the 

 sky ! How far it pursued its course over Pennsylvania into Western New 

 York is uncertain, as a cloudy state of the sky appears to have interfered 

 with its visibility in the latter State, and no accounts of its appearance 

 further east had been received. An appalling sound of an explosion reached 

 the earth in central Illinois, which was less distinct in the southern part of 

 the State, and was not audible at Chicago and St. Louis ; but detonations 



* Tracks 1-5 communicated by Mr. Irish. For descriptions (except of the Iowa me- 

 teorite, No. 3) see pp. 102-4 ; No. 0, sec p. 140. 



