152 report — 1877. 



From the list of towns over "which its track appears to have been vertical, 

 Prof. Kirkwood concludes that its real courso was not a perfectly straight 

 line, and that a convexity towards the north (amounting perhaps to a more 

 or less abrupt deflection at the principal poiut of explosion) is indicated 

 by the observations near the beginning and near the termination and 

 along the intermediate portions of its track. With this exception, and that 

 the meteor's course approached the earth with a sensible downward inclina- 

 tion, there is no very material difference between the real courses assigned to 

 it independently by Prof. Newton and Prof. Kirkwood. The whole extent 

 of its prodigiously long flight, according to the latter, from the extreme boundary 

 of Kansas in the west to that of Pennsylvania in the east, was not less than 

 between 1000 and 1100 miles ! 



Accounts in the 'Indianopolis Journal' thus describe the meteor as seen in 

 Southern Indiana : — " A fireball surpassing the moon in apparent magnitude, 

 followed by a great number of smaller meteors, was seen in the northern 

 heavens, from about 10° above the W. by N. to 5° above the N.E. horizon. 

 Many of the meteors following in the train of the principal bolide were 

 larger than Yenus or Jupiter. No attempt was made to count them, but 

 their number was certainly nearly one hundred. A remarkable feature of 

 the meteoric group was the slowness of its apparent motion ; while it was 

 variously estimated, most of tho observers think that its time of flight could 

 not have been less than threo minutes." An observer near Columbus, in 

 Southern Ohio, describes it as " a cluster or flock of meteors seemingly 

 huddled together, like a flock of wild geese, and moving with the same velo- 

 city and grace of regularity. The colour of their light was a yellowish red, 

 like red rocket-balls. There was no illumination-nimbus or train from them. 

 We saw it first in the west, and some of us only as it was slowly nearing the 

 earth and about crossing the railroad in the north." 



Prom a place on the track, close beneath the point of the meteor's principal 

 outburst and disruption in mid-course, at Jacksonville, 111., the ' Philadelphia 

 Enquirer ' gives a description recording tho extreme brilliancy and the 

 startling appearance of tho meteor. No notice, however, occurs in this de- 

 scription of the violent explosion, whose sound is said to have been terrific 

 in some counties of Illinois adjoining that from which the writer dates his 

 graphic narrative of the splendid sight. Neither are any descriptive accounts at 

 places near the beginning and end points of its course given in the two memoirs 

 above quoted, which would be of special interest regarding the aspect of the 

 meteor in those parts of its course which were either at or close to the points 

 of its first and last appearance. 



Jacksonville, 111., U. S. — " On Thursday evening [Dec. 21, 1870] a beautiful 

 meteoric display was witnessed here about half-past eight o'clock. The 

 meteor first came in view away to tho west, and about 30° above the horizon. 

 It passed but a short distance north of the city, and was finally lost to sight 

 away to the eastward. When first seen it seemed a blazing burning ball, 

 nearly as large as the full moon, and appeared to bo moving directly towards 

 this city. As it swept along with its fiery tail, some 20° in length, and some 

 ten to twenty 1 dazing fragments following it [even before the great dismem- 

 berment over Peoria, soon afterwards], it presented a sight of surpassing 

 magnificence and beauty. When this great ball of fire reached a point con- 

 siderably north of east [about over Peoria, Central 111.], it burst into ten or 

 twelve fragments not unlike in appearance the bursting of a rocket, and these 

 fragments seemed finally to disappear in a bank of clouds which hung near 

 the eastern horizon. The meteor was of such surpassing brilliancy that the 



