[meteorite-list] Barbotan and Agen two distinct falls?

From: philippe thomas <thomasmeteorites_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:43:31 2004
Message-ID: <3b5013503c02bcb3_at_andira.wanadoo.fr> (added by andira.wanadoo.fr)

Hello all,
I have find an information about old fall in France, below the original tex=
t
and the translation (please be indulgent, I don=B9t know English very well)
Extrait du livre Les ph=E9nom=E8nes de la nature de De Marl=E8s 1835
"A=E9rolithes
Vers la fin du mois d=B9ao=FBt 1789, =E0 la suite d=B9une forte explosion qui fut
entendue de tout Bordeaux, une pierre d=B9environ quinze pouces de diam=E8tre
tomba sur une ferme, traversa le toit et tua un berger et quelques b=EAtes =E0
laine. Une portion de cette pierre a =E9t=E9 conserv=E9e au mus=E9e de Bordeaux.
L=B9ann=E9e suivante, au mois de juillet, une v=E9ritable pluie de pierres tomba
sur Agen. On vit d=B9abord, vers les neuf heures et demie du soir, un bolide
qui traversait l=B9atmosph=E8re avec une vitesse prodigieuse, laissant apr=E8s lu=
i
une lumi=E8re qui disparut au bout de cinquante secondes. Imm=E9diatement apr=E8s=
,
il se fit une explosion terrible, et l=B9on vit de brillantes =E9tincelles
jaillir dans tous les sens; c=B9=E9tait autant de pierres, d=E9bris du bolide. Un
espace consid=E9rable de terrain en fut couvert; beaucoup de maisons eurent
leurs tuiles bris=E9es. Quelques-unes de ces pierres tomb=E8rent avec un fort
bruissement, et elles s=B9enfonc=E8rent dans la terre; les autres rest=E8rent =E0 l=
a
surface; il y en eut qui tomb=E8rent sur la paille et qui s=B9y coll=E8rent, ce
qui ferait supposer qu=B9elles =E9taient encore en fusion au moment de la chute=
.
la plus grande partie de ces a=E9rolithes =E9tait du poids d=B9environ deux onces=
;
il s=B9en trouva de moindres et de plus consid=E9rables."

Extract of book Les ph=E9nom=E8nes de la nature of De Marl=E8s 1835
"Meteorites
At the end of august 1789, after a big explosion who has been heard by all
the town of Bordeaux, a stone about fifteen pouces (old French measurement,
one pouce =3D 27 mm) in diameter fell on a farm, went across the roof and
killed a shepherd and some sheep. A fragment of this stone have been
preserved at the museum of Bordeaux.
Year after, at the month of july, a real rain of stones fell on Agen. At
first we saw, about 9:30 PM, a fireball who pass through the atmosphere wit=
h
a prodigious speed, keep after it a light who disappeared after fifty
seconds. Immediately after a dreadful explosion, we saw flying out bright
sparks in all directions; many stones, remains of fireball. A considerable
space was covered, a lot of houses had tiles broken. Some of these stones
fell with a strong rustling, and they sank into the soil; the others stayed
at the surface; Some of them fell on the straw and stay stuck on it, So we
thought that they were still melting at the time of the fall. The majority
of these stones weight about two onces (old measurement, one once =3D 28,35g)=
;
some weight less or more."

Best Regards
Philippe Thomas
thomasmeteorites_at_wanadoo.fr
Received on Sat 14 Jul 2001 05:35:52 AM PDT