[meteorite-list] NP Article, 07-1983 Wetherfield Meteorites on Display
From: MARK BOSTICK <thebigcollector_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:17:50 2004 Message-ID: <BAY4-DAV7NAZBOBa9cN0002298e_at_hotmail.com> ------=_NextPart_001_0059_01C3C4F6.4F9E7710 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Newspaper: The Capital =20 City: Annapolis, Maryland =20 Date: Wednesday, July 27, 1983 Page: 24 Wetherfield meteorites at Smithsonian Two meteorites that crashed through the roofs of houses in Wethersfield, = Conn., - a "celestial coincidence" that Smithsonian scientists say in alm= ost incomprehensible - are on public display for the first time at the Sm= ithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. =20 The exhibit in the museum's ground floor Constitution Avenue foyer will c= ontinue through Oct. 15 The first of these two intruders from outers pace, a 3/4-pound stone, str= uck the home of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Cassarino between 2 and 6 a.m. April 8,= 971. The Cassarinos were sleeping and didn't hear it. They awoke to find= the meteorite embedded in their ceiling. Meteorites are very rare - only five to 10 are recovered annually through= out the world - and only once in recorded history had two meteorites been= known to land in the same town: Honolulu, in 1825 and 1949. So it was nothing short of astonishing to scientists when a second meteor= ite fell 11 years later in Wethersfield less than two miles way on Nov. 8= , 1982. Wanda and Robert Donahue were at home watching "M.A.S.H." on tele= vision when the 6-pound stone struck at about 9:15 a.m. Scientists estima= te that it was probably traveling about 300 mph when it hit. It came thro= ugh the Donahue's roof and ceiling, richocheted off the floor and ceiling= , overturned a chair, dented a wall and finally came to rest under a tabl= e. The Donahues, neither of whom was injured, rushed into their living room = and spotted a hole in the ceiling but not the cause of trouble. The "smok= e" and plaster dust made them suspect a fire and they called the police a= nd the fire department. It was a fireman who discovered the meteorite, ab= out 10 minutes later. News of Wethersfield 1983 traveled fast. They Donahues were deluged with = phone calls from journalists. Scientists from several institutions conver= ged on Wethersfield, eager to take advantage of the opportunity to examin= e a newly fallen meteorite. Thanks to the cooperation of the Donahues, We= thersfield 1923 was one of the "freshest" meteorites ever studied. Dr. Roy Clarke, Smithsonian curator of meteorites, flew to Connecticut th= e day after the meteorite landed and arranged to have it send to the Batt= elle Laboratories in Richland, Wash. Meteorites A to Z gives the following information on these meteorites: Wethersfield (1971), L6, Hartford Co., CT USA, 1971 Apr. 8, 0430 hrs, 1 s= tone, 350 grams Wethersfield (1982), L6, Hartford Co., CT USA, 1982 Nov. 8, 2114 hrs, 1 s= tone, 2756 grams The second edition of Meteorites A to Z by Anne Black and Mike/Bill Jenso= n will be ready for sale soon.) Please visit, www.MeteoriteArticles.com, a free on-line archive of meteor= and meteorite articles. ------=_NextPart_001_0059_01C3C4F6.4F9E7710 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <HTML><BODY STYLE=3D"font:10pt verdana; border:none;"><DIV><BR></DIV><B><= FONT size=3D2> <P>Newspaper: The Capital </P> <P>City: Annapolis, Marylan= d </P> <P>Date: Wednesday, July 27, 1983</P> <P>Page: 24</P></B> <P> = ;</P> <P> </P> <P>Wetherfield meteorites at Smithsonian</P> <P>Two m= eteorites that crashed through the roofs of houses in Wethersfield, Conn.= , - a "celestial coincidence" that Smithsonian scientists say in almost i= ncomprehensible - are on public display for the first time at the Smithso= nian's National Museum of Natural History. </P> <P>The exhibit in the mus= eum's ground floor Constitution Avenue foyer will continue through Oct. 1= 5</P> <P>The first of these two intruders from outers pace, a 3/4-pound s= tone, struck the home of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Cassarino between 2 and 6 a.m.= April 8, 971. The Cassarinos were sleeping and didn't hear it. They awok= e to find the meteorite embedded in their ceiling.</P> <P>Meteorites are = very rare - only five to 10 are recovered annually throughout the world -= and only once in recorded history had two meteorites been known to land = in the same town: Honolulu, in 1825 and 1949.</P> <P>So it was nothing sh= ort of astonishing to scientists when a second meteorite fell 11 years la= ter in Wethersfield less than two miles way on Nov. 8, 1982. Wanda and Ro= bert Donahue were at home watching "M.A.S.H." on television when the 6-po= und stone struck at about 9:15 a.m. Scientists estimate that it was proba= bly traveling about 300 mph when it hit. It came through the Donahue's ro= of and ceiling, richocheted off the floor and ceiling, overturned a chair= , dented a wall and finally came to rest under a table.</P> <P>The Donahu= es, neither of whom was injured, rushed into their living room and spotte= d a hole in the ceiling but not the cause of trouble. The "smoke" and pla= ster dust made them suspect a fire and they called the police and th= e fire department. It was a fireman who discovered the meteorite, about 1= 0 minutes later.</P> <P>News of Wethersfield 1983 traveled fast. They Don= ahues were deluged with phone calls from journalists. Scientists from sev= eral institutions converged on Wethersfield, eager to take advantage of t= he opportunity to examine a newly fallen meteorite. Thanks to the coopera= tion of the Donahues, Wethersfield 1923 was one of the "freshest" meteori= tes ever studied.</P> <P>Dr. Roy Clarke, Smithsonian curator of meteorite= s, flew to Connecticut the day after the meteorite landed and arranged to= have it send to the Battelle Laboratories in Richland, Wash.</P> <P>&nbs= p;</P> <P></P> <P>Meteorites A to Z gives the following information on th= ese meteorites:</P> <P>Wethersfield (1971), L6, Hartford Co., CT USA, 197= 1 Apr. 8, 0430 hrs, 1 stone, 350 grams</P> <P>Wethersfield (1982), L6, Ha= rtford Co., CT USA, 1982 Nov. 8, 2114 hrs, 1 stone, 2756 grams</P> <P>The= second edition of Meteorites A to Z by Anne Black and Mike/Bill Jenson w= ill be ready for sale soon.)</P> <P></FONT> </P> <P> </P> <DIV>= <BR>Please visit, www.MeteoriteArticles.com, a free on-line archive of me= teor and meteorite articles.</DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_001_0059_01C3C4F6.4F9E7710-- Received on Thu 18 Dec 2003 12:34:27 AM PST |
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