[meteorite-list] FW: Ripley's Believe It or Not meteors/meteorites

From: Robert Verish <bolidechaser_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:18:03 2004
Message-ID: <20031222214407.76275.qmail_at_web60305.mail.yahoo.com>

--------------- Forward Message -----------------

From: "meteorobs-digest"
Subject: meteorobs-digest V4 #1295
Date: Mon, 22 Dec 2003 12:26:13 -0500 (EST)


meteorobs-digest Monday, December 22 2003
Volume 04 : Number 1295

1) (meteorobs) fyi more Ripley's Believe It or Not
meteors/meteorites
++++++
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Date: Sun, 21 Dec 2003 12:05:08 EST
From: KCStarguy_at_aol.com
Subject: (meteorobs) fyi more Ripley's Believe It or
Not meteors/meteorites

Here is the latest information on the eclipse and
fireball stuff that I have managed to find out
concerning that Ripley's believe it or not information
I found it in one of Ripley's books.

It seems, as I read it from the information that I
found, that a lighthouse was hit by a "lightning type
of fireball" and not a meteoroid fireball.
Also about the fact that a a cruiser/ship was hit by a
Meteor type fireball as it said in the book and that
that most of the men jumped ship after the strike. It
seems that the fireball took place about the same time
as that lighthouse was struck but once again not a
meteor fireball but a lightning strike.
While a ship was close to shore when the ship was
destroyed, a few members survived. However if it was
close to shore, why did it take so long for those
crew members to get to shore. Mystery again?

The other meteorite tale seems to be true and well
documented though.
Dr. Eric Flescher (kcstarguy_at_aol.com)
FGU astronomy consultant, Harvard U.-
Member, ASKC (Astronomical Society of Kansas City),
Comet Observers Award Moderator, Astronomical League.
(http://www.astroleague.org/al/obsclubs/obsclub.html)
http://members.aol.com/kcstarguy/blacksun/cometaward.htm

State of Kansas- Solar System Ambassador - JPL (Jet
Propulson Lab);
 7 total solar eclipses and counting
(send messages to the network at )
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**
Greetings
Well I was the first one to hear about this and tell
you all about it to find more. I would like to update
what I have found for your information.

Regarding my original transcription that I found in a
book at one of my middle schools in Kansas (part of
the read a book program) - see below).

The meteorite that hit the car is well explained and
everything correct as I wrote it except I got the name
of the town wrong. One person even said he saw
the meteor.

The 1907 was another storm to explain however. I did a
number of searches on the internet and found the
information and websites (see below).

I found this at
http://www.southwestlife.com.au/history1201.htm

AND this is where it got confusing. It appears that a
"fireball" hit the station but that is was not a
"meteorite" type fireball but one related
to lightning.

The following was said
"
Of course, you can't have a lighthouse without
shipwreck stories. Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse has
many, but one of the most interesting is the Carnarvon

Castle, which caught fire off the coast in 1907. The
ship was a fair way out to sea, and the crew members
had to jump ship. The 14 survivors floated in
lifeboats in the Indian Ocean for 27 days before
reaching Cape Naturaliste. The lighthouse keeper at
the time, Patrick Baird, and his family, took them
in and cared for them until they were OK to travel
again."

It seems that crew did jump ship from sort of a
lightning "fireball" but that is was not "meteor" in
nature. I am not sure why it took so long for the crew

who did survive , to make it to shore. I also did not
see any mention of the name of the ship called
"eclipse."

So all is well concerning the meteorite hitting the
car. But I think the information about the meteor
hitting the ship was not correct as far as I can
fathom.

Well this is what I have so far. Thanks for your
interest.

****
"In Ripley's Believe it or not a book for kids there
was this :

On Oct 9, 1992 a Michelle Knapp of Peeksville, NY
found that a a big meteorite hit her truck/car which
landed with a foul smelling odor.

She got paid for the "meteorite tricking car" and also
got $50,000 for the Meteorite!


Also


in 1907, it was told that a meteor struck the sailship
Eclipse in the mid Pacific ocean. The mast was carried
and only 3 of the crew survived on a Lifeboat. They
rowed 900 miles to Hawaii in 13 days.

Anyone every heard of either particular the 1907 one?

Dr. Eric Flescher "

***
These are some other resources I found.

The Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse
1907 was an eventful year for this lighthouse with the
wreck of the Carnarvon Castle and the impact of a
fireball on the tower and quarters. ...
www.lighthouse.net.au/lights/WA/Cape%20Naturaliste/
Cape%20Naturaliste.htm

http://www.southwestlife.com.au/history1201.htm
Of course, you can't have a lighthouse without
shipwreck stories. Cape Naturaliste Lighthouse has
many, but one of the most interesting is the Carnarvon

Castle, which caught fire off the coast in 1907. The
ship was a fair way out to sea, and the crew members
had to jump ship. The 14 survivors floated in
lifeboats in the Indian Ocean for 27 days before
reaching Cape Naturaliste. The lighthouse keeper at
the time, Patrick Baird, and his family, took them
in and cared for them until they were OK to travel
again.
Other shipwreck stories are common in this area, often
involving the lighthouse keepers plucking people out
of the stormy sea.

And what about the fireball? Patrick Baird was having
an eventful year in 1907. He had already saved the
people from the Carnarvon Castle shipwreck, and then
it's reported that a very heavy storm hit the
lighthouse later in the year, during which a fireball
struck the tower. The force of the explosion
shattered windows, ripped up pathways, destroyed
furniture, and knocked Mr Baird unconscious.

Other meteorite falls
http://www2.state.id.us/bdsmitigation/asteroids.html

File J2 of 2 "J" Files
... the British Astronomical Assn, The Major Fireball
of 1980 ... Franklin Institute, Meteoric Shower During
the Eclipse, 1869, ... of Canada, A Case of Globular
Lightning, 1907, ...
http://www.project1947.com/shg/j2.htm

***

Date: Fri, 12 Dec 2003 11:07:10 -0600

From: "MARK BOSTICK" <thebigcollector_at_msn.com>

Subject: (meteorobs) 1907 Fireball

Hello Everyone,

I have gotten a couple e-mails wondering if Ripley's
had contacted me back.
The archive lady I talked with told me she was about
to go on vacation and would be gone till Tuesday, but
would try to research it that day.
guess she didnt have time or couldn't find the
reference off hand. From my experience December has
always been the worst month of the year for trying to
do research.

If the original person that posted the Ripley's
quotation, can verifiy that was a quotation and not
reworded, or provide information on what Ripleyy's
book the information came out of might help. The
Ripley search system can search its archives for exact
wording...so the wording provided to the list was the
wording I passed along.


I am still looking up other avenues of research as
well. Information provided by Ripley's should point
me in a good research direction.


1907 is pretty close to the turning point in
meteor/meteorite newspaper reports, in the sense that
before this time meteorite reports in newspapers were
8 of 10 false and after/about this time meteorite
reports in newspaers are about 5 out of 10 false.


When I find out more about the event I will report to
the list and if I don't hear from Ripley's by Friday
of next week, I'll call and bug them again. =20


Mark Bostick

www.meteoritearticles.com

- ------------------------------
 Fri, 12 Dec 2003 16:53:29 -0500

From: "Jeff Wilson" <meteorrr_at_worldnet.att.net>

Subject: Re: (meteorobs) 1907 Fireball


The Ripleys book is a huge coffee table book which
oddly enough my sister gave me for Xmas last year.
The original cartoon was in the newspaper (does not
say which) Jan 12 1941.
The caption under the drawing/cartoon which is of a
sailing ship at sea with a huge meteor hurling through
the air towards it reads: Strangest annal of the sea!


The sailing ship Eclipse was struck by a meteor in
Mid-Pacific. The masts were carried away and the
vessel was abandoned with a loss of three lives.

Long trains,

 Jeff W

***

Date: Mon, 8 Dec 2003 16:10:58 EST

From: GLDSKTR_at_aol.com

Subject: Re: (meteorobs) ripley's Believe it or not
meteors/meteorites

Hello KCStarguy_at_aol.com,

In reference to your comment:

I believe this is the story from Upstate NY. I live in
NYC, and saw the car at the Museum of Natural History.
The meteorite went right through the trunk, and made a
hole in the ground! The car was totalled.

I never heard of the 1907 story.

Anthony

***
-----------------------------

Date: Mon, 08 Dec 2003 13:45:22 -0800

From: Ed Majden <epmajden_at_shaw.ca>

Subject: Re: (meteorobs) ripley's Believe it or not
meteors/meteorites

The event referred to below was "Peekskill", not
Peeksville. Do a search with "google" for the
Peekskill Fireball or Peekskill Meteorite for more
details. I have nothing on the 1907 fireball event
but a search with google might turn something up.


Ed Majden

Courtenay, B.C.

- ------------------------------

Date: Mon, 8 Dec 2003 16:39:55 -0600

From: "Gary W. Kronk" <kronk_at_amsmeteors.org>

Subject: Re: (meteorobs) ripley's Believe it or not
meteors/meteorites

I have footage of the fireball and subsequent car
damage on my website. The direct link to the movie is

http://comets.amsmeteors.org/educate/vdemo2b.mpg.

Gary

- ------------------------------

Date: Mon, 8 Dec 2003 18:12:38 EST

From: Skywayinc_at_aol.com

Subject: Re: (meteorobs) ripley's Believe it or not
meteors/meteorites

In a message dated 12/8/2003 3:49:06 PM Eastern
Standard Time,

KCStarguy_at_aol.com writes:

Anyone ever heard of either particular the 1907 one?

My television station (News 12 Westchester)
interviewed Michelle Knapp some years ago about the
meteorite that hit the front of her car. It happened
in Peekskill, which is located in the northwest part
of Westchester County, NY.

- - -- joe rao
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Received on Mon 22 Dec 2003 04:44:07 PM PST