[meteorite-list] NPA 03-22-1884 Grossliebenthall Meteorite Article

From: MARK BOSTICK <thebigcollector_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon Dec 20 21:50:44 2004
Message-ID: <BAY4-F78E33BC478926AFBBF5B0B3A30_at_phx.gbl>

Paper: New York Times
City: New York, NY
Date: Saturday, March 22, 1884
Page: 4

RUSSIAN METEORITES
        From the London Times

  An interesting report upon a meteorite which fell at Grossliebenthall,
near Odessa, in November, 1881, has just been furnished to the French
Academy of Sciences by M. Daubree. About 7 o'clock one morning a bright and
serpentine tail of fire was seen passing over the town by the inhabitants of
Odessa, and M. Prendel, editor of one of the Odessa papers, surmising that
the phenomenon betokened a fall of meteorites, offered a reward to any
person who would bring him one. There days afterward a gentlemen of
Grossliebenthall brought him one which had been found by a peasant who was
nearly frightened out of his senses at its fall. It fell beside him while
at work in his field and buried itself .55 meters into the ground. The
peasant dug out the stone, but kept the occurrence a secret from his
neighbors for fear of their ridicule. The stone weighs 8 kilograms and and
has a rough polyhedric form. M. Prendel also learned that at the same time,
some 42 kilometres north-east of Odessa, near the post station of
Sitschawsha (?), a meteorite fell to the ground and wounded a postilion. It
was soon broken to pieces and distributed among the peasants, who preserved
the fragments as tailsmans. Moreover, at Elisabethgrad, some 265 kilometres
north-north-east of Odessa, a luminous trajectory was seen slightly inclined
to the horizon, and traveling south-south-west. The direction of this
meteor renders it probable that, it was the same which passed over Odessa.
In external characteristics the Grossliebenthal meteorite examined by M.
Daubreo resembles the meteorite which fell at Luce, Sarthel on Sept. 13.
1763, a type which is represented in the Paris Museum of Natural History by
54 distinct falls, of which the products are identical among themselves. In
geological composition it is, according to M. Daubree's terminology, a
sporado-sidere oligodere.

(end)

This article refers to the Grossliebenthall meteorite. An L6 meteorite that
fell November 19, 1881 in the Odessa Province of the Ukraine. 8 kg.
recovered.

I posted this before, a while ago, but just made the connection with the
meteorite, so I think it willhave more interest.

Clear Skies,
Mark Bostick
www.meteoritearticlesc.om
Received on Mon 20 Dec 2004 09:49:08 PM PST