[meteorite-list] Nice Read: NPA 05-29-1879 Estherville Meteorite Article

From: MARK BOSTICK <thebigcollector_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sun Nov 28 20:12:05 2004
Message-ID: <BAY4-F117E9009614F8B9177D53AB3BD0_at_phx.gbl>

Hello list,

This is one of the better newspapers I have found in a while. It documents
a reporters trip from Minnesota to the place of fall of the Estherville
meteorite meteorite and to see the largest piece that fell.

Some of you might remember the following article I wrote on this meteorite:

http://www.meteoritearticles.com/Estherville.html

This newspaper article tells what happened to the meteorite, from the time
dispute arose to the time it first appeared in court. Read the above
article to see the rest of the meteorite's journey.

Looks like I will have to update the article a little. Now to find out where
the professor hid it....

Wishing I had one of the large Rob Elliott's
(http://fernlea.tripod.com/forsale.html) Estherville slices....

- Mark


Paper: Freeborn County Standard
City: Albert Lea, Minnesota
Date: Thursday, May 29, 1879
Page: 3

The Meteor.

     Last Thursday, in company with John A Lovely, the senior editor of the
STANDARD boarded the three o'clock train on the Southern Minnesota with a
fierce determination to see the meteor which fell a few days previously near
Estherville, Iowa. At Fairmont we were joined by Hon F. A. Day, editor of
the Sentinel, and Jackson W. G. Kellar of this city, enlisted. Friday
morning, after looking over the thriving young town of Jackson, we left for
the meteor, reaching the house where it was supposed to be located about
three o'clock, having been delayed by a hospitable reception at the house of
Mr. Day's parents, two miles north of where the meteor fell. Mr. Rewey, the
gentleman who had the meteor in charge, declined to permit a view of his
strange possession, on the ground that there was likely to be legal contest
as to its ownership, and because it was hidden away at some distance. He
gave us all the information n his power as to the strange affair, which,
however, did not contain anything new. In regard to the ownership of the
meteor, it seems the man upon whose land it fell did not did not take much
interest in the matter, and permitted other parties to dig it up and take it
away. Afterwards, seeing the curiosity excited by the article, he concluded
it was valuable, and commenced legal proceedings for its recovery. For this
reason the parties holding it had hidden it, and had refused a sight of it
to many person, some of whom had traveled five hundred miles to see it.
After considerable parlay with the gentleman, he finally partly promised if
we came back that way on Sunday to let us see it. We then resumed our
journey towards Spirit Lake, which was the real objective point of our trip,
and which we found to be one of the loveliest places imaginable.
     On Sunday we came back to Mr. Rewey's, and found that, owing to the
rain, he had not expected us, and had not gone after the meteor. Finally,
being advised by Mr. Lovely that his case was not benefited by concealing
the article, he told us to drive to a certain house and he would meet us
there, which he did, and dug the meteor from the ground where he had it hid
near the state line. We found it to be a round irregular block, nearly two
feet long, about fourteen inches in diameter on one side and round on the
other, and about the color of iron ore. After we had examined it to our
satisfaction, Mr. Rewet took it to his house, where, we suppose it now is.
     The place where it fell is about three miles south of the state line,
and three miles north of Estherville. It struck in the ground about fifteen
feet, ten of which were in blue clay. It was seen to strike, falling from a
clear sky in the daytime, and threw mud and sods for a distance of thirty
rods. Immediately after it struck a puff of steam arose, indicating that it
was in a heated condition. In digging it up numerous smaller pieces were
found, including one weighing 32 pounds. The largest was found to weigh 431
pounds, and the total weight of the pieces was about 500 pounds. Another
piece which fell two miles distant weighs 150 pounds. The stream of smoke
which followed the descent of the missile was visible at points at least 150
miles apart, and was said to look like a ribbon in the sky. There
undoubtedly was an explosion or report caused by concussion before it
struck, which was heard at least twenty miles away. This report was heard by
parties in the vicinity about two seconds, as near as they could judge,
before they heard the sound caused by its coming in contact with the earth,
and was what attracted their attention. The one weighing 150 pounds fell on
dry ground and bored a perpendicular hole hour feet into the ground. The
hole made by the largest one was almost if not quite perpendicular.
    A great many meteors have fallen at different times. One in Indian is
said to weigh twelve tons. Two were found in Norway of immense size, and, no
doubt, many fall which are not noticed. A large one fell near West Liberty,
Iowa, about six years since. Prof. Newton, of Yale College, in an
interesting thesis on the subject of meteors, informs us that while meteors
are peculiar to themselves in the matter of their component parts, they
contain, nevertheless, nothing which is not found in the mineral substances
of our earth. All meteors are not of the same composition, as he shows, some
being composed almost wholly of white stone, whole others are composed
principally of metal, iron nearly always being present, and nickel usually
so. Prof. Newton is of the opinion that cometary substances bear a close
relationship to meteors and meteoric substances, and cites a number of
instances in proof of the fact that during the existence of a comet within
the range of earthly vision meteors and meteoric showers are more common
than at others times. Prof. Newton also informs us of another fact that can
but seem strange, and that is, that we never see a meteor at a greater
distance from the earth than one hundred miles. These meteors float as
invisible particles in space, and only become visible when they come in
contact with an atmospheric pressure sufficient to produce a blaze.

(end)

Clear Skies,
Mark Bostick
http://www.meteoritearticles.com

http://stores.ebay.com/meteoritearticles
Received on Sun 28 Nov 2004 08:11:18 PM PST