[meteorite-list] Honolulu and Lillaverke

From: bernd.pauli at paulinet.de <bernd.pauli_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: 23 Jan 2007 16:24:33 UT
Message-ID: <DIIE.000000C8000014FD_at_paulinet.de>

Tracy wrote:

"I had thought that meant they collected pieces that fell on the ship."

Michael Blood wrote:

"Do you or anyone else know of ANY reference..."


Hello All,

Here what I can offer:

American Journal of Science and Arts. Vol. 49, Oct 1845:

Particulars of the fall of Meteorites in the Sandwich Islands; communicated by request,
by the Rev. Hiram Bingham, missionary in those Islands, in a letter dated Boston, May 1, 1845.

To Prof. Silliman--On the 27th of September, 1825, a shower of meteoric stones fell, partly
in the channel between Molokai and Lanai, and partly between those islands and Oahu, and
partly at Honolulu, where I then resided. One explosion was heard at Lahaina, and several in
quick succession at Honolulu, eighty miles to the northwest, between the hours of 10 and 11,
A.M. The fragment that was seen to pass Lahaina towards Oahu fell in the Molokai Channel,
and threw a mass of water into the air, and was said to be followed by a rumbling sound. The
Rev. Mr. Richards of Lahaina mistook the report of the explosion for that of cannon on board
of some ship. The explosions which I heard at Honolulu led me at first to suppose they were
cannon on board of ships not far distant. But soon after I was satisfied that they were meteoric.
Very soon the servants of Kalanimoku, secretary of state, brought me the fragment which they
affirmed had just fallen from the sky in our village. This fragment I carefully preserved and
brought over, and had the pleasure of presenting to you. A different pleasure from that with
which Mr. Richards and myself picked up and forwarded to the Missionary Museum in Pemberton
Square, Boston, a cannon ball--one of several which had been fired at our heads.


As for Lillaverke, maybe one of our Swedish list members can look into this:

WICKMAN F.E. (1993) Eight pound ball fell on the ship and killed two boatsmen
(Swedish Geol. J. 115, 29-298).

I don't know where I or someone else found this reference and whether "ball" is the
correct word in the Swedish version of that paper.

Best wishes,

Bernd
Received on Tue 23 Jan 2007 11:24:33 AM PST