A WONDERFUL METEORITE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1519, 29 March 1887, Page 2

A WONDERFUL METEORITE.

The following purt'culars are give a of an astronomical phenomena on JVl<roh 17. The metecrite observed at Ballarat, Oolerame. Talbot and other places, burst over B-at fo t. It acomrd to come from the dirdc ion of Buninyoig. A fire brand, apparently over the Preehyterian Church formed inio a blood-red ball the size of the moun, and explode) with a loud report, sending perpandioalarly earth wards a streak of fire with tho hissing r>f tapping steam, as from an engine When withiu 300 yards from the earth it disappeared, leaving ouiy a cloud of grejiah nmoke. This was followed by earth tremors and a rumbling sound ac of tho firing of heavy artillery. The vibrati v lasted for ten seconds. Severn) houses were thiken sevo.ely. No oubstance appears to have falleu to tho earth What la popularly described as a sho k ot earthquake was distinctly felt at Warr nambool by many persons, but subsequent enquiry w>u)d ueem to indicate that the noise and vibration observed wore onuses by tb«- burstin«; of the aerolite. From all parts of the district iuf rmation comes to h»ud to-day that thtntly bfter 4 o'clock lnnd det.ni>aM->rto r^w^mblinuf a volley o musketry, with suti qaeot aroj pn j shots were heaid. Poi.pib ru-ihed ouc of their houses, and cattle were paralysed nith fear. Several persons Btate that at the Hme ment'oned they oHseived a ball of fire drop fn.m the heavens and prooeed inun easterly direction, npparei tly <nlli»j^ la the neighborhood of C 'pc Otway. All aooonnts to hand indicate that the Bounds were more distinctly heard m a line from north to east. In Warmambool the windows of the houses rattled, and some per sons* aeaerb they felt a ooncuai-ion under their feet, as though subterranean cannons were being discharged A rema<-kobl" phenomenon ocoarred at Terang between four and five o'olock. At Lake Keilarabit the black swans Wf re noticed to rise sudde I? off the lake, and a rumbling noise appeared te pass under, causing the cattle graz?ng*on the banks of the lake to scamper away , an 1 on going somo distance they were seen to look baok. The noise was leard m other paces, and seemed to pass to S.W. A gentleman who lives at Eaat St Kilda writes :— "The meteor, or whatever »t was, w«s f een up country. On Thursday it was dist'netly seen by a young lady m my house and two of my children about 4 p.m., and the circumstance they describe »s descending from an S W. direction, and like a long line of fire of a bright yellow color, which appeared to burst m the sky, leaving a large body of apparently, smoke, which gradually grew larger, and remained liko a cloud for fully half-an-hour, After the meteor burst they saw something like a thin line of emoke descend towards the earth. They did not haar any report,"