Democratic Sentinel, Volume 3, Number 41, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 November 1879 — METEORIC SHOWERS. [ARTICLE]

METEORIC SHOWERS.

An Eye-Witness’ Account of the Display in November, 1833. [Columbus (Ga.) Enquirer.] The meteoric display of November IS, 1833, was by very far the most remarkable natural phenomenon I have ever witnessed. Learning that something of tne kind is predicted to take place on the 13th inst., these lines are written for the purpose of nailing the attention or your readers to the subject. The former event came unheralded, and took us all by surprise. I was residing at the time in McDon ough, Henry county. Suffering at the time from an inflamed eye, and being unable to sleep, I rose about 1 o’clock on the night In question and went out to my,kitchen 4 for|the purpose of lighting a lamp, (lucifer matches had not then been invented, or had not at east come into use ia that section). In passing into the kitchen I did not happen to look up. But as soon as our cook (old Aunt Mary) opened the door she drew back in alarm, exclaiming, “Lord, master, the world is coming to an end. Just look at the stars; they are all falling!” My faith in the Scriptures (such as Matthew xxiv., 14; and others of the same ImportJ precluded the idea of its being the eud of tue world, and I was not alarmed. Returning to my room, I prepared my wife for viewing the phenomenon, which she did without undue excitement. I then sallied forth to arouse some of mj neighbors, that

they might also enjoy the wonderful display. The two nearest were a lawyer and a preacher, both of whom were terribly alarmed, and, despite my expostulations, greatly alarmed their wives. Without going further, I had my hands full endeavoring to restore them to some degree of composure. From 1 o’clock until daylight I witnessed tbe grand display. Looking upward, it seemed as if tbe meteors all started from a common center, and fell in curving lines to the very earth, and tner* were thousands, if not millions, of them in sight at the same moment, end every moment, until daylight put an end to the scene. It lit erally rained fire. Sometimes the shower would slacken for a moment or so, and then it would be renewed until the very heavens seemed to be ablaze. Some were brighter, some of paler hue, but they were all fire, (or seemed to be so), and all were pour ing down toward tbe earth. But lam attempting to do what I promised myself I would not undertake to describe a scene which no imagination can conceive, nor tongue or pen portray. It was as clear a night as I ever saw. I would fix my eyes on a given star, and In a few moments it would seem to fall, owing, I suppose, to the fact that it was obscured by a passing meteor. * Tbe illusion was perfect. For two or three days after the occurrence the atmosphere was so smoky as to prevent the stars from being seen at night, and to cause the sun to look like a ball of fire in the daytime, upon which one might gaze with the naked eye without pain. A few occurrences connected with the event may interest your readers. In Covington, Newton county, at 2 o’clock, the church bell was rung and the whole population was aroused, who repaired to the meeting-house and spent the remainder of the night in ..evotional exercises. The gold mines in Paulding and adjacent counties had drawn together many adventurers—miners and gam biers. A gentleman direct from that seotion informed me that soon After midnight guns were fired, horns blown and the sleepers for miles were aroused. The gamblers threw their cards in the fire, enemies made friends, and there was such praying as never was heard in> that section'before, and perhaps has never been heard sine*. Only a few days after the phenomenon I was passing from McDonough to Zebulon, and stopped to spend the night with a friend. Ho had two Northern men employed iu erecting a mill on a small stream near his residence, the elder of whom had been a seafaring man. As soon as I arrived the “falling of the stars” became the subject of conversation. Seeing the Northern men coming over tbe hill, my friend said: “Engage those men—especially the elder—in conversation on the subject.” Supper over, I managed to draw them out. The older one said: “I have spent most of my liie on the sea, and have passed thio’ many daugers. But I never had to look death and eternity so squarely in the face beforo. You know, parson, that sailors believe in the North star. Well, I saw that the othet stars were falling, but I thought that as long as the North star kept its place all was safe. So I went out there and sat on the ground, with my back against the chimney (it was a rock chimney), and tieu I watched that stur. trying not even to wink. In a few minuses it cut loose, aud here ft came. And then, parson, I fell on my knees and did some of the tallest piaying you ever heard, and I have not sworn an oath since.” He had been dreadfully profane. I have seen many people since who have waited for’ the North star to fall before they would pray.

J. H. CAMPBELL.

Cheap Ice HousesAs we have mentioned on a former occasion, we never met with better preservation of ice than in an old siDgle boarded shanty, the solid mass of ice blocks being surrounded on its six sides with a closely packed stratum of saw dust. The following state meat by a correspondent of the Practical Farmer f rnishes additional evidence of the success of this simple method, although we have not found it necessary to have the saw dust over a foot thick, provided it is tine and uniform, and is compactly pressed or beaten as the ice is built up. so as to prevent the possibility of any interstices, a single oue of which would quickly melt the ice. All that is needed is the simplest kind of a board building. I built a woodshed last season, thirty feet long and fourteen wide, and used twelve feet at the north end for ice, and notwithstanding the fact that we had but one freeze last winter, and only got our ice house two-thirds full of ice less than six inches thick, we have used not less than fifty pounds a duy since the Ist of May and have let our neighbors have at least one thousand pounds. We still have plenty of ice and think it will last through September. For drainage we throw in a foot of stone varying in size from a goose egg U P to those that would weigh ten or fifteen pounds each. On this we put a so 3t of sawdust and than packed the ice as close as possible, leaving a space of fifteen inches all around the outside. The ice should be cut as true as possible, so as to pack closely, and every crack should be filled closely with broken fee. It should be filled In cold weather, so that the ice will freeze solid, and you should have saw dust on hand to cover it at once.— Take great pains to pack the sawdust well around the outside. As soon as the open windy weather of March sets in, visit the ice house every day, and with a spade in your hand, tramp around and feel with the spade for holes, when you find them, fill and tramp solid. In a small ice houee this is absolutely necessary, it you expect to keep your ice through the summer.—Ex.

Of a q,uaint, and brusque speech of General Jackson, who hated affecta tion, the late Mrs. Eaton used to tell an amusing story. She was once vit* t ing at the Hermitage, where, among the guests at a dinnei party, was a judge of the court of Tennessee, with a wife whose head had been quite turned by a season in Washington. Present was also a brother of the lady’s who had been a tailor,, which fact was carefully ignored.. The lady’s airs and graces grew insufferable, and finally General Jackson pricked the bubble of her pride by saying to the brother, “You know I really never have had a comfortable coat on my back sicca you quit tailoring.”