The Record Union

At 7:30 o'clock last evening hundreds of persons in this city witnessed a strange and beautiful sight, in the shape of a falling meteor.

It was yet far from being dark, or the aerial visitor would have shown to much better advantage. Even as it was, its fiery character was plainly visible.

The meteor, which looked like a mammoth rocket, descended straight down from the zenith in a southeasterly direction from this city, about in line with the town of Elk Grove, and apparently not much further away. When seemingly within a few thousand feet of the earth it exploded, and this explosion was quickly followed by another.

Then the visitor disappeared, but left in its trail a long greenish-yellow column of smoke of a sulphurous character, which hung together like a cloud and floated in the atmosphere until it became too dark to discern it longer.

Thousands of persons who did not witness the descent of the meteor saw the little cloud of pale-colored smoke hovering in the sky and wondered what it meant.

It is more difficult to locate a falling meteor than a distant fire at night, and that last evening may have fallen within twenty or thirty miles of this city, or it may have been a couple of hundred miles distant.

The fact, however, that the smoke caused by the explosion was so plainly seen and appeared to be so near at hand, that it seems more than likely that the meteor must have fallen in the southeastern part of this county, near the Cosumnes River or in the foothills nearby. Yet it will be seen by a dispatch below that the people of San Rafael, Marin County, are under the impression that it fell close to their village.

Over at Stockton, fifty miles from here, it was seen to descend still in a southeasterly direction from there, so that it is useless to attempt to locate the strange visitor.

ARNO PUTS IN A CLAIM.

It was seen at Arno, near the Cosumnes River, by Monsignor T. J. Capel and others. The former describes it as large luminous heavenly body of some kind, looking like a great ball of fire, which descended to the earth in a perfectly perpendicular course. It seemed to strike the earth about three-quarters of a mile distant, due south of Arno.

It left behind a trail like a silvery cloud, which was visible against the gray sky for nine minutes. Monsignor Capel fixes the time at 7:35 P. M. He says it was an exceedingly beautiful sight.

CLOCKS AT VARIANCE.

Dr. McKee of Elk Grove fixes the time of the fall at exactly 7:30 P. M. It seemed to fall a little east of south from Elk Grove, or near Galt. It burst twice and looked like balls from a Roman candle.

It left behind a column of smoke of a pretty, bluish color, which could be seen floating in the air for several minutes.

Many persons in Elk Grove saw this smoke who did not see the explosion of the meteor or aerolite, or whatever it was.

Dr. McKee could not tell whether or not it reached the earth, on account of the numerous large trees in that vicinity.

SEEN AT LODI.

Lodi, July 27.-A large meteoric stone fell at 7:30 this evening in a southeast direction from Lodi, and was followed by a loud report as of thunder. The course of the meteor was clearly distinguishable in the sky for ten minutes after it fell.

WHAT STOCKTONIANS SAW.

Stockton. July 27.-A peculiar luminous body fell from the sky in a south-easterly direction to-night at 7:30 o'clock.

It left a trail of light and fleecy smoke behind it. The smoke was also luminous and glowed in the sky for some moments.

Nothing of the sort was ever observed here before.

STILL FARTHER OFF.

San Rafael, July 27.-At 7:30 to-night what appeared to be a meteor fell slowly from the sky near here. The body was large and luminous.

OBSERVED AT FRESNO.

Fresno, July 27.-A brilliant meteor was observed here to-night at 7:30 o'clock.

The flying body disappeared with a slight explosion, leaving a train of luminous smoke which lasted for twenty minutes.

SOLID OR GASEOUS?

It is quite possible that no one will be able to tell just where the thing "struck," if it struck at all. While the finding of meteoric stones is not a rare occurrence, many meteors have been seen to fall towards the earth of which no trace could afterward be found. That of last evening exploded-as all who saw it are aware- and it is quite possible that there was nothing left of it after the explosion.

Whether it was a solid body. or of a gaseous nature, may never be fully determined.

As illustrating the ubiquitous character of meteors, the incident is recalled of the descent of an immense one on the night of the 30th of August. 1893. This one did not come straight down, but shot across the sky from east to west at about an angle of forty-five degrees. Hundreds of persons who witnessed the phenomena were certain that it exploded when about two hundred feet over the city, and that it struck just beyond the town of Washington, across the river.

The next morning the Record-Union contained a dispatch from Ukiah. Mendocino County, a couple of hundred miles off, to the effect that the meteor fell near that place. San Andreas, Calaveras County, also put in a claim for it.

On the 1st of last February another descended, near this city as was supposed, but the next day it was located at Candelaria, Nevada, away east of the Sierra Nevada.

So it is likely several localities, hundreds of miles apart. will in a day or two be claiming that the meteor of last night is in somebody's back yard in each town.