The great display of shooting stars was caused by debris from
comet Tempel-Tuttle which had recently returned to the inner
solar system during its 33 year journey around the Sun.
The storm marked the discovery of the annual Leonids meteor shower
and is widely regarded as the birth of modern meteor astronomy.
I at once sold my little farm in the neighborhood
of Antioch, and, having disposed of what stock and stuff I could
not take with me, on the 13th of November, 1833, I was ready
to start upon the journey for our new home in the West. On the
evening of the twelfth, many of our dear friends came into bid
us adieu, and they remained until a very late hour, when, after
a prayer, the most of them returned to their homes, a few remaining
to see us off in the morning.
We had but little rest that night, for, before
three oclock in the morning, we were all aroused from our
slumbers, making preparation for an early start. Some one, on
looking out of the window, observed that it was almost broad
daylight. "That can not be," another answered, "For
it is scarcely three oclock." "I cant help
what the clock says," replied the first speaker, "my
eyes can not deceive me; it is almost broad daylight --look for
yourselves."
After this little altercation, some one went
to the door for the purpose of settling the question. Fortunately,
there was not a cloud in the heavens; so by a glance, all was
settled. I heard one of the children cry out, in a voice expressive
of alarm: "Come to the door, father, the world is surely
coming to an end." Another exclaimed: "See! The whole
heavens are on fire! All the stars are falling!" These cries
brought us all into the open yard, to gaze upon the grandest
and most beautiful scene my eyes have ever beheld. It did appear
as if every star had left its moorings, and was drifting rapidly
in a westerly direction, leaving behind a track of light which
remained visible for several seconds.
Some of those wandering stars seemed as large
as the full moon, or nearly so, and in some cases they appeared
to dash at a rapid rate across the general course of the main
body of meteors, leaving in their track a bluish light, which
gathered into a thin cloud not unlike a puff of smoke from a
tobacco-pipe. Some of the meteors were so bright that they were
visible for some time after day had fairly dawned. Imagine large
snowflakes drifting over your head, so near you that you can
distinguish them, one from the other, and yet so thick in the
air as to almost obscure the sky; then imagine each snowflake
to be a meteor, leaving behind it a tail like a little comet;
these meteors of all sizes, from that of a drop of water to that
of a great star, having the size of the full moon in appearance:
and you may then have some faint idea of this wonderful scene.
It must be remembered that, in the Western
States, at that day, there was not much knowledge among the masses
upon the subject of meteorology. No tome in a thousand could
give any rational account of this wonderful phenomenon; so it
will not appear strange that there was widespread alarm at this
"star-shooting," so called. Some really thought that
the Judgment Day was at hand, and they fell on their knees in
penitence, confessing all the sins of their past lives, and calling
upon God to have mercy. On our journey we heard little talked
of but the "falling of the stars." All sorts of conjectures
were made by all sorts of people, excepting there were but few,
if any, wise conjectures, and very few wise people to make them
along the way we traveled. Not a few thought it an evidence of
Gods displeasure, and believed that fearful calamities
would probably speedily follow. There were those who believed
the Judgment Day was near at hand, and undertook to prove out
of the Scriptures that this was one of the signs of the coming
of the Son of Man. One old lady was emphatic in the statement
that it was certainly a "token of some sign." Statements
made even by good-meaning people were often quite erroneous.
Some men declared that they saw great balls of fire fall into
the water, and heard the sizzling noise, like that made when
a red-hot iron is thrown into a slake-tub. Others thought they
saw these great balls of fire bursting among the tree-tops.
We may learn of this that, when men are in
a high state of excitement, their testimony must be taken with
many grains of allowance. I heard of a few who professed religion
under the influence of these lights. In that day, for the sinner
under conviction to be able to say that he had seen a light,
whether he had heard a voice or not, furnished a ready passport
into almost any church in the land. I suppose the reformation
produced by these meteors was like the appearance of the meteors
themselves -- of very short duration. I have no faith in any
repentance grounded upon objects of sense. The gospel only is
the power of God unto salvation. Love to God and hatred for sin,
only can work a permanent change in the life of a man; and nothing
short of this can be trusted as permanent in its effects.