Three Rivers
Hudson~Mohawk~Schoharie
History From America's Most Famous Valleys

Brief Sketch of the First Settlement
of the
County of Schoharie
by the Germans.
Being an Asnwer to a Circular Letter, Addressed to the Author, by "The Historical and Philosophical Society of the State of New York"
by John M. Brown. Printed for the Author by L. Cuthbert 1823

The Meteor.

About the year 1790, on a clear Summer evening, I was sitting on the stoop playing the fiddle. About 9 o'clock in the evening a shine of light appeared and increased until it overshone even the light of the meridan sun in some clear day, and enlightened my stoop in such a manner, that I might have picked up a pin in every corner. Then I heard a great roaring coming direct from the North, I started up and looked out from the stoop, and behold! I saw a fiery meteor-or as the Germans call it a "mine droke" - - dragon coming on and passing by at the distance of about 250 yards West of me, a distance of about 60 or 70 feet above the cleared ground. It kept along down through the hollow, on the other side of the hollow it met with the rising of the hill covered with woods and tall trees, there it took a sudden rise and went just over the tall trees so as not to touch them, and on over a kind of flat or level ground, until it met with the foot of the noted hill the Indians called "Owelus Sowless," then it ascended higher, ascending as the ground rose, and went over the hill where I could not watch it farther. I had had a view of it about a mile and a quarter. It moved about as fast as a common horse in a horse race. The meteor as I shall now call it, was about 300 yards long in a serpentine shape, excepting the head which resembled the root of a tree plucked up by force. It had no appearance of a neck, the body was thick as a bullock, tapering off like a serpent at the end of the tail. The appearance was similar to welding hot iron and sparkling like it. The immense heat warmed through my whole house, and left a stench like burning tar and sulphur, which was smelled all the next day. Traditions, superstitions and fabulous stories are often told of meteors, apparitions and ghosts, wherein I place but small confidence for want of confirmation, but for the above, mine own eyes, and sound mind and body bear witness of the truth I have here related. As witness my hand.