"It first appeared in the southeast, and presented the appearance of an ordinary rocket, but as it moved onward it grew in size until at the moment of its disappearance its apparent diameter was equal to the fall moon, The train or tail was not of great length, the whole resembling an elongated cone. All the hues of the rainbow, painted in fire, surrounded it, constantly scattering and throwing off sparks, rivaling in brilliancy the diamond when illumined by the sun."
—Meteoric Displays. – THE GREAT METEOR OF AUG. 2., New York Times.
(HT: Michael Roston)
