Writing
a hoax requires a special imagination and some useful fishing experience. The
objective is to snare and hook the reader with an artificial 'lore,' and make it believable.
“Chet”
Hull was city editor of the Oswego Daily
Palladium in June, 1859, when he published the Boylston Meteor Hoax. The
story ran for three days. The story got the attention of the New York State Board of Regents,
who dispatched several scientists to investigate the impact site. Upon their
arrival at the alleged Boylston Meteor site, scientists and other
investigators found slag and iron scraps scattered in a field. The metal came from
the Vulcan Iron Works in Oswego, and was placed there by Hull and his
associates. Hull's reference of dogs howling when they came near a specimen of moon stone "with so moony a flavor," in his third news release, should have made readers howl with laughter. Hull also played a part in another hoax in Oswego ten years later.
Newspapers
at Sandy Creek, Utica, Buffalo, Syracuse and New York City carried initial
reports of the meteor landing at Boylston. Later, when it was determined that
the event was a hoax, the same newspapers editorialized about the lies and
impositions of “Chet” Hull and the Oswego Daily Palladium. The Utica Observer wrote that it was simply
a shameless and unnecessary lie.
Oswego Daily Palladium PRICE TWO CENTS
Published daily and weekly by T. P. Ottaway
Dudly Farling, Editor
Chester Hull, City Editor
The Daily
Palladium will be served to City Subscribers every morning (Sundays
excepted) at $6 per annum.
Thursday Morning, June 16, 1859
GREAT NATURAL
PHENOMENA
Descent of an Immense
Meteoric Body In Oswego County !!
INTENSE EXCITEMENT IN
THE COUNTRY.
On Wednesday (yesterday)
morning the inhabitants of the towns of BoyIston and Redfield to this county,
were startled by the occurrence of a most remarkable phenomena—the descent from
the heavens of an immense meteoric mass.
The body struck the
earth between the hours of 8 and 4 A.M., with a crash that was truly
terrific, and the shock
was sensibly felt and people aroused
from their sleep at a distance of five miles from the scene. The body fell upon
the farm of HORACE SANGER,
situated on the line of Boylston and Redfield, striking in a meadow and partially on the highway.
It is estimated by
our informant to cover about half an acre of land. The earth was torn up in a terrible manner, and large
fragments were thrown a distance
of two-thirds of a mile, The mass is very irregular In shape, and rises at some points to sixty and eighty
feet in height, and is supposed to be embedded In the earth as many feet. The surface
generally has the appearance of iron ore.
The excitement occasioned by the event among the Inhabitants was intense, and the crash is said
to have been terrific beyond description. Many supposed that the final winding up of
terrestrial affairs had truly arrived.
[We are indebted to
our friend E. S. Putnam, Esq., of Boylston, for his efforts to furnish us at
the earliest moment with the particulars of the event.]
THE METERORIC PHENOMENON
Further Particulars
Friday Morning, June 17, 1859
On
the receipt of your dispatch, at Pulaski, I started at once for Boylston, to
inspect in person the scene of the startling phenomenon of Wednesday. You
probably have received greatly exaggerated reports before this of the
occurrence as the whole neighborhood, as in such cases, is full of the most
distorted versions. I at once proceeded to the farm of Mr. Sanger where the aerolite
fell and collected the following facts which are as nearly the truth as the
excitement which prevailed in the immense crowd there would permit and will
probably be found correct enough short of anything of a strict scientific
investigation:
Mr. Hadley's Statement:
The
atmosphere had been very oppressive during Tuesday and especially in the
evening—something similar I have once experienced before a toronado which
I witnessed in the West Indies in 1836. I was
awakened about 3 o'clock on Wednesday morning by the room in which I slept
being filled with light, and immediately heard a rushing sound like the coming
on of a threat wind. This lasted but a few seconds after I was awakened when an explosion description—it
was terrific. The whole house shook as if one hundred cannon had
been fired under the windows.
Quite a number of pains of glass were broken out
of the windows, and the plastering of the room I was in, came tumbling about
me. The light, which was so bright that I could planely [original spelling
retained in transcript. CC.] see every
object in the room, was at once extinguished. The window of my room is
on the opposite side of the house from the place where the meteor fell so that
I could only judge its direction. The light seemed to come from some body
moving very rapidly and from South to North and seemed to increase rapidly
during the brief space that preceded the explosion. I at once started in the
direction of the explosion but was unable to find the spot and returned. The
spot where the body fell is about one mile from my house.
This is the substance of observation of all who
were near the spot.
The
facts at the time of the circumstances preceeding the fall of the aerolite I
have from Mr. James Hadley, a respectable citizen of the town of Redfield, who
resides about one mile from the scene and the rest is from personal
observation.
Many
were awakened by the shock at a distance of five miles, and until the truth was
ascertained, thought an earthquake had occurred.
The
aerolite struck the earth in some timberland belonging to Mr. Sanger. We
believe Mr. Hadley’s dwelling to be the nearest. It seemed to have been a spherical
body as near as we can judge by the fragments that remained. Its course was
from the Southwest to the Northeast and descended at an angle about thirty
degrees from the horizon which is proved by its track through the heavy hemlock
trees before it touched the earth. The trees were cut through as a cannon ball
would cut through a hedge leaving a huge track.The earth was torn upo for
several rods and the huge trees are splintered and piled up like brush. One
large hemlock four feet in diameter near whose roots the meteor struck was
thrown bodily for eight yards cracking the surrounding trees like pipe stems. Fragments
of a huge sandstone boulder which lay in its course were thrown in all
directions. One weighing one-half ton was found three-quarters of a mile away.
The
aerolite seemed to have been formed of a nucleus of a crystalized substance of
a semi-vitreous character but harder than quartz and unlike anything with which we are acquainted. This was
surrounded by a crust about three feet in thickness which was probably the same
substance oxidized or changed by combustion. The crust broke off in fragments
and lays about the spot but the nucleus penetrated the earth about twenty feet
and at the same time we write is set upon by an excited crowd who are chopping
away under the impression that it is of precious material of some sort.
From
appearance the outer crust of the aerolite seems to be in a partial state of
fusion which is caused, according to philosophers who have written on the
subject of aerolites, by heat generated by its rapid passage through the
atmosphere. The crust that was broken off by collision somewhat resembles iron
ore and the fact that it was very hot when it fell is proved by the grass being
charred by the contact. I send you a specimen of the outer crust but every
substance that had the slightest trace of crystalline matter which probably
forms the nucleus has been seized on by the excited people who from its
heaviness and brilliance conceive it to be at least as valuable as diamonds and
will not part with it at any price. I presume they will be mistaken sadly but
the fever was on them and they could not be convinced.
This
is certainly a phenomenon worthy of scientific investigation and I hope someone
qualified for the task will visit it. This is written hurriedly as the
conveyance that brings this is departing. I will furnish specimens if I can
find them.
Yours,
L.
THE BOYLSTON METEOR
Probabilities, Improbabilities, And Speculations
On The Subject
Saturday Morning, June 18, 1859
Meteoric
bodies, or moon stones, have fell on the earth at many different times and
places, and have ever been a source of interest to philosophers and the learned
of all nations. Since the philosophers have taken a great interest in moon stones,
the story is not to be confounded with moonstones but it would be no more than
politeness in moon stones to tell of the finding. Moon stones, they claim, take an
interest in philosophers. Whence by substitution we conclude that wherever
meteors fall there reside wise men and ergo
the late occurrence at Boylston is a compliment and a recognition of the
philosophers tendered the people of Oswego County. We are surprised when we
reflect on the above explanation that the vicinity of the city has not been
visited long since by these remarkable phenomena—considering the enthusiasm
with which visitors from other spheres in the shape of spirits have been
received. It is not too much to expect arrivals from any stray phenomena that
may be inclined for a tour into the influence of our planet.
We
are informed that some free thinking skeptics express doubt as to the occurrence
of the event so graphically described by our Boylston correspondent, and regard
the meteor as a product of a heated imagination. It may be so. There are
circumstances that favor that belief. It is the fact that our correspondent, as
we have just learned, has within a few weeks gone over to the Republican ranks.
This we did not know at the time we published his letters, and of course do not
feel responsible for anything they may contain after that. Still we believe in
moon stones in the abstract, and would refer our readers to Andrew Jackson
Davis’ “Harmonia” and Hoyle’s “Games of Chance,” for a refutation of the
arguments of such as doubt. The first authority will convert the believers in
spirits, and the second quid nunca.
The rest of the people are very few, and had originally too much sense to
require any convincing on the subject.
As
for this particular moon stone, we would like to see the man so contracted in
his views as to declare that the great county of Oswego has not as good a right
to such lunar honors as any other locality. Can there be a more appropriate
place for a moon stone to descend? We pause for a reply!
Personally
the editor has never visited the moon. He is sorry for it, and if his patrons
will furnish the funds he will gladly make the attempt, and inquire into the
matter in question. Still, with our limited knowledge, we believe that the
specimens furnished by our Boylston correspondent came from the moon, for this
reason, that they had about them, and even the paper in which they were
wrapped, so moony a flavor that every dog that has come near them has set up a
howl long and sharp as ever greeted Luna herself on a winter’s night. This we
consider conclusive on that point.
We are not,
in fact, sure that it makes any difference that the meteor fell in Boylston or not.
It is certain that it might have fell there if it chose! There was no one near
the locality to prevent it, and it has induced as much investigation into
scientific subjects, and drawn out as many opinions as, ‘a moon stone of
moderate desires would expect.’ Whatever is the fact, we trust it has secured
several readers for “Dick’s Sidereal Heavens,” which will certainly prove a
benefit, and we hope all will find in the Boylston Meteor after the
recommendation of the poet—
“Sermons in stones, and good in everything.”
Reference:
1) Fulton History--Oswego County Historical Society
2) Fulton History--"Chet" Hull
3) Sandy Creek News--Where Meteor Fell
