Kieron wrote:I see there was a Briska More and a Briska Beg. The latter was to the north of the Faha desmesne, so let's assume that was the place. I have updated my map to show Briska Beg and the Faha desmesne (George Tuthill's house). Assuming my location for the Patrick's Well stone is correct, you can see that Briska/Brasky, Faha and Patrick's Well are in a straight line, as they are supposed to have been. What I don't understand now is how 'six or seven' smaller stones fell between Patrick's Well and the village of Adare, so far off to the west.
Hmmm, it does seem odd... In his letter Sam Maxwell describes:
Sir, — Friday morning, the 10th of September 1813, being very calm and serene and the sky dear, about nine o'clock a cloud appeared in the east, and very soon after I heard eleven distinct reports, appearing to proceed from thence, somewhat resembling the discharge of heavy artillery. Immediately after this followed a considerable noise not unlike the beating of a large drum, which ' was succeeded by an uproar resembling the continued discharge of musquetry in line. The sky above the place whence this noise appeared to issue became darkened and very much disturbed, making a hissing noise ; and from thence appeared to issue with great violence different masses of matter, which directed their course with great velocity in a horizontal direction towards the west.
and
Six or seven more of the same kind of masses, but smaller, and fractured, as if shattered from each other or from larger ones, descended at the same time, with great velocity, in different places between the lands of Scagh and the village of Adare.
No, I don't understand why the smaller masses would finish up travelling further along the meteoroid's trajectory, than the larger masses, either. I suppose a low-altitude terminal burst is a possibility. Anyone know of any modern reports of terminal burst, at low altitude? The only one that springs to mind is the
Taranaki Daylight Fireball of 1999 July 7. I think that's one, but I haven't read it for a while - nothing recovered, as I recall?...
It's all very interesting - I can see I'm going to have to buy the maps and spend some time on this...