Maine Mystery Blast Caused By Meteorite, Claims Theorist Smith

Gathering information on a mysterious, loud expulosion and rumblings in the Waterville, Maine, area Sunday night, Harlan J. Smith '48, graduate Student at the Harvard Observatory, theorized yesterday that the noise might have been caused by a falling meteorite.

People within a 10 to 20 mile radius of the blast thought tires, boilers, or explosives had blown up, but no property damage was reported. As the seismograph at Weston, Massachusetts, showed no ground tremors, L. Don Leet '29, associate professor of Geology, believed the explosion airborne, Smith added, "No airplanes, however, have been reported missing."

As the Waterville area was covered with dense clouds Sunday night, Smith held it possible that a flaming meteorite might not be seen or might burn out before it passed through the clouds.