“In the midst of a sentence describing the appearance of the rapidly approaching meteor, the _Chiriqui’s_ wireless message came to an abrupt end, and all attempts to get into further communication with her operator failed. The other vessels reported that a scintillating flash, like an explosion, was followed by the meteor’s disappearance, and it is feared that the immense aerolite may have struck the _Chiriqui_, and utterly destroyed her with all on board. As no S O S has been received, and as the ship’s radio broke off with the words: ‘It is very close and the sea is as bright as day. Below the immense mass of green fire are two smaller spheres of intense red. It is so near we can hear it roaring like a terrific wind. It is headed--’ It is probable that the vessel, if struck, was instantly destroyed. It has been suggested, however, that it is possible that the meteor or meteors were accompanied by electrical phenomena which may have put the _Chiriqui’s_ wireless apparatus out of commission and that the ship may be safe.” Later editions of the press announced that no word had been received from the _Chiriqui_, that other ships had reported the meteor, and that two of these had radioed that the aerolite, instead of exploding, had been seen to continue on its way and gradually disappear beyond the horizon. These reports somewhat allayed the fears that the _Chiriqui_ had been struck by the meteor, and prominent scientists expressed the opinion that the supposed explosion had been merely an optical illusion caused by its passage through some dense or cloudy layer of air. They also quoted numerous cases of immense meteors having been seen by observers over immense distances, and declared their belief that the aerolite had not reached the earth, but had merely passed through the outer atmosphere. When asked regarding the possibility of the meteor having affected the ship’s wireless apparatus, experts stated that such might have been the case, although, hitherto, severe electrical disturbances had never been associated with the passage of meteors. Moreover, they declared that even if the wireless had been injured, it could have been repaired in a few hours, and that they could not explain the continued silence of the _Chiriqui_. Word also came from Panama that the naval commandant at Balboa had despatched a destroyer to search for the _Chiriqui_, or any survivors of the catastrophe if the ship had been destroyed. A few hours later, despatches were received from various points in Central and South America, reporting the meteor of the previous night. All of these agreed that the fiery mass had swept across the heavens in a wide arc and had vanished in the east beyond the summits of the Andes. It was, therefore, fairly certain that the _Chiriqui_ had not been struck by the meteor, and in a few days the incident was completely forgotten by the public at large.