23rd February 1876
Journal of Professor Zachary Zapperoni
I must admit the events of last evening have left me somewhat perplexed and elated.
While returning home from a ceremony in Baltimore for the inauguration of a new university, my journey was interrupted by what appeared to be a falling star blazing across the path of my carriage and landing explosively in a nearby field. While my driver endeavoured to calm the horses, my natural inquisitive nature overtook me and removing one of the lanterns from the carriage I proceeded through the dark towards the upthrown mound of earth and sod created by the careening object.
Expecting to find some smouldering shard of rock amidst the tumult, I was shocked to see a metal cylinder of approximately one yard in length and half that in diameter shimmering in the flickering lamplight. Approaching closer to the object than common sense should have allowed me, I was further surprised to find that rather than feeling any heat coming from the it I felt a wave of cold encroach upon me. Shivering I knelt by the missile (for I now presumed it was some sort of military shell fired inadvertently from one of the nearby barracks) and examined it more closely. It was then that I realised the shimmering I had seen previously was not caused by the reflection of my lantern but was indeed eminating from minute grooves and channels etched into the surface of the object. I had never seen the military use munitions of this sort and concluded it was not a spent shell.
Throwing caution to the wind, I unhooked my cloak and spread it on the ground. Using my cane I carefully maneuvered the cylinder onto my cape and proceeded to wrap it tightly before calling for my man to help me carry it back to the coach. As we continued on our homeward journey my mind wandered over the possibilities for the origin of my find. If not military in origin, was it perhaps an experiment by one of my peers? If so then whom?
On arrival at my midtown home, we carried the wrapped cylinder into my laboratory and after cautioning my driver not to mention our find I dismissed him and settled down to examine it more closely. 
