one o'clock
By noon a fresh light was thrown upon the little world , the Yerkes observatory and Greenwich both uttering their voice , the Astronomer Royal announcing that the so-called planet was merely a meteor -- not more than 400 yards in diameter , with a low velocity of two miles a second ; and its distance was less than a tenth of that estimated by Tissot . The Yerkes observatory fixed the diameter at 230 yards . All , however , agreed in the opinion that it must strike the earth between ten and twelve that night . These later announcements so much allayed the panic , that by one o'clock Hogarth , on peeping into the note-book on the box before the smithy , saw six signatures ; and a young man who came about six P.M. to sign , cried out : `` Hullo ! the book is filled up ! '' on which Hogarth ran out , saying : `` Do n't run away on that account , I 'll run and get -- '' darting into the house to ask Margaret where a certain account-book was . `` Did n't I throw it into the box of rubbish in the cellar at Lagden , when we were leaving ? ''