The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-09-12

The Recent Celestial Phenomena.
THE AURORA BoREALIS, As SEEN IN CUBA BERMUDA,
MISSISSIPPI, TEXAS, KENTUCKY, AND FROM SEA
VARIED AND INTERESTING DESCRIPTIONS.
The beautiful display of northern lights which iumi
mated the heavens the evening Of Sunday the 18th Of
August and which repeated with less spen-
dor throughout tho remainder Of the week. appears TO
have awakened admiration and from end of the
republic the other The papers received at our ofcc
from all sections Of tho country declare its glory, and
many Of the ships that arrive here report the same celes
ha phenomenon. The citizens Of Montreal and Of New
Orleans gaxed with equal wonder at the merry dancers
in the northern sky. The people Of st. Louis and of Ia
alike witnesses of the spectacle The various
descriptions given Of il deserving Of notice.
We dnd for instance, in maritime intelligence of
yesterday report from the bark Pride Of the Sea- from
Cuba stating that the Thursday night Of the week in
question,
At twentyn minutes to A. ~, bright star or
cloud appeared In the northwest which shot up rays rc
sembng the ut the north In winter, and In thirty
forty minutes formed arch the horizon from
northwest to northeast which became lighter arose,
and At rs lighted enough read the smallest
print without light AT the time the horizon cloudy,
and overhead was very clear the larger stars being t
Seen The arch passed over to the southwark Ut 2lS,
when II became dark again.
The bark james w. Paige, which arrived here on Thurs
day from Monroya, the Of Africa made
the following report Of the and Of storm which
preceded it,
Had fine weather to latitude 34 longitude 80 30 whom
the LIST Of September took very heavy gale from
W.s.W., with VERY very heavy squalls. ACCOMPANIED by
thunder and Lightning; at eleven A. NJ was struck by
lghtnng the first flash struck the f0remas and descend
ed down the lightning conductor which was doomed out
ten feet from the side the second fash struck the mxcn
mast and descended down the lightning rod which was
doomed like the other, and through II the
mzen chains and magnetized them SO that il affected the
and tn will Uroa afraU 1itv
The man at the wheel was stunned and could for
ten minutes after the fash At night, by bearing OF the
North star found that both OF the compasses the bin
nacle were affected three points to the Westward they
kept deranged till the Sd inst when they got to be nearly
From eight p NJ Til three A. M the whole horizon was az
light as any sunshny day. the popularity Of 1t that
the sky was completely overcast with very black Clouds
and at times il rained in torrents All hands forward
were very much alarmed
The Havana correspondent Of the Noticoso de Nueua
York says that on the night Of Sunday, August g. "a
physical phenomenon appeared in the sky and attracted
great attention, the horizon being covered with
mantle Of blood red hue "Thc general belef no con.
nues s that of those northern aurora SO rare
in these ATTITUDES" also from the deck Of
the steamship Cahawba from New Orleans to Havana.
seems to have presented brilliant an appearance TO
the islanders Of Bermuda it did to the dweers among
Canadian snows and that what makes this phenome
non very remarkable it being and long inter-
Bermuda
Royal Gdsette says ft:--
This singular phenomenon hc aurora boreas) made its
appearance in our northern hemisphere Sunday even
ing last appeared to ascend from few degrees above
the horizon towards the zenith, assuming variety of
shapes and beautiful colors-sometmes in tremuious
sheets Of pale yellow, changing gradually into deep
crimson, or shooting upwards in streams Of light
bling those frequently observed from the setting SUM-
covered at times the entire space between n W. and
n leaving the sky, from the horizon to It's apparent
base perfectly clear Towards ten O'Clock gradually
nOrfh aixy hravy
out light resembling the pale light Of the moon which
was sufficiently bright TO cast deep shadow from every
object on the land. This light continued until dawn Of
day The last tme believe that we were visited by
the Northern twilight was in the year 1885,
correspondent OF the same paper describes the au-
rora in this manner
ship then this seemed mixed with gigantic stripes which
melted into something like the beams forth by the
anS asa 5 eEsused Spas 5 s ay % world
moon, wadng her nightly course in heaven; and
them as Il the east rradated by SOL while the light
of night held her sceptre DER the far stretching north
Still other changes take place In this shifting scene the
northwest reflects burning vcsuvus beautifully studded
with gliterng stars, and during all this time might be be-
held great dark clouds shooting upwards between and
the sky, forming striking contrast to the illuminated
Opaque above.
The Natchez Courier says that the display Of Thursday
night still grander than that Of the preceding Sunday
night It's editor observed from to three O'Clock
and thus describes it,
bling the early gray dawn Northeast east was as
If Of fire was about to rise to usher in day Of
warmer light than mortas prepared to expect The
rich red glow of morn sprung up in Of light almost
to the zenith, with deep red coors and brilliant
color Of the light steady. At moment it sprung into
broad band OF white, like silver bow darting once
into existence, ful in its display, and disappearing in
sea Of blood,
Like the Borealis race
That fit ere you could point the place.
At another, it was the deep red glare that gave the
dark cloud observed, while from its jagged edges
sprung forth the strange illuminating light From
time TO time rays darted forth with almost the rapdty
Of thought and extended to and far beyond the zenith
white snowy pillars and scarlet the fervency and
zeal that betokened their aspirations heavenly home
At two O'Clock although no moon was at the horizon the
light sufficient to read the print of book
Bells on plantations rung the hour for work, while
good people in the neghborng town of Fayete thought
the world to be at end and the general conagra
ton at hand 1t was indeed magnificent display of the
light Of the Omnipotent The electric extended
and it evident that beyond the "two great ghts''
there still other and richer light in the hollow Of His
great right hand
At Galveston in Texas the Of Sunday night was
equally magnificent A correspondent Of the Galveston
Necs, who witnessed it from the Observatory, says
The whole sky, from Ursa Major to the Zodiac in the
east occupied by the streams spiral columns that
from the horizon Spread the same extent was
exquisite roseate tint which faded and returned and
moved from extreme to the other of the panorama
Stately columns Of light reaching up about As deg from
the horizon moved in grave dignity westward about one
degree for every ninety seconds Of time Some of the
groups of towers preserved their form sufficiently to be
identified in their march from the Milky Way Ursa Ma.
or some forty degrees. At p NJ the whole OF the
streaking had faded leaving only sort Of twilight over
the northern sky We ceased observation 1t is proper
to remark that there frequent flashes of lightning
apparently from distant Clouds less than 100 miles
along the whole extent Of the aurora but clouds were
visible, except single streak the horizon which
at first mstook for the arch which the pyramids
rora light usually rest 1t is not probable however that
the atmospheric disturbances and general rains along
the northern sky had anything do with the production
Of the aurora On the contrary, mention it merely to
show that the meteor was not cut off impaired by the
Intervention of storm; but had such attitude and was
part Of 80 extended phenomenon, be disturb
cd by any local atmospheric movements. AT 8 A. N.
(9h) awoke and perceivng that IL very light out
sde and found the whole northern again
fire. Ascending to the Observatory was repaid by
display have equalled since the memorable
aurora Of Sept 1889 The whole distance before named
was tinted with the roscate hue-darker nearly crimson
ed at the two fanks In the CENTRE near the meridian
stood stupendous pyramid Of white light with It's apex
near the zenith On either sde at some twenty degrees
stood pyramid OF rosy light about sixty degrees in
height, and in exactly symmetrical positions ''Thc