Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-07-24

Something About Echpse9 - The Great
Eclipse of 1SO8-Its Appearance in Con-
necticut and Elsewhere - shakspeare's
Aiiusions. fIt
The Hartford (Conn.J ooudnt of a late date
gives the following "reminiscences ofthe total
solar eclipse of 1906:
The only total eclipse, as seeu in New En-
gland in the nineteenth century, occurred
Monday, J une l6, 1906 II is the same eclipse
which takes place to-day (the lsthl but now
so far north as to bring the line of total dark
ness far beyond the limits Of the United
States This eclipse returns once in eighteen
years and eleven days
In 1906 the line of total darkness passed
through Massachusetts, and Connecticut, but
not extending further south. The statistics
of the eclipse, calculated for the meridian of
Worcester, Mass, were as follows: Beginning,
Oh. 4sm. A. NJ, middle, llh. 22m.; end, l2h.
45m. duration, Oh. 57m.; dgits eclipsed, IL.
The period of total obscuration took place at
twenty-five minutes past eleven, and lasted
about four minutes. 1t was said at the time
that the center of total darkness passed across
New Preston, in Litchfeld County, a little
below Litchfeld.
The day at titchlield was clear and bright
one, and thousands ofeyes during the morn
ing were towards the sun, as the dark shadow
of the moon began TO creep over her face.
At first, all went about their usual occupa-
tions, but as the sun became more and more
obscured, business was given up, and every
man, woman and child held piece of smoked
glass to note the progress of the moons en-
croachments. When only u crescent form
was left to the sun, the interstices in the
shadows of the leaves of the trees assumed
| likewise crescent form. If we will notice
such interstices, where the interposing object
| is so remote from the receiving ground as to
produce an indistinct image, we shall see the
breaks in the shadows follow the shape of the
Illuminating object. At ordinary times
| these interstices under trees will be circular
| like the sun. AS the sun becomes more ant
| more obscured, the crescent becomes thinner
and thinner, assuming the form of the young
est moon we ever saw, until it was mer'
thread of light in the heavens, and mer'
| thread in the shadows of the leaves.
| Suddenly il faded entirely away and tn
sun was gone--put out-extinguished in it
meridian path. It hung there in the sky
round, black funeral-patch in the heavens
rayless and heatless. The dews descended, a
| If twilight had come in earnest. The fowl
| sought their roosts--the cattle uneasily di
rected their eyes to the expiring luminary-
| the air altered its weight and pressure-th
smoke rushed down the chimneys--the cart
was cold to the naked feet--and a glooI
rested on all spirits. The darkness was abor
that of early twilight but unlike it. 1t wa
twilight in the center of the sky, not at th
horizon. In the afternoon, the wind rose an
was hoisterous, and the weather was colo
1t was soon followed by violent hail-storm
in all parts of New England.
The New York EUeniHg Post (theu calle
the New York Herald gives extracts fror
several New England papers, but says nothin
of its appearance in New York. 1t was nj
total there. DR.. Thomas Robbins, in hi
diary, states that he was in Philadelphia tina
day, and merely mentioned that he watche
its progress, and that it was nearly total.
The Norwich True Republican has an ably
written article in advance upon the tot
! darkness that was to occur at MONDAY on tn
following Monday, and alludes to many {
the phenomena which would take place, {
we have described above. That paper speal
of the wonderful meteorological changes thi
had been observed in 1905 and thus far
I 1906. In Boston, the CentineS says that q
, eclipse produced u very great sensation, al
that the whole population was abroad to gaz
; In Washington, the National IRteLtigencer sa
: it was cloudy, and but little seen. The
E were about eleven and half digits eclips'
in that place.
/ The Boston Transcript speaking, of eclipse
says;
0 Shakespeare during the latter part of
: life made frequent allusion to eclipses wht
e illustrating any portentous event or depic
u ing deep emotion. In Hamlet, Horati
|, speaking of the ghost of the murdered Kin
y refers to a period in Roman history, when
... -" the moist star,
I. Upon whose influence Neptune's empire stands
It Was sick almost TO doomsdoy with eclipse"
is In the first part of Henry vi, Lord Talbt
e on the eve of battle tells his son he was
e -"born to eclipse thy life this afternoon
In Macbeth, one of the witches in the
e cantation scene drops in the cauldron,
"Gall of goat and slips Of yew
5, Silverd in the moons eclipse
e In the sublime tragedy of Lear there 9
!. three illusions to eclipses. Gloster tells 4
u mund, "These late eclipses in the sun a
n moon portend no good to u.s. Edmur
e when alone and soliloquizing on the evils
q the time, afirms 80, these eclipses do pt
e. tend these divisions" In the scene betwe
E, Edgar and Edmund, the former asks: "Wl
le serious contemplation are you in2' Edmu
'i replies 81 am thinking, brother, of a pred
ton read the other day, what should foll'
these eclipses."
. 0thello after killing Desdemona, is in
- agony of grief and desolation, and cries ol
III 40 heavy hour
hethinks it should now be huge eclipse
=. OF sun and moon and that the onrighted glob
~ Should yawn at alteration"
} ----Aun-------