Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-08-13
MORNING LEADER
SATURDAY MORNING. AUGUsT Is.
A Blood Red sun.

The murky condition of the atmos-
phere on Sunday and Monday was sub
| ject Of general remark. The obseurity
which it impaired to distant objects was
less than that of fog, and more than that
of an autumnal haze. 1t was smoke but
so fine and fleecy hat there was no smell
of smoke in the air. kilograms from re-
mote points inthe State speak of the same
phenomenon, and attribute it to the great
| iTes raging in the northeastern forests.
In some places, miles from the confiagra-
tion, the smoke is so thick as to eclipse
the sun and render candles necessary at
midday.
Sabbath evening, while the sun was still
many degrees above the horizon, the
smoky medium through which he wss dis
cerned gave to his disc a blOOd-red color.
1t was the arterial blood tint, copied from
nature more closely than solferino dye.
His fierce rays seemed to have beon
quenched in blood. Every intelligent OBJ
server knew that the long OdnR OF teHuOus
smoke living close to the earth ahl stretch
ing away for hundred miles t0WtIds sun
set, wrought this change from the clear
sun that had been throbbing out his white
light all day overhead.
And yet there was something strange and
awful in the sight. 1t Was not a portent
though to minds not fortified against SUI
perstltion, it might have presented itself
with all the IhrllIing force of a sign from
heaven. Natural phenomena whienmight
have been explained by scientific lnvestlga-
rlon upon grounds us simple and natural
az the Sab6atn's blood red sun, have, IN
iorner days, passed for Omens Of terrible
IMPORT. TRe dark dav" which occu r-d in
New England during the early part Of the
present ceutuary was one Of tnese-
The accounts which are handed down TO
Us Of that remarkable phenomenon, agree
That the day was darker than WIS ever
known during total eclipse; and yet
there was no eclipse. NeiIher Was there
any thick smoke IrUm any forest lire. nOr
any black, overbhnging thundeT-elOGds
That presently oroks IN ram. The event
stands unexpl ined. 1t caused II feeling Of
terror even among persons Of more Than
common intelligence.
The falling stars of 1888; the famous
auroraI display Of u few years later, winch
turned the SKY TO a scarlet, and reelected
with AN awful sunguinary hue, on thesnow
beneath, the Gomez of lo45-were regard
CD Dy many as onens Of coming evil. oome
thought lhey portended a great war; others
the end of the world
Science explodes all such fantasies. But
it is a proof OF the element Of superstition
when still turks in human nature, and
when not our civilization can expeil, that
the trst thought which came Into the
mind OF the spectator, as he turned SUD
denly and saw that blood-red sun OF the
Sabbath, was OF an omen. This thought
being Instantly rejected, the next tnoeght
was 0f the painful analogg which 1t afford
ed to the sun OF the Republic golEg down
in sea OF blood.
A short time before the solar orb had
been high in heaven, giving light to the
world, tne fountain VI Joy Ior millions OF
human boinss. Now 49, glory WIS never
exting guished, and the scanry lignt which
ne stiil cast shed lurid glare over the
earth more gloomy and oppressive than
nIght itsely. Thank heaveni 1t WAS not
All omen; but only a startling and painful
suggestion drawn from little smoke
ciUuding the sun.-Nel0 York Journal Of
Commerce.