The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1869-07-23

Although total eclipse Of the sun occurs
In some parts OF tho earth about eighty
times in century, at any particular place,
1t is probably tho most raro as we'll as the
most magnificent Of all phenomena.
Between 1900 and 1901 there are only four
coast, the extent OF width ls nearly 1000
miles, and as the average width If the
moons shadow at the time Of these cclpses
Is about 100 miles, II Is evident that only
about ffth Of this coast Is there total
observation Of the sun In the whole OF the
nineteenth century.
The first, and most remarkable OF the
four, took place here about half an hour
before noon on June 10, 1906, when the
centre Of the shadow, then one hundred and
6fty miles wide, passed from Albany to
Boston, and caused that striking phenome-
non; which Is even now so well remembered,
a s'totality," of i've minutes duration. This
eclipse will return for tho fourth time on
July 90, 1873, when, II Is believed, the
shadow will pass from British Columbia,
over Colorado and Texas, to the Gulf Of
Mexico.
The second occurred on November 80,
1884. # was total in part Of Kansas, Ar.
kansas, Alabama, Georgia and South Caro-
lima; at Beaufort, In the last State, where 1t
was central, tho duration of totallty, as OBJ
served by your correspondents, was l min.
1915 Sec, or only little more than a third
| Of that here In June, 1906. Tho next return
| Of this eclipse will take place next year on
| December 90, 1870, when II will be total In
the sonth Of Europe, near Cadiz, Gibraltar,
| Constantinople, aud In the Island Of Sicily.
Tho fourth will take place on May IS,
| 1900; II will be total In part OF North Caro-.
lima and Virginia, but the width of the
shadow will hardly exceed Any miles; in
deed, at the return of this eclipse, which
occurred on April IS, 1916, II was annular
where the sun was low and total only where
II was high, viz In the Island Of Cuba, &c.
The third OF tho four occurs on the 9TH Of
tho next month, August, when the central
eclipse will begin at sunrise Of the place in
Siberia, and end at sunset In the Atlantic
ocean, near the Bermuda Islands. This
eclipse will be central In part OF Alaska and
Of British Colombia, Of our Territories Mon.
tana and Dakota, and of the six States, Iowa,
Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Virginia and
North Carolina; and total (but not eertrdl)
In the northeast oxtremltics OF Nebraska
Missouri, Tennessee and South Carolina
and on the southwest part OF Minnesota
The duration Of totality will be longest tal
most four minutes) whore the eclipse will b,
central ut noon, near Mount St. Elias. Al
our boundary latitude 40 deg, tho duration
will be 3H M, (3m. 2s.gs.:) near De,
Moines, Iowa, exactly 3 minutes; Spring
Held, ILL.,, ON. 50.ss.; Louisville, Ky, Pm
Al .3s.; and where central, n little southwes
of Raleigh, n. c., 2m. els.
This eclipse Is the first return of that
July 2s, 1851, which was so carefully oh
served in Sweden by many eminent Englisl
+ astronomers, and by the late Professor Bond
i Of the observatory of Harvard Unitereity
, All the Swans saw, during the totality, til
wonderful corona as usual, also red flame
or prominenccs In different points aroun
the moon. These flames have also been sec
In other total eclipses, and during the eclips
so remarkable for the length of Its totally
quite 81 minutes,) which occurred In In
dia last year, on August IS, they attractet
the particular attention Of all the numerou
observers from England, France and Ger
, many, who with the great assistance of tn
new instrument, the spectroscopc, seem t
have come to the conclusion that thcs
flames or promlncrces ATE lncandesceut Q
highly heated gas, (hydrogan,) extcndin!
. $4,000 or 10000, &C., miles all around tn
sun.
Since that eclipse, two OF the astronomer.
who observed 1t In India, (Mr. Lockyer an
, NJ. Jansen,) have simultaneously ascc1
a tanned that under favorable conditions thcs
= flames may be seen even when the sun Is nc
T.. eclipsed. 1t, therefore, seems strange tht
|, they have not always been seen when tn
!, sun was totally eclipscd; but 1t is believe
r they were not noticed here during the grei
:, eclipse OF June, 1906, and they certalnl
n were not at Beaufort, Z. e., In Novembe
y 1884, although the star "Antares" Chen
. conf uction with the sun. and, therefore, dii
: tant only by its latitude A. degrccs) WI
q seen nearly as soon as the Corona.
This discovery Of these two English an
l. French astronomers will probably hcrcaftC
! diminish our interest in total eclipscs, but "
~ have no doubt these flames or prominence
a will be carefully looked for, and well oil
served in the totallty OF the 9Th Of htgu
"a next.-Bosfon Pdper,