The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1869-08-09
THE ECLIPSE.

= - n ACAAE-SE.
The thermometer marked 70 . in the morn
ing but was down in the sixties in the after.
noon, and cold wind blew from the north.
There was a gorgeous sunset and the wind was
cold in the evening.
A dispatch from Vincennes, Ind, saws the
eclipse was seen here under the most favorable
circumstances; the sky was perfectly clear. IT
commenced about AT o'clock. and was total
at 516. The duration of total observation was
two minutes and thirty seconds. 1t ended at
OH O'Clock. The corona was very brilliant,
giving about as much light as an ordinary
moon. Mercury, Venus and Japiter were
plainly seen, but none of the fixed stars APP
peared.
A dispatch from Chicago says that the eclipse
at Springfield, ILL.,, was startling and sublime
phenomenon. The sky was perfectly clear.
Professor Pearce, of Harvard University, had
charge of the observations, which were made
near the city reservoir A hundred photo
graphs of the eclipse were. taken by Mr.. Black.
of Boston Which the total obscuration took
place the heavens and earth presented scene
of awful subIimity. A brilliant amber eolored
corona appeared around the sun and moon.
shooting rays of light in all directions. when
the whole horizon was Illuminated with light
of the same color. The planets Mercury and
Venus and number of fixed stars were dis
tinctly visible, but no planet orbs between
Mercury and the sun were discov cred A
brilliant rose colored fame or protuberance
was noticed on the western limb of the sun
during the period of total obscuration The
phenomenon known as "Barley's Beads" was
also distinctly witnessed. This phenomenon
Prof. Pearce thinks is occasioned by the refrac-
ton Of light. He is also satisfied that the cor
ona or halo at the time of total observation
was occasioned by the SUMS atmosphere
AT NATION observations were made by Profs.
q. M. Hough, of Dudley observatory, Albany,
N. T., David Murray, of Burgers College,
New Brunswick, N. j., and others. The in
struments made use Of were ordinary tele-
scopes. One of them, however, was provided
With means for accurately measuring the d.
visions Of the protuberances on the sun and
corona, or surrounding halo. A chronograph
was employed to note accurately the time of
the different phenomena. Time was obtained
by telegraphc communication with Dudley
University at Albany, N. Y. At 10 minutes
aud Is seconds past o'clock the eclipse COM
menced, the moons contact with the sun. &C.
curing when the former was 10 degrees south
of the solar equator on the west SIDE The
thermometer, which few moments before had
risen to 102o began to fall rapidly. At IL
minutes and II seconds past O. clock the sun
became totally obscured. The darkness was
equal to that of a moonlight night, and the
temperature was A. colder than one hour be-
fore The aclinza a,adad q r,,;u,,to. M
onds past 6 o'clock.
In the observations taken the phenomena
correspondent precisely with the computations
previously made. Six spots were visible on
the surface Of the sun before the eclipse. two
of which were very prominent, and the Others
much less. The crops on the moon had q rag
ged and blurred appe arance As the eclipse pro-
crossed towards totality the form Of the moon
became visible. Near the cresps of the phe-
nomena OF totality Barley's Beads were seen
distinctly by all the observers, extending
through an area OF at least ffty degrees. The
moment the eclipse became total the flame like
protuberances were seen with wonderful dis
tinctness, one very large on the lower limit of
the sun, and three nearly as large on the up
per limit while at least seven or Gig ut of them
-
lower limb, had somewhat the appearance of
full rugged ship with sails set In its part
nearest the moon were two or three Jet black
spots. To the naked eye it seemed as though
there were openings in the moon, two on each
side and one on the southwest side. just after
the total eclipse through the openings the lurid
glow of the sun was distinctly visible. The
corona was not as generally described in books,
and halo Of night surrounded the moon but
was distinctly in the shape Of five pointed
prongs on the lower and two prongs on the up
per circumference of the moon. These points
presented radiant appearance. The general
ly received theory regarding this corona is that
it is the atmosphere of the sun does not seem
to be sustained by observations made at this
point. 1t is conjectured that the corona is in
some way caused by the phenomena of light
passing through the atmosphere. Although
search was made no planetary bodies were OBJ
served between Mercury and the sun.
During the totality phase Mercury, Venus,
Regulus, Mars, Saturn, Denebota, and other
stars were visible. The temperature in the
shade at the beginning of the eclipse was ~
degrees; during the totality As degrees, and at
the end of the eclipse it had iisen to 20 degrees
At $40 o'clock in the sun, on the grass the
thermometer was at 100. A few minutes after
o'clock it rose to 102, while during the total
eclipse it fell to 60 degrees, but subsequently
rose to so degrees.
At White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia,
the thermometer during the eclipse fell with
great rapidity, and the weather became so cold
that frost was visible Sunday morning.