The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1869-09-16
The Dark Day of 1880.
Candles at N0Onday-The Phenomenon Described
bY an Eye WitneSs-Nature flushed in Terf08
A Night Of Total BIackneSs.

Candles at KoOnday-The Phenomenon Described
by an Eye WitneSs-Nature flushed In Acrfua
A Night of Total Blackness.
From the Cape Ann Advertiser
The 18th of May, 1870, was a
remarkable one on the annals Of
New England, on account OF
the thick darkness that ov-
erspread the land, like funeral
pail. 1t was day long to be remem-
bered and talked Of by those who
Witnessed the strange, and at that
time, fearful phenomenon. There
was much writing upon and discus
sion of the subject, at the time, and
afterwards, but / believe no satisfac-
tory conclusion was ever arrived at
az to the cause. There were some
who thought that it must have pro-
ceeded from a total eclipse Of the sun,
that had from some cause escaped
the calculation Of mathmeticians and
astronomers, but that was easily
shown to be impossible by facts and
figures. else IN .aaes s.acs Ha
It was the darkest and most hope,
less period of the war Of the Reyolu-
lion, and it was thought by many Of
the Responding and discouraged to
be significant Of the end of that
which then appeared to them a hope
less struggle. Some of the more
sanquine insisted that as the hour
before dawn was always the darkest,
50 this strange and portentous gloom
was but the prelude to the bright
dawn of Liberty and independence
that was soon to follow.
The father of the writer was then
a boy Of thirteen years, and was at
work with his father and his brother,
planting or preparing the ground.
It was a dull, hazy morning, and as
the time passed it gradually thicken-
ed, and by ten o'clock the increasing
darkness began to be quite apparent.
They kept on with their work, and
as the gloom increased they observed
that he would pause once in a while
and look intently around at the hor-
lion and overhead, but made no re-
marks until he directed the oldest
boy to go to the barn and turn the
horse and all cattle that were inside
out into an open lot, and to close and
secure every door and window. 1t
appeared that ne was apprehensive
that some sudden and furious gust or
squat would soon manifest itself,
and that the animals would be in less
danger out in the field than inside
the building.
Still the darkness grew thicker and
deeper, till presently he said they
might as well quit work for the pre-
sent. On reaching the house thu
mother and daughter were abou
their usual duties pale and silent
Little was said except an occasional
remark or direction in a low tone
No one seemed inclined to converse
ton or demonstration Of any kind
Soon dinner was ready, with candle
lighted the same as at night, but no
a morsel was eaten. A dead silenc
seemed to prevade all nature, broker
only by the occasional bleating of
lamb or the distant lowing of tn
kline which wandered about restles
and uneasy. The domestic fowl
seemed to come to the conclusion
thatit was night, they could put n,
other construction upon it, SO, afte
clucking over the matter for Will
thoy went to roost. And thus tn
long and dreary hours passed away
Along in the afternoon the veil wa
lifted in some degree, and at the tim
of sunset it was about the same a
in an ordinary dull and cloudy day
The night which followed was
it is said,as dark proportionally a
was the day. 1t was the perfec
"blackness of darkness" Not tn
faintest outline Of any object couI
be discerned against the sky. /
light would penetrate it but littl
way, and then seem to disclose bu
a solid wall of blackness around.
$50, ~-~---
A young physician in Mecklen
burg. Germany. claims to have dis