The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1869-09-16
The Dark Day of 1880. +
Candles at Noonday-The Phenomenon Described
by an Eyewitness -Nature flushed in
Terror-A Night of Total Blackness.

Z The 18th of May, 1880, was remarkable
one in the annals of New England, on &C.
count of the thick darkness that overspreao
the land, like a funeral pail. 1t was day
long to be remembered and talked of by those
who witnessed the strange, and at that time
fearful phenomenon. There was much wri
ting upon and discussion of the subject at
the time and afterward but believe no sat
isfactory conclusion was ever arrived at as to
its cause. There were some who thought that
it must have proceeded from total eclipse Of
the sun, that had from some cause escaped
the calculations of mathematicians and as
tronomers, but that was easily shown to be
impossible by facts and figures
& It was then the darkest and most hopeless
period Of the war Of the Revolution, and it
was thought by many of the Responding and
discouraged to be significant Of the end Of
that>which then appeared to them hopeless
struggle. Some of the more sanguine insist
ed that as the hour before the dawn was al
ways the darkest, so this strange and porten-
ticus gloom was butthe prelude to the bright
dawn of Liberty and Independence that was
soon to follow. Tsa tk H
The father Of the writer was then boy of
thirteen years, and was at work with his faith
er and brother, planting or preparing the
ground It was dull, hazy morning, and as
the time passed it gradually thickened, and
by 10 o'clock the increasing darkness began
to be quite apparent. They kept on with their
work, and as the gloom increased they observ
ed that he would pause once in while and
look intently all around the horizon and over
head but made no remark until he directed
the oldest boy to go to the barn and turn the
horse and all the cattle that were inside out
into the, open lot and to close and secure
every door and window. Itappeared thst he
was apprchensiye that some sudden and furi-.
Gus gust or squat would soon manifest itself.
and that the animals would be in less danger
out in the field than inside the building.
3 Still the darkness grew thicker and deeper
till presently he said they might as we'll quit
work for the present. On reaching the house
the mother and sister were about their usual
duties, pale and silent. Little was said ex-
cept an occasional remark or direction in a
low tone. No one seemed inclined to CONVEX
sation or demonstration Of any kind. Soon
dinner was ready, with candles lighted the
same as at night, abut not morsel was eaten
A dead silence seemed to pervade all nature,
broken only by the occasional bleating of a
lamb, or the distant lowing of the kline, which
wandered about restless and uneasy The do
nestle fowls seemed to be inclined to come to
the conclusion that if it was not night, they
could put no other construction upon it, SO,
after clucking over the matter for awhile, they
went to roost. And thus the long and dreary
hours passed away Along in the afternoon
the veil was lifted in some degree, and at the
time of sunset it was about the sane as an or
binary dull and cloudy day.
The night which followed was, it is said, as
dark proportionately as was the day. It was
the perfect g blackness and darkness" Not
the faintest outline of any object could be
disccrned against the sky. A light would
penetrate it but a little way, and then SEEN
to disclose but solid wall of blackness
around.