Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1869-08-25
The TOtalify-the Moment When the
Sun was Wh0Ily Hidden.

+ The moment when the Eclipse was
total, is described by a letter dated
WestpoTt, KY, as follows:
All this time the crescent of the sun
had been growing smaller and dsmalleT
and 1 think most of us had begun to
think that probably little more would
be seen than we had witnessed. But
Just then a faint silver point was seen
in the Western skies, % degrees or
more from the obseured sun. There
was Venus. But in a moment more.
as we were looking toward the now
dim Western hills, far away, gloomy
and terrible, came that which has
well been called the lawful Shadow" T"
1t swept like a terror, or like that
other shadow dreaded of man.
death itself. A single glance to the
sun shows only the narrowest rim of
light. A single glance more at the
shadow and it is right at hand.
The glory of the spectacle that
followed l do not hope to describe. 1
had thought that the descriptions
had read in the newspapers and maga-
zines were the joint products of imag-
inatiOn and rhetoric. Fol-de-rol had
deemed them. But the glorious sight
that burst upon our vision was one
never to be forgotten.
The light passed away instantly. 1t
was like the snuffing out of a candle
in dark room. And the very mo-
ment it was entirely concealed burst
forth the corona. / have seen it COM
pared to the glory round the heads Of
the saints, but never was the aureOle
of the masters like the glory that
burst from behind the moon. At the
very moment of the total observation
two meteors were seen, and Mercury,
a point of golden light, six degrees
away from the sun, burst upon the
vision. The stars also appeared in the
East, marking with their great white
light the place of the stately eOnstel-
latiOns. Off in the Northwest bank
of clouds, hitherto unseen, was re-
vealed lighted up with all the glory
of sunlight, the red, purple and erim-
son colOrs predOminating. The dark
ness is like no darkness of earth. 1t
is a darkness that can be felt. A
friend tries to find the hour by a gold
faced watch, and fails. Another at
tempts TO read the figures on a ther-
but he is unable to do it
Once more / look back at the sun,
and then to be seen even without the
aid of the telescope, on the Southern
limb of the moon, is a ''red, blood
like protuberance.n One more glance
at the earth. All is dull and ghastly.
One more glance at the stars. Arctu-
rus, Lyra and Regulus are to be seen,
besides Venus and Mercury. One
more glance at the sun. There are
Bailey's beads on the right of the
moon, a string of gems marking the
coming of the light.
And even as we look there comes a !
fash, and binding, dazzling, over |
light. 1t is like nothing
else than the breaking loose of great |
that had long been dam
warm, genial, blessed !
light, it came streaming forth, giving |
life, and joy, and health. and peace. |
1t seemed like a resurrection. 1t |
seemed as if the habiliments of the |
grave had been thrown aside, and in
he garments of everlasting youth the |
Earth had been deeked. The shadow |
led away before the sudden burst, the /
I'D moon became the new, and once |
more it began its solemn movement |
around the earth, and with the earth
Iround the sun,