The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1869-10-15
NEW NORTH /. WEST.
DEER LODGE CITY, FRIDk1, OCT. Is.

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DEER LODGE CRY, FRDk1, OCT. Is.
StossMs n the Sam.
Discoveries with regard to The essence al
The sun have, during the last year, folio wsd
Each other with such startling rspidity - to
modify I'll previous iheoriesss u IT. constitu.
ton and province 10 the ec0oOmy Ut the uui'
~e1oe. II u now an established fact that tue
gaseous envelope surrounding the sun, call.
I'd the chrOmoepbcre, II in highly excitable
condition. sending out forked tongues OF
glowing hydrogen In every direction from
light extend to the enormous distance Of
zf0m 5000 to 100 600 miles, and ofisntimes
take on most fantastic forms Some Of them
Nero photographed during the recent total
eclipse; the larges! one resembled . ship
under full sail; another has branching horns
Like thUse Ut 40 antelope; and each curious
.prUtubeiance plssesscd . character peculiarly
Ito own. Moreover, great periodical disturb.
.ances take place in this seething csuldron of
.blaxing gas, which, strangely enough, are
now lhOugbt 10 he produced BY certain com.
binationy IN the movement Of the little cold
bodies, on ono Of which We live, in their rev.
Olution round the sun.
There IL every threatening appearance
= great epoch Of magnetic storm The sun
has recently bccn exhibiting surprising
1Uens Of disturbance, and presenting to
scientific eyes features which In extent and
yxpidity Of motion are almost Incompetent
sible. Vast spots have appeared, whose di
mensions must BE- cstima:cd l,y millions Of
square miles, and have presented rapid
changes Of figure, indicating the action Of
forces of incDnccivaile intensity. and NOV.
Ing with velocity Of which. figures give no
Ida Mr.. Higgins recently traced the
curse ct one which moved one hundred
thOusand miles In second. Clusters oS
smaller spots have exhibited every conciev.
sbje form Of solar disturbance, and every
degree Of light from the apparent blnckness
Of Tire nuclei, to the intense brilliancy Of the
faculous ridges.
Neither are these disturbances simply
matters Of curious speculation, which, Oc.
curing a1 distance Ut more than ninety
millions Of miles, are of no practical impor-
tance. For the startling fact IL we'll estab.
lished, that tho changes now going on In
the physical constitution Ut the sun most
powerfully affect the electric condition Of
our earth. These changes hsve in former
yeass caused violent disturbance In magnet
lc instruments oil over the world, and seem
70 10 mysteriousty and intimately connected
With the most magnificent aurornl displays
which hare ever been witnessed.
The solar magnetic storms, like everything
else 10 the universe, IRE regulated by fixeSi
laws They occur Mt regular intervals of
eleven years. The last one took place in
1859; We may therefore look for its recur.
renee IL the coming year, 1870. Some very
Interesting observations were made 1T the
one that occurred In 1850, by two astrOmo.
mers, Nessrs. llOdgs0n and Darlington, one
being Ut Oxford and the other IN London,
where they were ut the same moment care.
fully examining large group If run slNls
Ou0dcO1y, two intensely bright patches of
light appeared in front IT the cluster They
were ut such surprising hri1.ixncy-l That the
Observer thought the darkcning SCREENS
ottoched to their telescopes must have been
broken, and the full blaze Of the sunlight
lot In. This was not the case, however; but
some mysterious pr,cess wns gazing on upon
the suns surface, attended will. such rauidity
1t motion that in five minutes the epois
Travelled over spsoe of thirty.four thoG.
and miles.
At the Kew Observatory there are self
registering magnetic instruments which In.
dictate the processes Of change by which the
subtle influences ut terrestrial magnetism
Wax and wane In Quiescent state of the
great terrestrial magnet. the line traced by
the pointer will be marked Dy undulations
which are scarcely pcrccptible. In . more
exciiab!c condition, well marked waves
along tho line show the pulsations Of the
magnetic system, In q manner perfectly In.
telllkible ~ the practiced Operator. And
the sharp, sudden jerks Vt the pointer ex.
hibit the occurrence of tln,ee mysterious
pheno,ucpa, which arc called magnetic
storms
When the records at the Kew Observatory
were examined, II Was found that ut the ex-
oct instant ct which tho brilliant slots of
light had appeared 10 Mcssrs. HOdgs0n and
Darlington, the sclf.registering instrument
had been subjected to tho third and most
signiAcant form Of disturbance: A great
magnetic storm let loOec ito pcnt up forces
inst - the light broke suddenly fOrtc.
Neither was this the sole evidence Of the
lympaihy between the sun and ito planetary
subordinate. Il was afterwards found that
The whole frame Of the earth had thrilled
under the magnetic influence. -'..5 ....
Australia, wherever magnetic ObservatiOps
sc systematically made, the same rsm.rks
ble developments were registered. In the
4eIegraph stations In Washington and Phil
1dejphsa, the signalmen received strong
electric shocks. In Norway, telegraphic
0achinery was Get on Dire. Tho pen Of
8atn's telegraph Was followed BY flame.
Wherever lclrgraphic wires were found,
well marked indications Of violent action
were manifested. Even this was not mn.
Hours passed before the disturbed csEth re-
turned 70 iis normal condition. and daylight
laded while the storm WAS still In psOkress.
IL The darkness which followed, sus0fas
lpCead their wavi.,g streanness ovsf the sky
u both she northern and southssn henis-
pieces. A. the disturbed netdle vibsased,
She auyora waved ito colured hammers II -.
Sponse, and the brilliant display only paJed
% ~ splendor when the magnetic storm
0abslded. Thus we 80 there ID the most II.
timsic relation brtween the peculiar disiur.
1snees.in the cum and the magnetic currents
q The earth. When onG Of. Shsae mysles.
Mr. ehan&es takes place, more than ninety
uitlS6ns q mikes away, The 1ash i borne 4,
~ hv TIA swift vihrniions az thu aleciric