Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-08-05

eclipse and the time which closely nre
ceded the total disappearance of he ann
we remarked nothing worthy Of racord n
the countenanees Of the numerou, snacta
tors. But when the sun, narrowed ~ ,
mere line, began to throw over the bcri
ION but faint light, an anxiety spreaf
through the whole crowd; each man fell
Impefled to communicate his impression
to his neighbor. Then began a dull roar
like that Of distant ssa after tempest
The noise became louder in proportion L
the thinning of the slender solar crescent
Finally the crescent vanished. Darkness.
succeeded suddenly to the light, and an
absolute silence marked this phase OF the
eclipse, as sharply as did the pendulum Of
| our astronomical clock,
| The Phenomenon In its magnifcence
had triumphed over the restlessness OF
youth, over the frivolity which certain
men take for sign of superiority, and
over the noisy ind! f.rence Of which
the soldiers ordinarily make their boast. A
| profound calm reisned, too, in the air;
even the birds ceased their song. After q
solemn waiting Of about two minutes du-
ration, transports Of joy, frantic applause
saluted, with the same accord, the same
spontaneity, the reappearance OF the first
solar rays. To the melancholy selfcol-
lectedness produced by inde6nable senti-
ments succeeded by lively satisfaction, the
evidence of which no one dreamed Of
suppressing or moderating. For the ma
jority Of the public the phenomenon had
reached its limit. The other phases of the
eclipse had few attentive observers, except
those devoted TO the study Of astronomy.
For the grand effects Of 8 total eclipse
on the surrounding scenery, the following
description by Mr. Hind OF that which be
observed on the 18th Of July, 1851, may
be taken as a sample He says:
The aspect of nature during the total
eclipse was grand beyond description. A
diminution of light over the earth was
preceptible quarter Of an hour after the
beginning of the eclipse, and about ten
minutes before the extinction of the sun
the gloom increased very perceptible
The distant hills looked dull and misty.
and the sea assumed dugky appearances
like that it presents during rain. The day.
light that remained had a yellowish tinge.
and the azure blue of the sky deepened to
a purplish violet hue, particularly toward
the North. But Notwithstanding these
gradual changes, the observer could
hardly be prepared for the wonder
ful spectacle that presented itself
when he withdrew his eyes from
the telescope, after the totality had come
on, to gaze around him for a few seconds.
The southern heavens were then of uni
form purple gray color, the only indication
Of the suns position being the luminous
corona, the light of which contrasted
strikingly with that Of the surrounding
sky. In the zenith, and north of il, the
heavens were of purplish violet, and APP
peared very near, while in the northwest
and northeast broad bands of yellowish
crimson light, intensely bright, produced
an effect which no person who witnessed il
can ever forget. The crimson appeared TO
run over large portions of the sky in these
directions irrespective OF the clouds. At
higher attitudes the predominant color was
purple. All Nature seemed to be over
Swallowed by an unnatural gloom; the dis
lant hills were hardly visible; the sea
turned lurid red; aud persons standing
near the observer had pale, livid look,
calculated to produce the most painful SEN
sations. The darkness, if it can be SO
termed, had no resemblance to that Of
night. At various places within the shad-
ow, the planets Venus, Mercury and Mars
and the brighter stars Ct the first magni-
tude, were plainly seen during the total
eclipse. Animals were frequently much
affected. Cocks crowed at Helsingburg,
though the sun was only hidden thirty
seconds, and the birds sought their resting
places as if night had come on.