The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1869-08-14
SCIENTIFIC.
The Eclipse.


The total eclipse of the sun, at Spring
field, ILL.,. came off with perfectly
cloudless sky, and beautiful transpar-
ent atmosphere. At the head of the
working force stationed there for the
past three weeks, making the necessary
preparations for observing the eclipse
was Charles \. Scott, for long time
one of the principal assistants on the
Coast Survey. Under him were Mr. L.
n Pauntalis, Major j. W. Black, and
Mr.. Fitzgerald, in charge of the depart
ment for photographing the sun as often
as possible during the progress of the
eclipse. TO assist Mr. Scott in the de-
termination of time, and recording as
well as making certain observations on
the corona and red protuberances, We're
assigned Mr.. Robert A. Mcleod, and
two young gentlemen from Cambridge
whose names were not ascertained-
During the scientific observations with
the instruments, it was necessary to
have perfect silence and fixed attention
on the part of the observers, hence,
instead of observing the eclipse at any
point within the city, the Coast Survey
party selected Il point about two miles
from the center of the town This spot
is within the grounds surrounding the
reservoir which supplies Springfield
with the water of the Sangamon river
on the southwest side of the river
Just below the elevated sloping sides a
temporary observatory was erected to
shelter the principal instruments of OBJ
servation. Within the building was
mounted a fine transit instrument. for
obtaining the local time of Springfield,
and for determining its difference of
longitude from Washington Saturday
morning august y the superintendent
of the coast survey arrived. His son,
Professor James NJ Pierce, of Harvard
had been there some days New Haven
was represented by Professor Twining;
the New DIRK University by its PROBES
sor of Astronomy; the Kingston Uni
versity, Canada, by Prof. Dupuis: and
the State of Maryland by the Hon.
Alexander Evans, formerly member
of Congress, and an enthusiastic anna
teur astronomer. There We're probably
others of whom we did not hear. Soon
after | O'Clock, tie astronomers began
to take thcirpositions and prepare their
numerous and varied instruments for
observation. The predicted time for
the meridian of the little observatory
were: Beginning of eclipse, Al 35m.
5-l0s., Springfield. mean time, begin
ming of totalty, 5h. 5m. 90 7-lOs.; end
of totality, Oh SIN. 10 2-l0s; mean time
of eclipse, Oh. 3m. Al 2-lOs Quite a
number of people were collected outside
the fence and cord which inclosed the
astronomers. Somewhat later numer-
Gus carriages and wagons began to
arrive, and the horses were tied to the
fence. Crowds of people on foot and
some on horseback began to stream
from the town toward the reservoir
Finding they were not permitted within
the astronomical lines, the people, men,
ladies and children, stormed tie nights
of the reservoir and took possession,
where they remained standing or seated
on the grassy slope awaiting the eclipse.
At + O'Clock, the astronomers were look
ing in silence through their telescopes
for the first contact, and it came at last
within Il very few seconds of the pre-
dictcd time. In a moment more the
whole crowd recognized the black dent
in the suns northwestern limit through
their pieces Of smoked glass As the
eclipse progressed, the Photographic
party took impressions rapidly, and re-
corded at the same time the instant of
obtaining their pictures. Not less than
235 impressions of the sun were taken
from the beginning to the close of the
eclipse. At Al, 45min, the diminution
of light was very pcrceptible, and at 5
O'Clock singular leaden hue began to
spread over the heavens, especially to-
ward the northwest. At three minutes
past 5, or a little more than two minutes
before the total observation, the planet
Venus was seen, and the boys began to
cry out" | see a star" Within six
seconds Of the prediction, the last rays
of the sun disappeared, and that instant
the corona burst forth in all its splendor
and beauty. Another moment and the
red flash of a protuberancc burst forth
on the left hand limb of the sun, like a
tongue of fame jetting out horizontally.
Soon another jet flashed vertically down
ward from the lowest limb of the sun.
Others, observing with the aid of the
telescope, saw several more of these
protuEcranccs. Meanwhile the heavens
had darkened sufficiently to permit a
view of the following planets and stars,
besides Venus: Mercury, Mars, Saturn,
Regulus and Arcturus One gentle
man relates that his neighbours fowls
went to their roost; but probably owing
to the extreme clearness of the atmos-
phcre, and its absolute freedom from all
clouds, every one was impressed with
the fact that the darkness was not nearly
as great as they expected. A herd Of
cattle feeding at little distance from
the reservoir did not seem to pay any
attention to the change. The horizon
all around was lighted up By sort of
dim twilight, for four or five degrees in
breadth, and above this rim of light
hung dark, leaden canopy, increasing
in depth of shade toward the zenith
Suddenly the sun burst out again from
behind the beautiful corona and almost
instantly the corona and red protubcr-
anccs vanished. The people immr :
diatcly threw away their smoked and
shade glasses, which went crashing in
all directions with Il ringing sound, and
the crowd dispersed at once, not wait
ing for the end, but took up their course
for the town far more rapidly than they