The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-08-10


Some ono said, L1ok up tho river,
and we turned our eyes tbiLher. The
landscape seemed almost Bhlverlng
with terror and dread. It's color was
Ike no color that had ever seen. II
was not the gloom OF twilight that
eaw, but something CHASTITY and fear.
tul. GuStave Dore might have imagin.
ed such a light rs he was lllstrAting
Dante's Inferno. Then attention was
directed TO the faces OF the company.
Ghastly like the landscape. Such faces
as the iaces OF dead men.
Another phenomenon attracted at,
tenLlon at this time. The leaves OF a
hickory, II was observed, were casting
crescent shaped shadows. A limestone
cllt near by afforded lue background
aud on its rough surface were these
curious Shadow.le leaves. Every where
was crescent. Everywhere was the
sun recording, as by a self. regIsterIng
apparatus, the progress Of the darken,
Ing process.
All this time tie crescent Of the sun
had been growing smaller and smaller,
and think most Of us had begun 10
think that probably little more would
be seen than we had already witnessed,
But Just then faint silver point was
seen In the western skies, % degrees OF
more from the obsCured sun. There
was Venus. But In o moment more,
as we were LOOKING toward the now dim
western hills, far away, gloomy and
tsrrlble, came that which has well been
called the Awful Shadow II swep.
like a terror, or like that other shadow
dreaded Of man'-death itself. A sin.
gle glance 10 the sun shows only the
nRrrowest rim OF light. A single
glance more at the shadow and It "a
right at hand.
The glory OF the spectacle that fol.
lowed l do not hope 10 describe. l had
thought that the descriptions l had
were the joint products OF imaginatio
and rhetoric. Fol-de-rol ! had deemed
them. But the glorious sight that burst
upon our vision was one never TO be
forg gotten.
The light passed away Instantly. Il
was like the snuhing out OF candle iu
dark room. Aud the very moment It
was entirely concealed burst forth the
corona. have seen II compared TO the
glory round the heads OF the saints, bat
never was the aureOle OF the masters
like the glory that burst from behind
the moon. Atths very moment OF the
total observation two msteors were
seen, and Mercury, u 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 consultations. ORIn the north.
west q bank OF clouds, hitherto unseen,
was revealed, Lighted up with all the
glory OF sunlight, the red, purple and
crimson colorS predomInAting. The
darkness Is like no darkness OF earth.
1t Is darkness that can be felt. A
friend tries 10 find the hour by gold.
faced watch and falls. Another attempts
TO read the figures on q atherInometer,b bat
he ia unable to dolt, Once more look
back at the sun, and then, 10 be seen
without the aid Of the telescope, on the
southern limb OF the moon, is u "red.
bloOd.like protuberance." One more
glance at the earth. 1t Is dull and
ghRstly. One more glance at the stars.
ArC:urus, LyrR and Regulus are to bq
seen, besides Venus and Mercury. One
more glance A. the sun. There are
Baily's beads on the right Of the moon,
string ofsems marking the coming OF
the light. IF
And even as we look there comes a
flash, and Il binding, dazzling, over
whelmlng light. II Is like nothing else
than the breaking loose Of great reser-
voir that had long been damned
grateful, warm, genial, blessed light,
1t came streaming forth, giving life and
l., K,I t.
resurrection. l. seemed as II the hab.
iliments OF the grave had been thrown
aside, and In the garments Of everlast-
ing youth the earth had been decked.
The shadow fled away before the sud.
den burst, the old moon became the
new, and once more-It began Its SOL
emn movement around the earth, and
with the earth around the sun.