The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-08-09

THE ECLIPSE.


Eyes mt Discount. -,
U.d,t not been for a bank OF dark coudslow down
m the western horizon on Saturday afternoon our
.i,,zena ,Uould have had nothing to complain OF III
,,sin, the nbenomena OF that partial solar eclipse
bo dsv was as fair and the soft breezes as sweet as
gyreet as the enchanting hours OF "lndian summer
,e thousands even tens Of thousands, OF eXpecJanJ
eone were abroad eager to note the curious specta-
sle of the obscuraton. To a foreigner, the event
must have revealed of the sundry peculiarites
.f the American people that have made them average
90 the best educated nation in the world Days
previous to this occurrence, broad pages OF the lead
ing Journals have been given up to thorough expose
tions of ecpses their causes, phenomena ana hls-
tory each striving to excel the others in popuarEng
the latest scientific discoveries and they have found
aheir reward in the vast appreCiative demand for
those issues. In no other country would lhere nave
been such exhibitions Of enterprise In newspaper
pditorshp for the bulk of other population would
have been ht for such reading
little inquiry among our retail apothecaries mas
developed the fact that since last Wednesday after
moon there has been steady demand for pieces of
window glass intended for smoking II is natural
modesty alone that forbds mention of the coinci-
aence that the issue of THE EVENING TELEGRAPH on
that day contained the most exhaustive article on
tbe subeCt that has been yet furnished by "The
Fourth Estate" These chips of glass, smutted by the
smoke from gas-burners and ordinary lamp fames
,ere the popular instruments chiefly used, and they
answered their purpose admirably. The philosophy
Of their use is very simple, and may in passing, be
mf enough interest to merit reference The soot or
black coating, that leaves smuttiness on every
thing II touches is one Of the poorest conductors of
ltoht and heat in direct contrast with polished
metals II absorbs the rays, literally eats them up
and makes them latent, thus preventing some or all
from passing through, according to the thickness of
the coating Many must have had their bits OF glass
snapped by the heat in their first experiments at
smoking; but this would not have occurred had they
,ho dlV oh a
black film had destroyed the excellent conducting
mower Of the glass This is the why and wherefore that
blackened glass will allow steady looking at the fiery
face of the sum- provided ordinary prudence is used
not to overeXert the delicate nervous tissues OF the
eyes
Streets, hOuse-tops, Observatories, and Paramount
Park all gave standing room to the multitudes
who turned star-gazers on Saturday afternoon.
Dubious glances were cast on the clouds scattered
over the western sky and many hearty wishes were
uttered for their clearing away. Colored glasses,
Opera-glasses shaded, spy-glasses with impromptu
dark lenses added were all in requsition as the hour
of five O'Clock passed. The writer had armed him
self with a half-pane Of glass as big as piece of
chalk carefully gradated in tnts of blackness semi
blackness Observation-Disclosures, and so on through
the whole gamut Of visual harmony; and thus
equipped was ready to demonstrate or to criticize
the correctness of the astronomical figures that an
nounced h. sc m. ?. N. as the commencement of
curacy of the Philadelphia timetable, q dark cloud
failed to show us the sun in our
'rLooks through the horizontal, misty air,
ShOm of his BEAMS or from behind the moon,
In dim eclipse, disastrous twilight
as Milton so felcitously puts it. At quarter past
five O'Clock the disc of the sun was visible, with the
appearance of the dark surface of the moon unon
the point heretofore explained as the 1876 deg right
that is between the extreme right hand and
the lowermost part.
Thousands of observant eyes noted the obscura-
9Sn as it steadily progressed across the bright orb
and various experiments were tried, according to
the fancy OF the spectators. The trial ol rejecting
the rays through pierced card upon dark surface
resulted well in room where most of the light
could be excluded, and where the aperture was
made sufficiently large Thus an image of the
sun was obtained, showing the darkened surface
and the progress of the moon across the solar disc
The use of the prism to decompose the rays into it
spectrum of colors, showed no variableness in the
brightness of the shadngs even at the height OF thC
eclipse in this city, nor could any practical difference
be expected as even one-twelfth of the suns dist
furnishes an Illuminating power superior to the
Dbscurty Occasioned 10y a heavy thunder-gust. The
greatest observation was only momentarily visible
as the heavy clouds in the west for a while inter
Vened. From time to time the sun would breaI
shrOugh and the only noticeable effect then visible
was OF a peculiar yeowness given to the sky, which
was mainly owing to the different shadings in the
smoked glass. The whole disc of the sun in it
natural brightness was visible without furnishing
spot a few minutes before P. NJ, and in tel
minutes later the gorgeously-tinted clouds of twi
light told that sunlight was gone for the day.
In this connection is given what correspondent
writes of prolonged "tOtality:'-
Stew people trouble themselves to think what tn
effect would be if the eclipse OF Saturday were t
last any length of time, and the sun were blotte
from the heavens Philosophy declares that not onl
would horror of darkness cover the earth, but tn
moisture of the air would be prectpitated in vas
showers to the earth, and the temperature fall to
fearful point Of cold nothing less than 23O degrees
below zero, Fahrenheit. The earth would be tn
seat of darkness and more than Arctic desOlation
Nothing could survive such freezing cold moment
more than one could breathe in sCaldng water L
three days after the cooling process began, nothin
created would be alive but the monsters that waloy
in deep ocean, and the eyeess reptiles that max
their haunts in caves which penetrate far under
ground