The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-08-04

made such excellent photographs. Mrs Airy
thus vividly describes the phenomena
"a gloominess gradually crept over tho whole \
scene rs if a storm were coming on. The|
southern mountains beyond the Ebro began "a
stand up strangely black. Then sicltly green
hue overepread the whole nearer landscape. "A
peculiarly mourulul signing wind, cold and
strong, began to rise rs if from among the large
old trees beneath us on the north side of the
hill. The butterflies disappeared, but the swifts
continued on the wing. These appearances
grew more and more intense, aud all instruc-
tons were totally forgotten in the excitement
OF the moment It became very cold, and was
glad to wrap myself in large Scotch plaid
Half minute before totality Lieutenant ellis
speaks of seeing the purpsh-black moon 'for
the first time in my life in its true form-a
sphere and not disk. At the moment of total
lty beads ofgoldcn and ruby-colored light flashed
almost entirely round the moon" This flicker
ing band broke up suddenly, and the rose
colored protuberances attracted Lieutenant
GilIs' attention so strongly that he forgot the
corona and lost the beat of the chronometer.
Indeed, the most experienced observers are often
thrown off their guard at the moment of inner
contact.
In Spain, just before the totaty, Mr.. AirV
saw through the telescope, "while the white sun
was still shining, two red prominences of great
splendor and one double floating red cloud. The
white corona formed round the moon all at
once; and the moon was seen complete, with
dazzling sun, brilliant corona, and brilliant
prominences." To the naked eve, however the
crescent had diminished to a thread. "The
gloom" continues Mr.. Airy. was everywhere
intense. l was particularly struck with the
moaning of the wind among the old forest-trees
beneath me. The swifts had disappeared. A
deeper gloom filed the sky in the northwest.
and came rapidly on. The moment of totality
had come; the whole air was Mt once filled with
darkness, yet it was darkness through which
mountain and valley could be distinctly seen.
For moment we seemed to be in the midst of A
streaky shower of smoke or fine dust, which
however, was perfectly clear, and which could not
be felt. The range of southern hills was of an
inky black, while the sky beyond them was an
intense golden orange. My shadow on the
ground quite black and sharp as in the
clearest moonlight" "The corona was a bright
radiating glory, its appearance made very sim
gular from the projection of four or five brilliant
beams at about equal intervals far beyond the
width of all the rest. l could not, with the un-
armed eye, see the red prOminences." At the
temperance of the sun 1--WE saw the dark sha-
dow distinctly sweeping away along the valley
to the southeast, a path of darkness, and the
clear daylight breakiEg out behind it."
The darkness of total eclipse is doubtless
similar both in tint and in degree to that of a
very heavy thunderstorm. This peculiar tint
of shade is thus caused-The cone of the moons
shadow, though it envelopes the spectator does
not inclose the whole atmosphere above his
horizon. The mass of unenveloped air catches
the sunlight, and reflects it into the region of
the total eclipse, making a peculiarly solemn
twilight, which has no analogy in all the appear
ances of nature.
Mr.. Warren Dc la Rue also gives the following
description
'When the sun was reduced to a small cres-
cent, the shadows of all objects were depicted
with great sharpness and blackness, reminding
one of the effects of illumination with electrical
light. The sky at this period assumed an indigo
tint, and the landscape hue of bronze"
Total EcIipses the Nineteenth Century.
Between 1900 and 1901, there are only four of
these eclipses in any part of our Atlantic coast
the extent of which is nearly 2OO0 miles; and as
the average width of the moons shadow at the
times of these eclipses is about 100 miles, it is
evident that in only fifth of this coast is there
a total observation of the sun in the whole of the
nineteenth century.
The first, and most remarkable of the four,
took place here about half an hour before noon,
on June 16, 1906 when the centre of the shadow,
then one hundred and fifty miles wide, passed
from Albany to Boston, and caused that striking
phenomenon which is even now so we'll remem-
bered, a "totality" of five minutes duration.
This eclipse will return for the fourth time ON
July 20, 1873, when, it is believed, the shadow
will pass from British Columbia, over Colorado
and Texas, to the Gulf of Mexico.
The second occurred on Nov. 80 1884. 1t was
total in part of Kansas, Arkansas, Alabama,
Georgia and South Carolina; at Beaufort, in the
last State, where it was CENTRAL the duration of
totality, as observed by a correspondent. was
l min. 1916 Sec, or only little more than a
third of that time in June 1906 The next re-
turn of this eclipse win take place next year on
Dec, %, 1870, when it will be total in the south
of Europe near Cadiz, Gibraltar, Constantine
pie, and in the island of Sicily.
The third of the four occurs on August 9TH.
This eclipse gis. the first return of that of July
2S, 1851, which was SO carefully observed in
Sweden by many eminent English astronomers,
and by the late Professor Bond, of the Obser-
vatory of Harvard University. All the savans
saw, during the totality, the wonderful corona
as usual, also red flames or promnences in diff
ferent points around the moon. These flames
have also been seen in other total eclipses,
and during the eclipse so remarkable for the
length of its totally quite 69I minutes), which
occurred in India last year, on August Is, they
attracted the particular attention of all the
numerous observers from England. France, and
Germany who, with the great assistance of the
new instrument the spectroscope, seem to
have come to the conclusion that these flames
or prominences are incandescent or highly
heated gas (hydrogen), extending $4,000 or
60, 600, etc, miles all around the sun.