Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1873-01-22
An Unexplained Phenomenon.


Scores of tho infidels who mock at
"faith" as considered in its religious
sense, show themselves to be living
contradictions of their own professed
belief. For instance, what faith men
possess in the security OF the world,
notwithstanding all hints of the cle-
mcnts 10 the contrary If an earth
quake shakes buildings from their
foundations, man rebuilds them; if a
village be destroyed by food, man re
pairs the mischief done; If volcano
vomils forth death and destruction to
TIE dwclcrs within its shadow, man,
hardy man, returns to the haunts
which have proved fatal, aud in the
very jaws of peril, eats, drinks, and
sleeps poundIy. Humanity lives In
tho presert enite foryettiDg past dan
gers. That il is best so need not be
demonstrated hero. Apropos of this
subject comes n reminisccnco of the
"dark day" in New England-thc 10Th
of May, l7S0-when, for five mortal
hours, the sun hid his face, and night
fell on the land. Previous to that
time of terror, vapor had filed the
air for several days. There was a
smell of sulphur The morning of the
10Th was overcast with some clouds,
and rain fell over the country, with
lightning and thunder. Scarcely any
motion was in tho air, what wind
there was came from the southwest.
BY 8 o'clock in the forenoon, without
previous warning, tho darkness stole
gradually on, with u luminous appear
anco near the horizon, as If the OBJ
scuring cloud had dropped down from
overhead, There was a yelowness OF
the atmosphere that made clear silver
assume q grass green hue. Then a
dense, undefnable vapor settled rap
idly and without erial movement over
all the land and ocean from Pennsyl-
vania to the Gull of ST. Lawrence, the
darkness it caused, sinking by degrees
until the sunlight was etfectually shut
out Ordinary cloudit was not. The
rapidity with which so large an ex-
tent OF country was enveloped pre-
cludes the possibility of supposing this
to have been natural cloud moving
laterally. Besides this, the day was
too calm to imagine such thing.
Down camo the darkness, thicker and
thicker. By ten o'clock the ain was
loaded with a thick gloom. Tho
heavens were tingcd with ycllowish
or faint red the lurid look increased ;
few, if any, ordinarysclouds were visi-
bic. The sun disappearing, took on a
brassy hue. The lurid, grassy color
spread everywhere, above and below.
The grass assumed the color of the
sky, and all out Of doors wore sickly,
weird and melancholy aspect-of q
dusky appearance as If seen through q
smoked glass. BY IL o'clock it was
night itself, and from that time until
! 3 in the afternoon the darkness WAS
extraordinary and irightiul In doors
candles became au absolute necessity
Without, stages put up at the near.
est inns, or else carried candles anc
lanterns to guide the perplexed driv
ers on their way. Tho brute anc
ieatherod creation seemed puzzled
, and agitated. The herds of cattle OF
J New England's thousand hills sought
the shelter of tho shed or barn yard
lowing rs they came to the gate, anc
! sheep, huddlcd around the circle will
: their heads inward--the invariabl(
token of apprehonded danger. Dog
/ whined, and ran away as on the ap
9 proaoh Of an earthquake. Frogs pipet
3 their evening concert. The birdi
Q ceased to fly, and hid themselves il
D the branches of the trees. As th'
!, darkness increased thoy sang thei
r evening songs as they do at twilight
and then became silont. Pigeons OF
0 the wing took to the shelter Of tn
S forest as they do at night. The whip
n poor will, as If it were truly night
r oheerfully sang his song through tn,
= gloomy hours. Woodohucks, whicl
!, arc night. birds, whistled as they onl,
+ do in tho night time. Bats came ou
d of their hiding places and flew about
c The fowls marched solemnly to thei
: roosts, as they do only at nightial
/ and, after cackling for a while owe
a the mystery of so short day, beeam
n still. Cocks crew, as is their custor
/ at nightly intervals and the earl
: breaking of day. The human famil
l. was equally terrified. Men left thoi
!, occnpations'nnd sought their houses
d whero they were met on the threst
e hold by trembling women. School
n were dismissed Travellers sough
g shelter, seeming to crave companion
= ship. A deep gloom settled on ever
G face, and terror filed evory hear
k Toward evening, the darkness wa
IS succeeded for an hour or two by
is partially clear sky; but this intorv'
a was followed by roturn of the obscr
10 ration with greater density, that rel
Is derod the first half of the night hit
T. no-siy do-l, hsyond oil farmen e"r.
D. ricnco Of probably million of poop
r who saw it. The phenomenon hs
l. never been explained. The theory I
ID some, that il was smoke aud ashC
g from forest iircs, then extensively RAJ
8 ing, was disapproved, No fires in III
forest could have been Sufficient
spread dense cloud over tho who
RS OF New England and even some part
n of tho Middle States. NotwithstanI
a. ing the researches of learned men,
1t satisfactory explanation cannot |
n given of tho mystery, consequent
In the "dark day" remains an uncxplail
x phenomenon.
le A fashionable young lady in Ne
s. Orleans lately tried to drag fashion
ID able bridegroom to the altar and WI
% doomed TO the modification Of failur
a She had visilch the reclnrX of n tnsl