Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1874-07-02
coccIN's COMET!
Visible to the Naked Eye.
Description Of the Phenomenon :!
OTHER COMETS

gazing OH INC lcW StIdiIScI VI tnc u
lestial sphere. As yet but u small por-
| ton of its train is distinguishable, but
in a few days its magnitude will in
crease to such a size as to be of no diff
ticulty in any one a%scertaining its To-
cality. At present it occupies a posi-
ton below and westward from the po-
lar star, does not rs yet present any
very striking features, is of a murkv
appearance, and is seen best through
an opera or field glass. Professor
| Lewis Smith, who was the first to dis
cover the phenomenon in America, in a
long letter to an Eastern journal, gives
the following description of it.:
1.-The weather of late has been UNI
favorable for observations, clouds de-
handing the fright of way so that
lew observations could be made, and
even those without much accuracy.
They were enough, however, to prove
the correctness ot my announcement
that it was a comet. 1t is approaching
both the sun and earth with Il constant,
accelerated velocity. arriving at IA peri
hclion (neareSt the sun and perigce
turaTeSt the ctTiIJ tp'u tlc lI>t VI
August. see nothing, therefore. to
prevent its being Il very conspicuous
and beautiful object in the western sky
during the months of July and Au-
gust. 1t is now situated, ut o'clock
in the morning, directly beneath the
polar star, and about twenty-five de-
grces from it, and just visible To the
naked eye. With an opera glass it can
be easily seen as Il hazv. nebulouS
mass, with a bright point Il little to one
side. Through my telescope of four
| and Il half inches aperture, six feet fo-
Gus. ii presents Il tail filling the whole
field with Il low power of tliirty-six.
So directly towards us is it moving
that it seems almost to stand still, its
slight deviation from it giving an APP
parent motion towards Beta Cr>a
Maioras. 1t is nov visible all night,
but will soon be only in the early
hours of the evening, setting in the
northwest. fiat the time of its near
est approach to the earth the moon
should he absent, we may expect. from
present indications, to be treated with
u conetary display which may rival
the transit of Venus in popular as we'll
rs scientific interest. The come. will
be brightest on the evening of August
Sd. being then 2i5 times as bright as ut
the time of discovery. while now I is
only five and one-half times as bright
and as the moon will be absent, it will
bc subjected to spectro>copic analysis
under circum nee more favorable
h may occur again in many Years.
1t will then be about five degrees from
Dcnabola, the brightest star i'll Leo"
The composition of a comet is par
tally, if not wholly, nebulou>, revolv-
ing about the sun in an orbit, usually
more elongated than that of II planet,
and the Super>titious fears of the early
ages concerning their appearance have
in this CENTURY been replaced by the
u%nfounded fear of the earth's collision
with Il comet. and regarded with great
dread by large numbers OF the people.
The nature of comets. especially the
attending train. Is Il matter of great
uncertainty. The nucleus Obeys the
laws of gravity, nnin!iuenccl by the
mo,iouS of the tail, the material of
which first moves toward the sun and
is then repealed from it-thiS ev;d III
polarity leading To tho natural cor iec-
tire that the train is electrical itself.
Among the many comets that
have been observed from time To time
in the heavens the following are the
most nptpI.
Donati'> comet. that of 1888. had a
tail of about 3o.oa0, 1000 miles in length,
while that of 1913, one of the most
brilliant ever observed, was three
times as long. lIalrv'S corlct. which
appeared in 1855, was also Il very large
one. More than two hundred comets
have been observed up to The present
time. That of lS43 approached ncaror
To the sun than any It III have vet been
noticed. The great comet of ISL had
Il head l,21o, 900 miles in diameter. and
a tail 100. 0o0, 900 miles i'll length. The
great colnct of 1873 was only To- 900
miles distant from the sun at its peri
helion. and is considered to have been
exposed to a heat more than two thou
sand times hotter than that Of hot iron.
\ SNEAK THIEF.-One Of the num-
Der of sneak thieves infcsting this
town effected am entrance in the dwell
ing house of j. Il. Notice, on Main
street. on Tuesday night. The family
had Just returned from the t~liea,cr, and
II member thereof having occasion To
enter one OF the rooms i'll the rear por-
ton of the building was suddenly con
fron:ed by the intruder. The alarm
was u nv SiNtii. AIN III Ettlli tliltll
from the Turner House Instituted Il
search for the sneak thief, but failed to
secure him. he having escapcJthrough
Il window and over Il fence to Monroe
street. Nothing WAS disturbed in the
house. and the nan had evidently bu.
Just commenced operations when sur
pri>ed 10y the return of the family.
TRorrING EACE.-Tile trottin- race
for Il purse of $500, comes oil this after
noon. at the willows Race Course.
The race will he two in three, in har-
hess, between the following horses:
r.. j. Travis names Tom Thumb and
mate, to go in road buggy; W. w. la
Wis names Little Mae. and William
Nichols mt bay colt Pete. the two
latter 10 GO in sulky. The occasion
will doubtless draw Il large crowd On
the grounds to Witness the contest for
the purse.
For EvHEKA.-By Yesterdays stage,
a v the Phoebe RrcOrti of the 18th,
Mr.. Taylor. for some time operator at
the Atlantic aud Pacific Telegraph
Office in this town. left o. Eureka.
We shall miss Mr.. TAYLOR. who is no
only thoroughly competent in his hu>-
mess, hut is II very pleasant gentle
man, as oar brethren of the Eureka
press will find. We wish Mr.. Taylor
every success.
FrENlTURE.->i. Barrett 4 Co. have
NOW on hani at their saiesroons. on
South Main street, the largest and best
selected STOCK of furniture ever brought
To this town. Bedroom. parlor ami
office sets are offered for sale nj prices
that admit Of no complaint, and every
thing sold is of the best make. Gall
and cNanins The slork.
tnARCoAL.-rho amount of charcoal
now being brought im;o town far ex-
eecds the demand. and s"nle diilicnity