The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-10-26
QhsQntelIiqenter:
Tho Eclipse of tho Moon Saturday
Night.


iQace TO lorego their usual hour Of re.
firing Saturday night in order to watch
the progress OF the Moon through the
heavens were rewarded with o view OF an
almost total eclipse-an event that has
no! occurred before since the 18Th Of
os,ObT 1856. The night was all that
could bo desired. = The moon never wore
amore serene aspect II was as q great
pearl hung in ether. The stars paled In
her presence, as II willing that she should
outshine them all in splendor beIoIc the
dull earth dung its dark shadow across
her radiant lace.
This eclipse is not Of any great value
in q scientific point Of view, except as
proving that the great shadow OF the solid
globe upon which We live Is always there
in the heavens, mighty cone Of shade
rising through tho air and space, and only
needing Sn illuminated screen upon
which 10 fall 10 make itaelf as visible as
the shadow cast by man as he walks
soDg in!thU sunshine. If a screen Of the
sz9 oI the earth's shadow could be inter-
posed in the sky, We should see that
shadow always in motion upon it-a
black orb following the movements Of
the sun, rising Gs II rose and setting as it
se:. But the only screen we have is so
much smaller than the earths shadow
that it passes entirely within 1t, whlle the
great conc Of shade entirely obscnres It.
The eclipse Of Saturday night, or Sun.
day morning rather, was not entirely total.
The moon is seldom or never invisible
during an eclipse, but shines with dull
red light, which light, as tho astronomers
tell US, she receives from the sun by the
rays being reiracted and reflected through
the lower regions OF the earth's atmos.
phcre.
Tho moon was unusually near the earth
during the eclipse, the distance being
$4,000 miles. The breadth OF the shadow
WAS G000 miles. In connection with this
eclipse the following remarks from
writer who indicated its programme Of
proceedings months ago will be read with
interest:
"ln so hsCkncyed On occurrence as q
lunar eclipse is there anything left 10 be
learncd-auything not thoroughly under
stood, the consideration Of which may
nationally occupy our minds while observ.
ing the phenomenon
"Unheaitstingly, yes; and 1t 10 this:
The expression 'blotted out does not,
rs every observer will testify, correctly
represent the state Of things, and here Is
the wonder Tho moon is not blotted out.
She is there, plainly visible in the midst
OF the totality, her disc lit up with a lurid
glow that enables one still TO trace tho
more conspicuous markings OF her surface
whence this light out OF darkness 7
There are but three possible sourCes-lhc
moon, the earth, the sun. The selflumi-
nous history OF the moon was long ago
completed. Exposing her materials four
times as lavishly flour times as much sur
face in proportion TO her volume) as our
own planet TO the action ol her atmos-
pherc and the cooling influences ot space,
sho ran tho cycle Of planetary lite Rons
Of ages before the earth had entered upon
its organic history. Her hungry elements,
gaping with their fOuriold mouths, drank
up her mesgrC atmosphere, and, subsiding
into the apathy OF sated oxides or the
Stupor of hopeless, unsatisied affinities,
left her iourfnld, rRdiating surface naked
to the chilling embraces OF the cold
iusne' Prodigsl that she was, she
literally burned her candle at both ends,
and, in the matter Of atmosphere, she
laid up nothing for rainy day. She
aoats in her orhlt-the cinder Of burned
up world-white with the salt incrusted
floors OF dried up oceans. No life no
sound, no motion, save the crGshlcss fall
Of wsrping precipices and the undriiting
suowtlakes Of the 'cosmic dust The
ruddy eclipse light must, therefore, derive
It's existence from some source other than
the cold, pale planet it sufuses, and We
are left to select between the earth and
sun. Tho mid earth light which H.
lumines, and often renders dimly visible,
the dark body Of tho moon, is, however,
unavailable for explaining the visibility
OF the moons disc in eclipse. The
bright side oil the earth is, in the
latter case, turned completely away
from her. To her the sun has set, no! be.
hind the hills Of her own horizon, but be.
hind the huge planet which figures In her
armament, and which we call the earth.
Slowly he has sunk from her view behind
the ragged edge OF the dark planet, leav.
Ing her not IN darkness, but in the twi-
light, or rather partial sunlight OF his
disc, still partly visible by reiraction
above (sround) tho planets edge. We
esrthites know that this reiraction is Ca
pablo OF making the sun visible 10 US
when his whole disc Is really below our
horizon, But our lungless lunarian, look.
ing across the edge Of the earih's apparent
disc, enjoys the reiractive use OF this at
mosphere twice as compared with him
who Is immersed IN 1t.
AN interesting communication appears
In our cnlnmna thIa mnrninp from a gentle.