The New York herald., 1874-10-25

lew hours hence is to take place. The heavens
are beginning to become clear; the stars
increase In number every hour, and at
this time our Queen OF Night ia ready TO
put on her dark ana sombre veil. The
last remnant OF obscurity, will, believe,
have passed entirely away, and the face OF the
sky presents a surface clear and unsullied. Away
up there in the clearing sky swings the moon, ap-
parenty as ignorant OF the great change which Is
to come over her as Ia he who, falling TO study his
almanac, has during the past lew days neglected
to purchase the HERALD.
Oct. 2L11 AS p. M.
The moon at this hour Is just en- tering the
penumbra. The telescope enables me to view II ac-
curately, and to my eyes 1t appears Of dark cop
perish color, but SO fain: IN volume that he who
was not watching for 1t would not know when 1t
had come. 1t d,ms the moons surface but slightly
and only to q faint and almost imperceptable de-
gree Affects It's radiance,
Oct. 25-12:5o A. N.
The dark shade Is at this hour just beginning Its
attack. Viewing our midnight queen through the
telescope at this precise moment she at first sight
appears like huge frosted cake with piece
bitten out. No wonder the ancients imagined that
unseen dragons were devouring her during the
eclipse, for her appearance from second to
second Is as If some hidden, rapacious mon-
ster were eating her inch by inch. Sne
is really removed from me the distance
OF 237 900 miles, but the telescope at my service
brings me so near to her that can see her rough,
ragged surface, with its spots, irs mountains, its
wales and Its craters. The sight is at the same
time grand and appalling; grand in the
rejected radiance thrown upon the moon
from the sun, ana appalling because OF
the apparent ruin and desolation which the
moons surface presents. can see its tall, tower
ing, dreary peaks, destitute Of life and every
form OF vegetation The mountains are
not ike those OF our mother earth,
enough 1t is said the moons Appenines some
what resemble ours. The peaks rough and
broken, their edges harsh and ragged, as though
| they were piles OF sharp, irregular stones which
chance had heaped one upon the other in con.
fusion nd disorder.
| OCTOBER 25-1 "a A. NJ.
Just about one-half the moon Is now Immersed
| in the earth's great shadow, as in figure
| No. 2 II will be noticed in this photo
graphic view thar the features upon the
moons surface are accurately preserved,
and a picture rendered exactly as 1t appears. In
this instance the volcanoes look like deep basins
their walls appear ragged, and their noors are
| IN some instances level with the general surface
! OF the moon and in others below it. can see in
the centre OF these noors of the craters huge
peaks which ascend upward like round pyramids
the edges Of which are jagged and broken.
OCTOBER 25-2 and 2:4O A. M.
The diagrams and are Photographic views Of
| the moon, and represent her just as she appeared
| moment before she was totally eclipsed, and the
] time In which she begins to emerge from the
shadow. In these two instances we simply see
two rims OF light, each of which represents SIM
pie crescent, or, IN other words, meniscus lens.
OCTOBER 25-3:l6 A. u.
| The moon at this hour is half way out OF the
| shadow and appears pretty much the same as in
photograph No. 2. Her peaks distinct in their
awful ruggedness, anu her dead craters,
black with their yawninu depths. Despite the ma
zlness of the night the view we got is full one.
$3.50 A. M.
At this time figure presented a very similar
appearance to ngure l. The moon was just
/ emerging from under its cloud, and pre-
sented clear and bright silver appearance.
except the latter part of Its disk, which
seemed held by the goddess that In eighteen years
had not wooed her. She was coy, however and
the man that little children taught to believe
rules her kingdom granted no concession to her
lover till he mad waited for 900 years. Astronomers
promise us at the end or time that the cold, pale
moon shall be clasped in the dark embrace OF q
total eclipse. In looking through the telescope al
this time the light was similar TO that presented
painful to the eye.
AT CENTRAL PARK
large number OF persons had congregated to
witness the eclipse ana hear an animated dis
course by Professor Draper on the phenomenon
that will not occur again Tor years. How
ever these goodly people were doomed
to sad disappointment for Professor
Draper did not appear, nor were they
allowed to go to the top of the Arsenal building.
Many OF them, upon the suggestion OF Park po-
liceman. then took up their line OF march
TO the Reservoir Observatory, but there they
met with no better success. No astrono-
mer presented himself and cold and
dlsgusted they left for home, believing IL to be q
moon hoax, and thoroughly impressed with the
idea that moon eclipse was newspaper sell to
keep honest people out OF bed At Mount
ST. Vincent the scene about the same only
people there got profane, and newspaper reporters
were sadly at discount. on the streets alter
midnight things were lively;, every
/ october morning was looking at the moon
TO see It eclipse, but the man in it
looked codly down upon them with an air tnst
seemed to say. Pm doing no trapeze business
on hot air balloon tonight. The fog lifted at
| forty-nve minutes past twelve O'Clock, the man in
the moon winked an eye and the drst penumbra
/ passed.