The post. [volume] (Middleburg, Snyder County, Pa.) 1864-1883, 1875-05-06
The DARK DAY IN 1880.
BY ID. T. rAYi.oa

aul0Cont parts were tuo JreInOnOu
witnesses OF phenomenon never
seen before or since. and which to
this day remains unexplained. The
year was celebrated for its numerous
auroral exhibitions in this latitude
They covered tho midnight heavens
with corruscations Of red and silver,
and stroamed ont, like lightning.
seeming says ono writer, fairly tu
fash warmth in the face rhe winter
precesding was mltked by cxtraordi-
nary severity. Snow lay on the
ground from the middle Of Novem.
Der to the middle of April In De-
cember aud January storm con.
tinuod for seven successive days, and
tho snow fell to depth of four feet
on n level in this siuglc storm, and
with drifts eight and ten feet high
Sheep were buried in tho drifts foi
many days, and even men anI ami
mlls persisted with the cold. Long
Island Sound was crossed by h navy
artillery on tho leo. Narragausctt
Bay froze over 80 hard that men
traversed the leo from Providence to
Newport in skating parties, aud form
Fall River to Newport loads of wood
were conveyed on the leo through
Bristol ferry.
Previous to the 10th q vapor filled
the air for several days. There WIS Il
smell of sulphur The morning oI
the 18th was overcast with some
clouds, anl rain fell over the country,
with lightning aud thunder Scarce
ly any motion was in tho mir. what
wind there was came from the south
west BY nino o'clock in the fore
noon, without previous warning. the
darkness stole gradually on, with n
luminous appearance nearthe horizon
as if the obscuring cloud hal drop
ped down from overhead There
was u yellownoss Of the atmosphere
that made clear silverassumc grass
green hue. Then dense undciina.
bic yapor settled rapidly and with
aerial movement over all the land
and ocean from Pennsylvania to the
Gulf OF st. Lawrence, the darkness it
caused sinking by degrees until tho
sunlight was etfectually shut out
Ordinary cloud il wis not. The
rapidity with which 50 large au cx-
tent Of country was envcloped pro-
cludes the possibility Of supposing
this to have been q natural cloud
moving laterallv. Besides this, the
iay was too calm to imagine such n
thing. Down came the darkness
thicker and thicker. by ton o'clock
the air was 10, led with thick gloom.
The heavens were tinged with yel.
Iowish or faint rod the lurid look
few, il any, ordinary clouds
were visible. The sun, in disappear
ing, took on IA brassy hue. The lurid,
brassy color spread everywhere, a.
bovo and below. The grass assumed
the color Of tho sky, ami all out
doors wore sickly, weird and mol
,ncholy aspect, a dusky appearance
rs il seen through smoked glass
BY eleven o'clock it was rs night it.
self, and from this time until three
N the afternoon the darkness was
extraordinary and frightfnl.
The extent Of the darkness was
greater than is related Of any other
similar phenomenon on record, not
excepting tho celebrated dark days
over Il ,ypt and Judoa. 1t reached
,outh to the n1rtAocn half Of Penn
,ylvania, AMI from thance along the
coasts northeast to tho wilds OF
Maine, eastward TO tho Gulf of St
Lawrence, and out at sea 40 miles
southeast of Boston, aud unloubt'
IDLY much farther west to the val>
cys Of Lake Chanplain anil the
Hudson river, and north into un-
lefned regions in Canada Port
and, Boston, Hartford. New York.
Vest Point and Albany were effect
ID by it. But tho degrees of dark
less differed in different places the
leepest night settling over New
England. A tract of lanl at sea S1J
niles in length and 400 miles in
embracing an area Of 32O,.
100 square miles, was known to be
covered by tho cloud, an! 80 far as
AN be ascertained q population of
10000 souls sat for portion OF the
lay and night in agloom moro or
ess profound aud inexplicable.
just how dark the day was is at
ssted by indisputable evidence. The
lour and minute could not be dis
,overed on the face of q clock or
watch by persons of unimpairei eye.
light. Candles became an absolute
necessity both out doors and in, ~ it
vas impossible to transact ordinary
business without them. Fires on the
shone as brightly rs on
. moonloss November evening, and
al dinner tables were SGT with light
ID candles upon them "a ii it were
tho evening repast. The keenest
eyes in doors could not see to real
The common print. So far beyond
any ordinary fog was tho effect that
stages on the road either put up at
The nearest hotel during the mid day
hours or carried candles or lanterns
10 enable the perplexed driver to
we'll see his way.
And the brute and feathored crea.
lion seemed puzzled aud agitatei.
The birds ceased to fly, aud hid
in the branches Of the
trees. As the darkness increaed they
sang their evening songs as they do