The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1875-06-04
MISCELLANY.
The Dark Day.

May 10, 1880, is known in the history
of New England as the Dark Day. Be-
tween the hours of len and eleven in the
morning the sky became ObScured with
dense clouds of smoky hue that drift
cd IRON the southwest. In most parts
of New England the gloom that ensued
was so great that it was impossible to
read common print, TO determine the
time of day by watches and clocks, or
to pursue any sort of work indoors with
out the aid of artificial light. In some
places common pint could not be read
out of doors for several hours in success
sion. The fowls went to roost, the birds
sang their evening songs and settled
themselves TO sleep in their hidden re-
treats, candles were lighted in all the
houses, while silence and dimness as
of night rested npon the face of all nature.
For several days preceding this the
atmosphere had been unusually thick
and hazy, and the sun and moon looked
dull and red as they rode through the
heavens. On the morning of the 18th
there were slight showers in certain To-
calities, accompanied with thunder,
while at different intervals through the
day there was rain in various places.
The water that fell was thick, dark and
sooty, and scum as of ashes appeared
on the surface of rivers and reservoirs,
while, when the tide went ont, it left a
line of the smut along the shore to the
width of four or five inches. On exam
ination this surface matter seemed to be
nothing more than the ashes of burnt
leaves. This extraordinary darkness
lasted for a period of about fourteen
hours.
In the transactions of the Philosophi-
cal Society of Philadel tJhia, printed
prior to 1885, there is a comment on a
similar darkness that was experienced
Oct. 81. 1716, o. S. On this occasion,
"The day was so dark that people were
| forced to light candles TO eat their din
ners by. Which could not be from any
eclipse, the solar eclipse being the 4th
of that MONTH" Nothing is said in
this account of the cause of the dark
ness, nor are any particulars given. On
Oct. 10, 1862, remarkable dark day
was observed at Detroit, and described
in the Philadelphia Transaction fol
1868. The writer says: Tuesday last
| hos,,rr h. 10tI, C nosahn,N
we had almost total darkness for the
most of the day. l got up at day break
About ten minutes after | observed il
got no lighter than before. The same
darkness continued until nine o'clock
when it cleared up little We then
for the space of about quarter of ar
hour, saw the body of the sun, which
appeared as red as blood, and more thar
three times as large as usual. The air
all this time, which was very dense, wa
of a dirty yellowish color. ] was oblig
ed to light candles TO see to dine at ON,
o'clock. Notwithstanding the table wa
placed close by two large windows
. About three the darkness became NOR
horrible. which augmented until half
past three, when the wind breezed nj
from the southwest and brought ol
some drops of rain, or rather sulphu
: and dirt; for il appeared more like tn
latter than the former, both in smel
: and quality. l took leaf of clean pa
l per and held it out in the rain, whic
2 rendered it black wherever the drop
fell upon it; bat when held near the fir
8 it turned TO yellow color, and whe
burned it fixed on the paper like We