Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1878-12-13
srletted Myiseellamv,
THE DARK DAY.

ILL D1AlUIA LA L.
The notable Dark Day in New Eng
land was May 10Th, 1880 A writer in
st. Nicholas says that for several days
before the nineteenth, the air was full Of
vapors, as we often seen it when fires
are raging in the woods near us, and the
sun and moon appeared red, and their
usual clear light did not reach us, espe-
cially when rising and setting The
winds blew chiefly from the southwest
and northeast, and the weather was cool
and clear. The morning of the nine
teenth was cloudy and in many places
slight showers fell, sometimes accom-
panied by thunder and lightning; but
as the sun arose it did not increase the
light, and the darkness deepened and
deepened, until the children standing be-
fore the tall clocks could not see to tell
the time, and older people peering over
the almanac were net able to distinguish
the letters. The birds sang their even
ing songs and few to their nests in the
woods,the poultry hurried to their roosts,
while the cattle in the fields uttered
strange cries and leaped the stone fences
to gain their stalls, and the sheep all
huddled together bleating pitcously.
Nor we're men and women and chill
dren less afraid and the mysterious
changes in nature that then took place
have never been fully explained.
Color, which you know depends upon
the light of the sun, filled many with
establishment by its unsual appearance,
for the clouds were in some places Of a
light red, yellow and brown; the leaves
on the trees and the grass in the mead
ows were of the deepest blue, verging
on indigo, the brightest silver seemed
furnished, and everything that is white
in the sunlight bore deep yellow hue.
The shadows, which before noon fell
to the southwark and after noon to. the
eastward, were observed during the
darkness to fall in every direction.
The rain, also, was unlike any other
rain, and it set all the people to wonder
ing as they dipped it from tubs and bar
rels; for a scum formed on it resembling
burnt leaves, emitting sooty smell,
and this same substance was seen on
streams and rivers, especially the Mer-
rimac, where it lay four or five inches
thick, for many miles along its shore.
Another popularity was the vapor in
many localities It descended to the earth
from high in the atmosphere; but at one
point gentleman Jaw the vapors, at
nine o'clock, rising ION the springs and
low lands; one column he particularly
noticed rapidly ascending far above the
highest hills, then it spread into large
white cloud and sailed off to the west
ward second cloud formed in the same
way from the springs, but did not rise
as high as the first, and a third was al
most white.
So unwholesome was this vapor that
small birds were sufocated in it, and
many of them were frightened and stupi-
fed that they flew into the houses, ad-
ding to the fears of ignorant people,
who considered it bad sign for q bird
to enter dwelling.
The commencement Of the darkness
was between ten and eleven in the fore
noon (when the men were busy in the
fields and Offices and workshops, the
women spinning, weaving. and prepar-
ing dinner, and the children at school,
or helping their fathers and mothers at
home J and il continued until the mid
die of the following night; but the
degree Of darkness varied in some
places the disk of the sun was seen when
the darkness was the most dense.
Lights we're seen burning in all the
houses, and the people passing out-of
doors carried torches and lanterns, which
we're curiously reflected on the overhaDg-
ing clouds.
Thousands of people we're sure that
the end Of the world had come, many
dropped their work and fell on their
knees to pray. others confessed to their
fellows the wrongs they had done, and
eudeavored 10 make restitution.
The meeting-houses we're crowded,
and neighborhood prayer-meetings we're
formed, and the ministers and old church
members prayed long prayers, mention
ing the nations and individuals Of Bible
times who bad been destroyed on ac-
count Of their sins, and begging that as
God spared the great city Of Nineyeh
when il repcnted, so be would forgive
them, cheer them again by the light Of
the sun, and give victory 10 their armies.
Many regarded the darkness as an
omen Of some disaster that was about 10
befsll the country, nor could they have
had more fitting emblem Of Arnold's
which was disclosed only four
months later.
Some persons supposed that blazing