Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1878-10-31
The Dark Day.

OF all the wonderful stories that my
great grandmother used to tell my mother
when she was a little girl, the most won
derful was about the dark day in New
England, Friday. May 10, 1880. This was
during our Revolution. YOU will remember,
and the same year in which the traitor,
Benedict Arnold, attempted to betray his
country TO its enemies.
For several days before the nineteenth
the air WAS iull OF vapors, as we often
Il when fires are raging ~ the woods near
us and TIE sun and moon appeared red,
aud their uSnal clear light did not reach uS,
especially when rising aud setting. The
winds blew chiefly from the southwest
and northeast, and the weather was cool
aud clear. The morning OF the nineteenth
wa, cloudy and in many places slight
shower, tell, sometimes accompanied BY
thunder aud lightning; but a, the sun
arose II did not increase the light, aud the
, darkness drepened and dcepcned, until
the children standing before the tall CLOCKS
could not see TO tell the time, and Older
people peering over the almanac were not
able To distinguish the letters. The birds
sang their evening songs aud flew 10 their
nests in the woods, the poultry hurried 10
their rOOStS, while the cattle in the fields
uttered strange cries and leaped the stone
fences to gain their stalls, and the sheep
all huddlei together bleating piteously.
Color, which you know depends upon
the light OF the sun, filed many with AS
tonishment by its unusual appearance, for
the clouds were in some places of Il light
red, yellow and brown; the leaves on the
trees aud the grass in the meadows were
( OF the deepest green, verging on indigo the
brightest silver seemed tarnished, and ev-
erything that is white in the sunlight bore
4 deep yellow hue.
The shadows. which before noon tall to
the westward and after noon to the east
ward, We're observed durin. the darkness
to fail in every direction.
The rain, also. was unlike any other
rain, and it set all the people to wondern.
a they dipped il from tubs and barrels
for scum formed on it resembling burnt
leaves. emitting sooty smell, and this
same substance was seen on streams aud
rivers, especially the Merrimac, whore it
lay four or five inches thick, for many
miles along its shore.
Another peculiarly was the vapor; in
many localities it descended To the earth
from high in the atmosphere; but at one
point gentleman saw the vapOrs, at nine
o'clock, rising from the springs and low
lands one column he particularly noticed
rapidly ascending far above the highest
hills, then it spread into a large white
cloud and sailed off to the westward, Il
second cloud formed in the same way from
the same springs, but dld not rise as high
as the first. and third formed fifteen min
utes aiterward. At a quarter Of ten the
uppermost cloud was of Il reddish hue, the
second was green indigo aud blue, and the
third was almost white.
SO unwholesome was this vapor that
small birds were suffOcated in it, and many
of them were SO frightened and stupefied
| that they flew into the houses, adding to
the fears OF ignorant people, who consid
cred it a bad sign for 4 bird to enter
| dwelling.
The commencement of the darkness was
| between ten and eleven In the forenoon
| (when the men were busy in the fields and
Offices and workshops, the women spin
ming, weaving and preparing dinner. and
| the children at school, or helping their
! fathers and mothers at home,J and it con-
tinued until the middle of the following
night; but the degree of darkness varied !;
! in some places the disk oi the sun was
| seen when the darkHr~S was the most
| dense.
Lights were seen Earning IN al the
| houses, and the people passing oui-ui-door,
| carried torches anu lanterns, which were
| curiously reflected on the overhans ing
| clouds.
| Thousands of people were 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
wrong> they had done and endeavored to
| make restitution.
| The meeting-houses were crowded, and
J neighbJrhood pIayer-meetings were form
/ ed, and the ministers and old church mem
| bers prayed long prayers, mentioned the
| nations and individuals of Bible times who
| had been destroyed on account OF their
sins. and begging that as God spared the
| great city of Nineveh when it repented. so
| He would forgive them, cheer them again
| by the light Of the sun and give victory to
| their armies.
IL is said that the Connecticut legislature
being in session, the members became ter
rified when they could not see each other 5
faces, and a motion was made to adjourn,
when Mr.. Davenport arose and said:
''Mr. Speaker, it is either the day of
Judgment or is not. If ii is not. there is
no need of adjourning. II it is. desire to
candles be brought, and that we proceed
| to business
All the shivering. frightened people be-
gan now to look forward to evening, hop
lug that as the moon rose full at nine
o'clock, her light would penetrate th-
gloom; but all the children who coaxed 10
sit up aud see her. grew very sleepy. their
strained eyes were not rewarded by her
beautiful beams, for At eight in the evening
the darkness was total; one could not dis-
tinguish between the earth and the heav.
ems, and it was impossible to see hand
before ones face.
Then all the weary children were sent t.
bed after the most honest prayers that they