Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1878-10-23
The Dark DaI


great. grandmother used to tell my
mother when she was a little girl, the
most wonderful was about the dark
day in New England, Friday. May 10
1850. This was during our Revolution.
you will remember. and the same year
in which the traitor, Benedict Arnold,
attempted to betroy his country to its
enemies.
For several days before the nineteenth
the air was full Of vapors. as we eften
see it when fires are raging in the woods
near us. and the sun and moon appear
ed red, and their usual clear light did
not reach us, especially when rising aud
setting. The winds blew chiefly from
the southwest, and north east, and the
weather was cool and clear. The
morning Of the nineteenth was cleudy
and in many places slight showers fell,
sometimes accompanied 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 before the tall clscks
could not see to tell the time, and older
people peerins over the almanac were
not able to distinguish the letters. The
birds sang their evening songs and hew
to their nests in the woods, the psultry
hurried 10 their roots, while the cattle
in the fields uttered strange cries and
/ leapcd the stone fences to gain their
stalls, aud the sheep all huddled to-
gether blealing piteously.
Color, which you know depends upon
the light Of the sun. filed many with
astonishment by It's unusual appearance,
for the clouds were in some places ofa
light red, yellow and brown; the leaves
On the trees and the grass in the
meadows were of the deepest green,
yersing on indigo, the brightest silver
seemed taruished. and everything that
is white in the sunlight bore deep
yellow hue
The shadows. which before noon fall
! 10 the westward and after noen to the
eastward. where observed during the
! darkness 10 fall in every direction.
The rain, also, was unlike any ether
ram, and it set all the people to wonder.
ingas they dipped it from Tubs and
barrels; for a scum formed on it resem-
bling burnt leaves, emitting sooty
smell. aud this same substance was seen
on streams and rivers, especially the
Merrimac. where itlay four or five in
ches thick, for many miles along its
shore.
Another popularity was the vaper
many localities it descended to the eartl
from high in the atmosphere; but at enc
psint gentleman sew the vapors, a
. nine o'clock, rising from the spring:
, and low lands enc column he particu
larly noticed rapidly ascending far above
, the highest hills, then it spread into
. lar-e white cloud and sailed of to thu
. westward. a second cloud formed in the
, same way from the same springs, bu
did notuse as high as the first, aud
{ third termed fifteen minutes atterward
. Ata quarter often the uppcrmost clou'
= was ofa reddish hue, the second was
, green indigo and bl.e, and the thlr'
f was almost white.
r So mwholesome was this vaper tha
small BIRDS were sullecated in it, ant
many Of them were 50 frightened AM
b stuneied that they few into the houses
adding to the fears Of ignsrant people
= who considered 1t a bad sign for bir
to enter dwelling.
. The commencement Of the darknes
= was between ten and eleven in tn
c forenoon (when the mcn were busy Il
; fields and Offices and workshops, tn
a women spinning, weaving and preparn
|. dinner. and the children at schosl, q
y helping their fathers and mothers
Y somc), and it continued until the fol
c lowing night; but the degree ct ssrS
: ness varied; in some places the disk
h the sun was seen when the darknes
n was the most dense.
!. Lights were seen burning in all Il
ID houses, and the people passing Quite
$ doors carried torches and lanterns, whiC
Y were curieusly reflected on the eve
e hanging clouds.
ne Thousands of people were sure tn
: the end ofthe world had come, maj
TO dropped their work and fell en- tn: