Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1878-08-08

Graphic Description OF the Scene at the
Moment Of Total Obscurati0n, The
Effect on Horses, Cattle, Birds,
and Fl0wers-A Fearful

Eject on Horses, Cattle, Birds,
and FlOwers-A Fearful
I've Minutes.
The correspondent OF the Kansas
City Mail was with General Myers at
Pixies Peak to witness the solar
eclipse. He thus describes the scene: !:
The sky was perfectly clear, not a
cloud being visable. for indeed spec
tators at Pixies Peak were above the
clouds. Probably no better point
could have been selected on the path
OF totality, as the reports OF the
astronmers will show. For two min
utes and some odd seconds old Sol
was completely
sHoRN OF HIS GLORY.
1t was scene Of awful sublimity,
from first to last, and looking now at
the majestic orb OF day, slowly re-
treating in the west, It seems i'm
possible that but few moments
since he was utterly extinguished
from the earth. By degrees the
brilliant blaze and scorching heat OF
the sun gradually diminished, and as
the black disk OF the moon crawled
onward and upward, slowly blotting
out the daylight and its king, the
spectacle became more aad more
impressive. Gradually the fullness OF
day dissolved into a dull, reddish
gray twilight, that looked like smoke
or fog, but was too transparent to be
mistaken for either. The twilight
perceptibly increases. We shudder
with the consciousness that we are
passing into the valley of the shad-
dow of aes
DARKNESS THAT CAN BE FELT.
The moon steadily but slowly over
laps the disc of the great luminary,
but its shadows sweeps over the
mountain tops in many lines OF light
and shade more rapidly than the
fastest locomotive on a descending
grade, Gradually the sun seems to
have become a mere cone, and the
opaque body OF the moon appears to
be eating out the light from this cone
between her own sphere and the vor-
tex. We are becoming involved In
4
the blackness Of light. The brighter
stars and planets near the region oi
the sun and moon appear. The ali
has grown chilly. The plants about
us show how rapid is the action oi
light, by yielding to the influence ol
the eclipse phenomenon, poppies and
night shades. which had been closely
shut, gradually unfolding as the
darkness increases.
BIRDS FLY TO THEIR NESTS,
fowls to their roosts, and chickens tC
the friendly wings Of shelter. The
horses stand with heads and tails
erect, and with a startled and fright
ened look. Dogs gaze In wonder a
the terrible appearance Of the sky In
wonderment and alarm. A deadly
ashen hue has overspread the face o
all present, and for while the firm
est hearted are terrified. We hav,
reached the verge OF total obscura
ton. The thin white crescent has a
length become sparkling corona
nearly rhomboidal In form, distinc
and extending at some points half ,
degree beyond the edge Of the sum
disk. Rose-colored protuberance
appear like flashing beads, while tn
black edge Of the moon seems t
stand out like a stereoscopic picture
The mercury in the theremomete
has fallen thirteen degrees, and W
have become thoroughly chilled b,
the sudden change. There Is pecu
liar gloom appearance In the entir
. landscape, the foliage OF the tree
having the peculiar color produce
by an electric light. The limbs @
both sun and moon seem shakin
: violently.
MERCURY AND VENUS
are plainly visable. They do not ap
. pear as ordinarily at night, but seer