Weekly Trinity journal., 1879-01-04
THE DARK DAY.

2
traitor, Benedict Arnold, attempted to
betray his country to its enemies.
For several days before the 18th the air
was full Of yapors, as we often see it when
fires are raging in the woods near US, and
. the san and moon appeared red, and their
usual clear light did not reach US, espe-
cially when rising and setting. The wind
blow chiefly from the southwest and
northeast. and :he weather was cool and
clear. The morning Of the 10Th was
cloddy ard in many places slight show
ers fell, sometimes accompanied by thun-
der and lightning but as the sun arose
It did not increase the light, and the
darkness deepered and deepened, 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 and
flew to their nests in ;he 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 piteousy.
Color, which you know depends upon
the light Of the sun, flied many with as
tonishment by its unusual appearance, for
the clouds were IN some places Of II light
red, yellow and brown the leaves on tie
trees and the grass in the meadows were
Of the deepest green, vergirg on indigo,
the brightest silver seemed tarnished, and
everything that is white in ths sunlight
bore deep yellow hue.
The shadows, which before noon fall
to the westward and after noon to the
eastward, were observed during the dark
ness 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, aud
this same substance was seen on streams
and rivers, especially the Merrimac,
where 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 lowlands ; one column he particular
ly noticed rapidly ascending far above
the highest hills, then it spread into u
large white cloud and sailed off to the
westward, a second cloud formed IN 2
same way from the same springs, but
did not rise as high as the first, and
third formed fifteen minutes afterward.-
At a quarter Of ten tho uppermost cloud
was Of reddish hue, the second was
green indigo end blue, and the third was
almost white.
So unwhoIesome was this vapor that
small birds we're sufocated in it, and
mary Of them were so frightened and
stupofed that they flew into the houses,
adding TO the fears Of ignorant people,
who considered it Dad sign for bird to
enter dwelling.
The commencement Of the darkness
was between ten and eleven O'Clock in
the forenoon when the men were busy
in the fields and Offices and workshops,
the women spinning, weaving and pre-
pairing dinner, and the children at school,
or helping their fathers aad mothers at
home, and 1t continued until the middle
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 were seen burning in all the
houses, and the people passing out Of
doors carried torches and lanterns, which
were curiousy reelected on the oyerhang-
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
wrongs they had done ard endeavored to
make restitution.
The meeting houses were crowded, and
neighborhood meetings were form
ed, and the ministers and old church
members prayed long prayers, mention
ing 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.
1t is SAID that the Connecticut Legis-
laiure being in session, the members be-
came terrified when they could not see
each others faces, and motion was
mads to adjourn, when Mr.. Davenport
arose and said
" Mr. Speaker, it is either the Day of
Judgment or it is not. If it's not there
is no need OF adjourning. Ifit is, de-
sire to be loued doing my duty. move
that candles be brought, and that we
proceed to business"
All the shivering, frightened people
began now to look forward to evening,
hoping that, as the moon rose full at
nine o'clock, her light would penetrate
the gloom but all the children, who
eoaxed to sit up and see her, grew very
sleepy, their strained eyes were not re-
warded by her beautiful beams, for at
eight in the evening darkness was total /;
one could not distinguish between the