San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1879-01-11

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OF all tho wonderful stories that my
great:grandmotker used to tell my moth
g vlsen abe lvsa u little HA, The nost
wondeffal 'was kboutatlies dark day in
New Engla6d, Friday May 10th, 1850.
This was during our revolution you will
remember, and the same year in which
the traitor, Bsnedict Arnold, Jsttempted
to behsy his country 70 its enemies.
For several days before the 10th the
air wast full of vspors, % We often see it
when Ares are raging in the woods near
us, and the sun and moon Appeared red,
and their usual clear light did not reach
us, especially when rising and setting.
The winds blew chiefly from the south.
west' and northeast, and the weather
was cool and clear The morning of
the 18th 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
deepensd, until the children standing
before the tall clocks could not see to
tell time, and older people peering over
the almanac were not able to distinguish
the letters. The birds sang their even,
ing song and Aewt 10 their nests in the
woods, the poultry hurried to-" their
roosts, while cattle in the fields uttered
strange cries and leaped the stone fences
to gain their stalls, and the sheep hud-
died together bleating pitsously.
Color, which you know depends upon
the light Of the sun, filed many with
astonishment by its unusual appearance,
for the clouds were in some places of q
light red, yellow and brown; the leaves
on the trees and the grass in the mead
sows were Of the deepest green, verging
On On indigo, the brightest silver seemed
furnished, and everything that is white
in the sunlight bore deep yellow hue.
The shadows, which before noon fall
to the westward and after noon to the
eastward, we're 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 scum formed on it resembling
burnt leaves, emitting sooty smell, and
this same substance was seen on streams
and rivers, especially on the Merrimac,
where it lay four or five inches thick,
for many miles along its shore.
Another popularity was the yapor; in
many localities it descended to the earth
from high in the atmosphere; but at one
point gentleman saw the vapors, at 9
o'clock, rising from the springs and low
lands; one column he, particularly no.
ticed rapidly ascending far above the
highest hills, then it spread into large
white cloud and sailed off to the west
ward, a second cloud formed in the
same way from the same springs, but
did not rise as high as the first, and q
third formed fifteen minutes afterward.
Alta quarter Of ten the ermostcloud
was of a reddish hue, the second was
green, indigo and blue, and the third
was almost white. - I''' ,or',1 o
SO unwholesome was this vapor that
small birds were sufocated in it, and
many of them 50 frightened and stupe
fed that they. few into the houses, add
ing to the fears of ignorant people, who
considered tia bad sign for bird to
enter dwelling. 20 ao,i sni7q- datas
The commencement Of the darkness
twas 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), and it continued until the mid
die of the following night; but the de-
gree of darkness varied; in some places
the,disk of the sun was seen when the
darkness was the most Dense - &c.
lights were seen burning in all the
houses, and the people passing out Of
doors carried torches and lanterns,
which were curiously reflected on the
overhanging clouds. - =
Thousands of people we're mre that