River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-08-21
Historical Sun-Darkenings.


Not Jew persons appear 10 have been
much exercised by representation OF
an approaching period of sun-darkenng
to extend over several days. History
Goes record instances in which the sun
as been abnormally obscured, or Its
light paled to such an exteLt that stars
Lave come into view in the daytime, and
Erman, Humboldt, and other writers have
brought these occasions int prominent
notice, the former in connection with the
presumed passage Of dense metesric
streams between the earth and the sun.
The earliest mention of such a phenomc-
non appears to be in the year b. c. A,
about the time of the death of julius
Cesar, when we read in Plutarch and
DiO Cassius that the sun vas paler than
usual for whole year, and gave less
heat, the air continuing cold and misty.
The darkness Tor two hours on August %,
A. D. 35S, appears to have preceded the
great earthquake of Nicomedia. Two years
later, in all the eastern provinces OF the
Roman Empire, we are told, there was
'caligO primo aurore exortu adusque
meridIem," and the stars were seen, the
further description being rather applica
lie to total solar eclipse; but neither the
eclipse of March 1, 800, nor that Of Au
"a y would be visible in those parts.
Again when Alaric appeared before Rome,
the darkness was such that stars were
seen in the daytime (Schnurrer's ChroHik
deT ecuchen). Following the TaJttttes
Chronol0gigues of the Able Lengiet Du-
tresuoy, Alaric invested Rome A. D. 400,
ana became master of the CITY on August
- I1n Their, n r-t1tf.Ir aDB Of
the sun on June Is of the latter wear.
therefore while the siege was in progress;
tut on calculating the circumstances
under which it WOULD be seen at Rome,
introducing the latest lunar clements, il
appears that little more an half the suns
disk would he covered At the greatest
phase, about III. 40 m. =. IN, and no SEN
~lble dimlnutiOn ofsunlig twould be Oc-
cIslOned by the eclipse. In j36, 561.
and $50 we find mention Of long periods
Of diminished sunlight Schnurrer re
cords that IN i333, year after the Saracens
had been driven back beyond the Pyre-
nces, consequent on their defeat at Tours,
the sun darkened in an alarming man
ner on August 10; there appeared to be
no eclipse by the moon but rather an in
terrupuOn from some metcoric subs lance.
In 934, according to Portuguese his
toIian, the sun lost its ordinary hight for
everaI months; this Is followed by the
doubtful statement that an opening in
the sky seemed to take place with many
flashes of lightning, and the full blaze Of
sunshine vas suddenly restored. In 1893.
on September so, not 81, as given in some
of the translatiOns Of Hiumb0lt's C0SBsos,
SchnUrTer relates that there was a DARK
cning cf the sun which lasted three hours,
and after which ii had : peculiar color,
which occasioncd great alarm. In another
place we read Emit cciipsis soils II Kal.
Octob. ferc tres horas sol cIrca meridicm
dire nigrescebat:" there was no visible
eclipse 1T this time. and the November
eclipse was central only III the southern
parts OF the earth. 4 century later, or in
June 11Gl, according to Schnurrer, the
sun was again darkencd, with certain at
tending effects upon nature. Here the |
cause Is cdsily found on June % there was |
Z, total eclipse, in which the moons shad- |
ow tTaVerscd the continent of Europe |
from Holland 10 the Criigca; the eclipse |
was total in England between the coasts |
oi Cumberland and Yorkshire. Erman |
refers to a sun darkenin9 on FEBRUARY -, |
ll0G, which was accompanied bv me
teors, and We read in the cometographies
that on the 4th, or. according to others, !
on the 9TH, of February IN this year,
star WAS seen from the third to the ninth
hour of the day, v hich was distant from
The sun ''onlv a ieot and a half" Mat
thew Paris and Matthew of Westminster |
term this star n comet, and We may take
u 70 have been the same which, later in
the same month, was observed in China |
under the sign Pisces, and which at one
time was supposed to have been identical
win the great comet OF 1850; this body,
however. would not appear to have been
sufficiently near the earth, even on the
assumption of denscr constitution than
usual with comets, Ia account for a
dmiuution of the solar rays 10y its |
On the last day of
February, 1906, according to Il Spanish
writer there was complete darkness for
six hours. In 1911, five months after the
Nongol battle Of Lcignitz,' the sun Was
20 obscure and the darkness became so
great that the stars We're seen at the ninth
hour about Michaelma-. In this case.
again the darkness referred "a was I'M
doubtedlv due to the total eclipse on Dc
tober &. Of which Professor Schiaparelh
has collected full account from the
Italian writer's. Lastly IN l547, from
April 93-25 Kclpler relates, on the au-
lhority OF Comma. The sun appeared
rs though sutfused with blood, and many
stars were visible at MONDAY
From the above brief summary OF what
have been considered abnormal srm-dark
cnings, we sec that in several cases the
diminuhoa of light has been due To the
ordinary effects Of total eclipse, lille
ii is clear that there are no grounds in the
historical evidence for my prediction OF
a period Of darkness. The nervous in
these matters-and it would really APP
pear that such exist-may therefore dis
miss their fears.-Harpcr's Weekly.