The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1880-05-29
THE DARK DAY" OF MAY 10th. 1870

Tho Philadelphia Er,~i-y Telegraph Of May
18th, says.
To-day L. the one hundredth anniversary Of tho
celebrated ozark Day." which on May ~. 1850.
overcame great tract Of North America, though
its darkness vas most intense In New England,
and especially in Massaehusssts, whereit vas con-
monty thought 90 be the Day of Judgme The
early morning cloudy, with Indications Of CON-
ing thunder storms, and even when the sun rose
toward the zenith and there but few distinct
ly marked clouds e 80 dark that u was hardly
possible 20 read except by eandleght. What clouds
there were were strange aad lurid, and, IL 10 said
shadows cast in all direetions irrespective Of
the position Of the sun, unusual refraetions and
Elections playing their part in the Phenomena Of
the upper air. Where rain fell the water vas
presently covered with = peculiar scum, which on
the Msrrimae river several inches thick. as IL
also Was along the shores Of several other New
England rivers. Peculiar vspors deseended from
the clouds, while others aseended FROM the earth
to meet and mingie with them. As Is said gener-
ally 20 be the In unusual disturbsnees Of na
ture, birds aud domestic animals showed great
distress, budding together and uttering cries Of
alarm. According 90 observers in New England.
where. as has been said. the phenomena were most
marked, the intensity Of the darkness vas greatest
between 10 and II o'clock In the morning. II con-
tinued throughout the day, but the degree of OBJ
seurity varied at different places; at some the
vas seen at the darkest hour. while at others Il
vas entirely invisible. People ieft their employ
ments and throngei 20 the churches in terror
great as that Of the beasts of the field and the
ministers held Up their sins before them and retoid
the history of men and nations swept away from
the face of the earth By che Lord in His anger nj
their iniquities. A story has come down % us 90
which is reserabie name eommonly given in Neu
England % those portentous hours-that of "Dav-
exports Dark Day" The Conneetieui Legisia-
tare in session. and as the gloom settled down
more and more frishtfully the members eriei that
IL was the Day of judgment. and motion "a.
made 90 adjourn. Then arose Col. Abraham Day-
export and said "Mr. Speaker. IL is either the
Day Of Judgment or IL j. not. II IL IL not. there
j. need of adjournment. II 10 Is. desire TO be
found doing my duty. ] move that candies be
bought and ;ha; proceed teSbasiness"-a mo-
tion which brought the Legislators % their
A. the day the excitement and dread
fprebOding of uba; coming increased. The
moon va. 90 rise at o'clock and IL hore-i
that her beams you'll disi'el the gioota. bat At
o'clock the darkness such that the earth could
~, be distinguished from the sky AMI when the
h1ur arrived az which, according 20 the almanac.
the skosii rise. nothing vas O. be seen of
her. and till toward morning her could not
be traced in the heavens. There little sieef,
throughou; Ne1 En- gland that nj sht but the morn
Ing of the 2o;h daunei bright and beautiful. di.
peilipg the terror IL dispeiiet the gloom. NJ
satisfactory explanation Of these strange phenoE-
ena has ever been oferci by science. and Hefschel
said of the day that 1t u.s Of ;hose pheno-
mena of nature which will zIways be real e with
interesis, bat which phi9s"Thy i at = loss To- ex
plain