Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1881-06-22
The Dark Day In Canada.

On the morning of Sunday, Hovem-
ber Sth, 1919, the sun rose upon q
cloudy sky, which assumed, as the
light grew upon 1t, a strange greenish
tint, varying in places to an inky
blackness. After a short time the
whole sky became terribly dark, dense
black clouds filling the atmosphere,
and there followed heavy shower OF
rain, which appeared to be something
of the nature Of soapsuds, and was
found to have deposited after settling a
substance in all its qualities resembling
SCOT. Late IN the afternoon The sky
cleared to Its natural aspect, and the
next day was fine and frosty. On the
morning OF Tuesday, the 10th, heavy
clouds again covered the sky; and
changed rapidly from deep green to a
pitchy black, and the sun, when occa-
slonally seen through thcm, was some.
times Of dark brown or an unearthlY
yellow color, and again bright orange,
and even blood red. The clouds con-
stantly deepened in color and density,
and later on a heavy yapor seemed to
descend to the earth, aud the day be.
came almost as dark as night, the gloom
increasing and diminishing most Gtfully.
At noon lights had to be burned in the
courthouse, the banks, and public off,
css of the city. Everybody was more
or less alarmed, and many were the
csnjectures as to the cause OF the re-
markable occurrence. The more sem
sible thought immense woods or prair-
les were on fire somewhere to the
west; others said that a great volcano
must have broken out in the Province;
still others asserted that our mountain
was an extinct crater about to resume
operations and to make Of the city
second Pompeli; the .superstltlous
quoted an old Indian prophecy that one
day the Island Of Montreal was to be
DESTROYED by an earthquake, and some
even cried that the world was about
TO come to an end.
About the middle Of the afternoon
O great body Of clouds seemed TO rush
ssddenlY over the city. and the dark
ness became that Of night. A pause
and hush for q moment or two sue
ceeded, and then one Of the most glar-
ing flashes Of lightning ever beheld
famed over the country, accompanied
by a clap Of thunder which seemed to
shake the city to its foundations.
Another pause followed, and then came
a light shower Of rain Of the same soapy
and sooty nature as that Of two days
before. After that it appeared to grow
brighter, but an hour later it was as
dark as ever. Another rush Of clouds
came, and another vivid fash Of
lightning. which was seen to. strike the
spire of the old French parish church
and to play curiously about the large
iron cross at its summit before descend
ing TO the ground. 4 moment later
came the climax Of the day. Every
bell in the city suddenly rang out the
alarm of Gre, and the affrighted citizens
rushed out from their houses into the
streets and made their way in the
gloom toward the church, until the
Place d'Armes was crowded with peos
pie, their nerves all unstrung by the
awful events Of the day, gazing at, but
scarcely daring to approach the strange
sight before them. The sky above and
around was as black as ink, but right
in one spot in mid air above them was
the summit Of the splre, Win the light
ming playing about 1t shining..like SUD.
Directly the great iron cross, together
with the ball at its foot, fell to the
ground with crash, and was shiyered
to pieces. But the darkest hour comes
Just before the dawn. The glow above
gradually subsidized aud died out, the
people grew less fearful and returned
to their hopes, the real night came on,
and when next msrnlng dawned every
thing was bright and clear, and the
world was aG natural as before. The
pheHomenon was noticed in a greater
or less degree from Quebec to Kings
ton, and far into the States, but Mon
treal seemed it's center. 1t has never
yet been explained"