Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-09-14
Days Of Mysterious Darkness.


The New York Sun thus discourses upon
dark days: The strange darkness al mid.
day, caused by yellow haze filling the sky,
which awakened surprise and alarm in Bos.
ton, Providence, Portland, and other eastern
cities on Tuesday, is not without parallel in
meteorological history. Everybody has heard
of the Dark Day of 1850, which is sometimes
spoken of as Black Friday. The year 1880
resembled 1881 in its wonderful physical
phenomena. II was year to drive weather
prophets mad, and 1t impressed its memory
indelibly upon the minds Of the people. Its
freaks eliminated on May 10, when the light
of the sun seemed suddenly to fail, and all
of New England, and portions Of New York,
Pennsylvania and Canada, were plunged in
mysterious gloom. Birds and fowls retired
to their roosts dinner was eaten by candle
light. The air seemed of brassy color,
| and there was q sulphurous or sooty smell
pervading it. Very many were in the great
est alarm, thinking that the day of iudg-
ment had come. The Connecticut leeisla-
ture was in session when the mysterious dark
ness fell upon the face of nature and the
senate chamber was shrouded in darkness,
80 that business could not be transacted.
The general alarm spread to the lawmakers,
and one Of them solemnly moved that the
senate adjourn. Colonel Abraham Daven.
port Immediately arose and opposed the adj
journment. His speech, though brief, was a
remarkable one, and it had the effect of re-
storing composure Of mind in the assem-
blage: al am against the adjournment.
Either the day of judgment is at hand, or it
is not. II it is not, there is no cause for ad-
journment. II it is, wish to be found in
the line of my duty. l ask that candles be
brought"
Nobody who saw that day ever forgot it.
The New England coast was shrouded in
darkness, which turned away incoming
ships. Evidently the phenomenon observed
on Tuesday was of the same nature as that
of 1880. Such darkenings of the suns light
have been witnessed in various parts of the
world. In the year 500 the whole Roman
empire was covered with reddish shadow,
caused by strange haze in the air. In
1888 all Of Europe, most of North America,
and the western portion of Asia were covered
with a great dry fog of pale blue color,
which dimmed the light of the sun and at
times almost extinguished it. 1t lasted for
several weeks, and was accompanied by
violent electrical storms. 1t spread alarm
everywhere eft was" says one writer, "a
time of terror, Of tumult, and of universal
excitement" In 1881 there was another
great Jog that made the sun look green or
blue, and tinted all the objects of the land
scape with similar hues.
Sometimes these phenomena are confined
to comparatively small areas of country.
The fogs of London are examples. In
December, 1873, London was darkened for
week so that traffic had 10 be suspended
on the Thames, street travel became almost
impossible, and many persons lost their
lives through accidents. A year ago last
spring a mysterious darkness overspread
portion of Minnesota. The inhabitants,
as in 1850, ate their dinner by candle
light, and all ordinary occupations were
suspended.
The causes assigned for these phenomena
are various. Sometimes they are due to
the smoke arising from the burning of great
forests or vast peat boys. Occasionally
these fogs have been ascribed to the passage
of the earth through the tail of comet.
In 1861, when the earth is supposed to have
passed through portion of the tail of the
great comet of that year, slight haze was
discernible by day, and at night the air
seemed aglow with strange phosphorescence
which in some places rendered it possible
to read print at midnight. The same phos-
phorescence at night was witnessed during
tho great fops Of 1854 and 1871. The voun-
try within a few hundred miles of large
VOLCANOES is sometimes darkened by matter
thrown into the atmosphere from the craters.
At times there seems no way to account for
such darkening of the heavens except upon
the supposition that the earth, in its sweep
oPoect cuOouubcio d HAAS
of attenuated meteoric matter, which spreads
through the atmosphere. This does not
appear improbable when it is recollected
that the earth in revolving about the sun
does not continue 10 travel in the same path,
but in consequence of the suns own motion,
is every year passing through new fields of
space. The sun is carrying his squadron of
worlds on stupendous voyage through the
vast ocean of ether, or whatever fills the
interstellar spaces. If some of these phe-
nomena are really due to matter that the
earth ploughs through in her marvellous
cruise, we may conclude that therein lies
another peril to the mad and merry crew of
our rock-ribbed ship, for some of the great
dry fogs of history brought epidemics with
them. In 1888, especially, men and beasts
were seriously affected with disease resem-
bling catarrh, that prevailed as long as the
fog lasted.