The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-06-30
THE COMET.
A Night With tbs Stars.
ARSENAL HILL,
SALT LAKE CITY,
June 18th, 1881.

June 18th, 1881.
Editors Herald:
The present comet creates that
reasonable curiosity which like bril-
liant visitors in all ages have been
wont to do. The intellectual crea-
ton - mankind = ever seeks for
knowledge. L incline to the opinion
that the comet, nightly visible to
the naked eye, IN our northern hem
isphere is the only one at present
on visit to our globe. In this morn
ing'S issue you call attention to the
presence of comet in our southern
hemisphere. [ do not think that the
meagre announcement made Of the
presence of one in that quarter of
the starry armament is of sufficient
import to induce the historian to
record it as fact. Neither is the
evidence given by young man of
reliable veracity" of this city of
sufficient force for it to be chroni-
cled as fact, that he saw two COM
cts the other evening at the same
time, one in the southern and one in
the northern hemispheres. 1 do not
say that mistake was made; l
merely suggest the necessity of more
proof in order that it may find place
in the pages of history. To this end,
if any citizen should see, in the near
future, two or more comets at the
same hour of the night, call one or
two responsible persons to witness
hn irfht l1n of Of a
historian and benefit of posterity.
L observed, in the open air, having
no public observatory on Arsenal
Hill, the movement of the comet be-
tween the hours of $50 pm. and $50
am, and confess was amply repaid
for my prolonged vigil. During the
seven hours of observation it
travelled from the northwest to the
northeast in a circular course, some
what Oblong, with apparently
mathematical precision, the tail eX-
tending far from the luminary
pointing all the time to the polar
star. At am. it was invisible. 1t
did not in its nightly course descend
below the northern line of the hori-
zon. In its brightness and
sWiftness it was passing grand
| The Great Bear looked on
with its two pointers, in
silent astonishment, as if it was
going to be bereft of portion of its
ancient prestige-the guardianship
of the mariners guide"-in the de
votion paid it by our friendly visi-
tor, Liberty Comet. The refulgent
planets. in conjunction, assembled
their thrones in the eastern hemi-
sphere to gaze on the sublime scene
daylight spread itself over the
heavens, when Sol in his golden
chariot on fiery wheels took posses
sion of the world as king of day.
At $50 the comet shOne as a
bright Speck in the sky, due east of
the north pole star. but northeast
from our point of observation. In
! its motions it seems 10 be under the
influence. of that star, and to make a
circuit round 1t in the space of
tWenty-four hours. The elements
seemed to be in a disturbed condi-
ton, the atmosphere highly fever
ish. | saw seven meteOrS fall.
And there was the milky way,
still the unsolved problem of astrO-
nomers, and Arcturus. orion and
Pleiades, and the chambers of
the south" - the archives of
eternity! Away in thought to
the regions of eternal bliss. am
| immortal in spirit. 1 behold the
invisible in his matchless and won
derful works, exercising his divine
prerogative, with his invincible
sceptre of righteousness, ruling in
majesty and power, organized crea-
lions the workmanship of his ON
nipotent will by right Of everlasting
heirship obtained through obedience
to celestial laws immutable
INDEX.