River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1881-08-25

came dense terribly dark, black clouds
filling the atmoshere, and there follow
ed heavy shower of rain, which APP
peared to be something of the nature
of soapsuds, and was found to have de-
posted, 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 from a
deep green to pitchy black, and the
sun, when occasionally seen through
them, was sometimes of a dark brown
or an unearthly yellow color, and again
bright orange, and even blood-red. The
clouds constantly deepened in color
and density, and later on heavy vapor
| seemed to descend to the earth, and
the day became almost as dark as
night, the gloom increasing and dimin-
ishing most fitfully. At noon lights
| had to be burned in the court house,
the banks, and public offices of the city
Everybody was more or less alarmed,
and many were the copjectures as to
the cause Of the remarkable occur
renee. The more sensible thought that
immense woods or prairies were on fire
somewhere to the west; others said
| that a great volcano must have broken
out in the province; still others assert
/ ed that our mountain was an extinct
crater about to assume operations, and
to make of the city second Pompeii;
the superstitious quoted an old Indian
prophesy-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
great body of clouds seemed to rush
suddenly over the city, and the dark
ness became tina. of night. A pause
| and hush for a 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. An
other pause followed, and then came
| light shower of rain of the same soapy
and sooty nature as that two days be-
fore. 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 flash of light
ming, which was seen to strike the spire
of the old French parish church and
to play curiously about the large cross
at It's summit before descending to the
ground. A moment later came the
climax of the day. Every bell in the
city suddenly rang out the alarm of
fire, and the affrighted citizens rushed
out from their houses into the streets,
and made their way in the gloom
toward the church, until Place d'Armes
was crowded with people. 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 this summit
of the spire, with the lightning playing
about it, shining like sun. Directly
the great iron cross, together with the
ball at its foot, fell to the ground with
crash, and was shivered to pieces.
But the darkest hour comes just before
the dawn. The glow above gradually
subsidized and died ont, the people grew
less fearful and returned to their
homes, the real night came on, and
when next morning dawned everything
was bright and clear, and the world
was as natural as before. The phenom-
enon was noticed in a greater or less
degree from Quebec to Kingston, and
far into the States, but Montreal SEEM
ed its center. 1t has never yet been
explained. - Correspondence Montreal
| Star.