The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-09-20
SUMMER AT SARATOGA,
Darkness Covering the Earth for
a Whole Forenoon, to the Ter
rOr Of the Nervous.

Especial Correspondence of the World
SARATOGA SPRINGS, Sept 7.-Supersti-
tious people yesterday were much depressed
reason of the dense condition of the at
mosphere, and on throwing back the blinds
they were astOnisled at seeing the room
flooded with easily, yellowish light. The
peculiar hne resemblcd somew lat the fading
twilight sometimes seen in the tropics, but
entirely foreign to this latitude. The sun
had risen. but it could not be proved by any
Occular observation. The air was close, and
an immense cloud spanned the morrison and
seemed to be suspended at no great distance
from the earti,.
Between ! and s o'clock it began to grow
darker, and the gas had TO be used. The
yellowish appearance of the atmosphere in
creased to the positive shade of all orange
lily, and it was next to impossible to recog-
nize a person at no greater distance than the
width of Broadway (l25 feet). Between s
and 8 it grew still darker, and many predict
ed mother OZARK day." similar to the one
chronicled in the early part of the century.
The hotels and stores we're lighted just as at
night, and the peculiarly of the jets was
that they resembled the cold, silver color of
electric Lamps; but of much less power.
Another effect produced by the ineXplicable
state of the atmosphere was the extremely
bright green appearance OF the lawns and
foliage. This was especially noticeable from
tile fact that the shades of everything else
were of a decidedly suodued color. During
the early forenoon, outside of the regular
routine, business and pleasure was practical
ly suspended. So dark was it at 8 O'Clock
that when the American Social Science Asso-
citation met in Putnam Hall, every gas jet
had to be lighted, ard it bore the appearance
of an evening entertainment The extreme
humidity of the atmosphere was the subject
of general remark, and several who I'd taken
all early drive into the country stated that
their clothing was as damp as though they
had passed through a shower. a number Of
social scientists were lnterrogated as to the
urobable cause Of the phenomenon, but they
simply acknowledged that it was something
! entirely beyond their scope, and that they
would not dare 10 venture an opinion on d
matter they knew nothing of. About ~
o'clock in the morning it began to grow
lighter, and the condition Of the atmosphere
improved. An hour later the yellcw-ochre
tinge gave evidence OF fading, anu at high
noon it had almost passed away, much to TIE
! Ieljet of those OF nervous temperament.
! During the hour of noon the cloud began 10
lift, and at 1870 o'clock i'll the afternoon the
red orb of the sun could be detected, and by
! , O'Clock the sunshine again smiled kindly on
Saratoga aud the gas jets were turned oil.
The cloud broke and passed away and thus
ended Saratoga's OZARK day" in 1881. What
ever the phenomenon was. it purified the at
. mosphele, which last night was beautiful
and clear and sometimes so to-day. Nothing
like this has ever been seen here since 1857,
whru instead OF a yellow, there was a GRIM
SON tiuye or hue to everything for lew hours