Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1881-06-02
The Dark Day in Canada.

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iscences OF Montreal sixty years ago,
Mr.. J H. Dorwin writes to the Montreal
Star as follows:
what was the strangest occurrence
OF that time, or rather the strangest
thing that ever happened IN the history
of this country, was what has been
always known as the Phenomenon OF
1819.' On the morning OF Sunday,
November s, 1919, the sun rose upon
cloudy sky, which assumed, as the light
grew upon il, a strange greenish tint,
varing IN places to an inky blackness.
After a short time the whole sky became
terribly dark, dense black clouds filing
the atmosphere, and there followed
heavy shower of rain, which appeared
to be something of the nature Of soap
suds, and was found TO have deposited
after settling substance in all its quail
ties resembling SCOT. Late in the alter
noon The sky cleared to its natural as
pect. 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 pitchy black, and the
sun, when occasionally seen through
them was something OF 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 a. night, the
gloom increasing and diminishing most
fitfully. At noon lights had TO be burned
in the courthouse, the banks, and pub
Inc Offices of the city. Everybody was
more or less alarmed, and many were
the coniectures as to the cause of the
remarkable occurrence. The more sem
sible thought that immense woods or
prairies were on fire some where TO the
west; others said that 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 PompeIi; the superstitious quo
ted an old Indian prophecy that one day
the Island OF Montreal was to be des-
troyed By an earthquake, and some
even cried that the world was about TO
come 10 an end.
about the middle Of the afternoon
great body Of clouds seemed TO rush
suddenly over the city, and darkness be-
came that of night. A pause and hush
for moment or two succeeded, and
then one OF the most glaring flashes of
lightning ever beheld famed over the
country accompanied by clap Of thun-
der which seemed 10 shake the city to
its foundations. Another pause follow
ed, and then came light shower of rain
of the same soapy and sooly nature as
that OF two days before. After that it
appeared to grow brighter, but an hour
later II was as dark as ever. Another
rush Of clouds came, and another vivid
fash OF lightning. which was seen to
strike the spire OF an old French parish
church and to play curiously about the
large iron cross at its summit before de-
scending the ground. Amomentlater
came the climax Of the day. Every bell
in the city suddenly rang out the alarm OF
fire, and the adrighted citizens rushed out
from their houses into the str, cts aud
made their way IN the gloom toward the
church, until Place d'Armes was crow
ded with people, their nerves all IN
strung by the awful events Of the day,
gazing at but scarcely daring TO APP
proach 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 spirc,
with the lightning playing aboutit shin
ing like sun. Directly the great iron
cross, together with the ball at its foot
fell TO the ground with crash, and was
shlyered 10 pieces. But the darkest
hour comes just before the dawn. The
glow above gradually subsidized and died
out, the people grew less fearful and re-
turned 10 their homes, the real night
came on, and when next morning
dawned everything was brightand clear,
and the world was o. natural as before.
The phenomenon was noticed in q
greater or less degree from Quebec TO
Kingston, and far into the States, but
Montreal seemed It's center. II has
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