Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-11-28
DARK DAYS.
Some Of the Celebrated Dark Days az Or,
History.
Toronto Globe. I

Some Of the Celebrated Dark Days az Our
History.
Toronto Globe.]
The strange darkness which oyerspread
western Ontario on the 9th of last Sep
TENDER, and reached New England on the
following day, is still the object Of atten-
ton from many, and is certainly the most
; famous phenomenon of its kind of the
! present century. It has had parallels,
| though only one is recorded which APP
preached it in darkness and lurid magniti-
cence. In the year 526 the whole of the
Ramon empire is said to have been GOV
cred by a reddish shadow, caused by a
strange haze in the air. What
produced this haze is not known, though
| it is possible it may have been an unusual
accumulation of the red dust which now
and then falls over the Mediterranean and
w2ich Prof. Ehrenberg. a celebrated scient-
LIST, has examined microscopically and
found to be dried vegetation, probably
borne by the counter trade winds from
some tropical region where drought pre-
vailed. e4.er
COMETS AND DARK DAYS. ~
In 1888 a large part of Europe, North
America and the western portion of Asia
was covered with dry fog of pale blue
color, which dimmed the light of the sun
and at times almost extinguished it. It
was accompanied by violent electrical
disturbances, and lasted for several weeks.
1t spread alarm everywhere. A
writer says regarding the weeks
of this fog: 1T was, a time of
terror, of tumult and of universal excite
ment." In 1881 a fog of long duration
prevailed and made the sun look green or
blue. Both these fogs were slightly phos-
phorescent at night. The same phosphor-
| escence was noticeable in 1921, when for
several days, during which it was supposed
the earth passed through the tail of the
great comet Of that year, slight haze
pervaded the atmosphere. It is suggest
i've that during the dry fogs OF 1888 and
| 1851 the earth was also in close proximity
to the tail of comet, if not actually i'm
| mersed in it, and the fact that the fogs
| prevailed on the highest SUBMITS of the
Alps as we'll as in the lowest valleys, is
looked upon as tending to confirm the
| hypothesis that they were due 10 the pres
| ence OF cometary vapor in the atmosphere.
| Some of the celebrated observations of
solar light are confined to small areas, as
| London fogs, the cause of which is oDvi-
| GUS. In 1873 London was darkened for a
| week, so that traffic had to be suspended
on the Thames, street traffic became diff
cult, and lives were lost by accidents due
to the obscurity. In the spring of 1903, 3.
| mysterious darkness covered portion Of
Minnesota, ordinary occupations were sus-
pended, and people were obliged to eat
their dinners by lamp light.
THE BLACK FRIDAY OF 1850.
More celebrated, however, is the @Black
Friday of New England, May 10, 1890.
The coast was shrouded in darkness, which
turned away incoming ships. The air was
| of a brassy coior, and pervaded by a sui
phurous and sooty smell. Many thought
the day OF judgment had come. The Con
cut Legislature was in session when the
IS fell and the senate chamber be-
'arouded in gloom. The general
20 the law makers, and one
owed that the senate
Davenport imme-
ed the adjourn
brief, Was a re-
effect Of restor-
the assembly.
he adjournment.
ent is come or it is
5 no cause for ad-
wish to be found il
I ask that candles
This terrorizing darkness
The most OF New England,