The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-10-22
MYSTERIOUS STRANGER.
SALT LAKE, CITY. Oct. l9,. 81.

EULGOIS HtTUC
Everybody who is very early
riser has seen the comet, 1 suppose
But many people are not very early
risers, nor would some Of them
hardly become such to save their
lives, much less to gaze at comet
on a sharp, frosty morning, before
daylight, remarkable visitant as this
one certainly is. But other nom
early risers would. AS for myself,
| had threatened for many days to
get up to see it. but the clouds pre-
vailed so much that did not make
good my threat until yesterday
morning. Then 1 arose early, about
$50 O'clock, for fear that
1 should he too late. But I was
somewhat too soon. Casting my
eyes eastward [ SAVE streak Of
light just above the mountains, q
little south of Fort Douglas, or
somewhere near where the sun
rises. at first view the streak was
dim and disappointing, for it was
the latter end of the comets tail,
though foremost in appearing. But,
having risen too early, waited,
and the view imprC we'd, be-
ing decidedly better afterward.
l should Judge that the comet
began to rise above the mountains
about 3 o'clock, perhaps a little
earlier. But its early rise is not so
tempting as sunrise or moonriSe.
AS [ suggested, the comet rises
tail first and head last, which
means tail up and head down. The
head cleared the moutains and hove
in sight about 10 minutes to 4
o'clock. Then it began to be very
conspicuous object. But it was not
the kind of thing l was expecting.
l had heard of it as a splendid
comet. So [ looked for the splendor.
being reminded of the comet that l
remember to have seen, which hap
pened along in my youthful days,
nearly half century ago, and
which I saw in this way: We held
a dark wine bottle up to the sun in
broad daylight. The image of the
sun was reflected thele and, sure
enough, below it was the comet re-
flected also, the latter sort of fiery
bullshead affair, with a fiery wriggl-
ing tail. That was the sort Of comet I
was expecting to see yesterday
morning, a fiery kind of thing,
something like a star of. the first
magnitude, with an equally bril-
liant serpentine tail. Hence my
disappointment at first sight of
the present stranger, which is
not that sort of a comet at all.
After the whole comet had made its
appearance and had risen away
above the mountains, / became more
reconciled to it, and concluded that
it was big thing anyway. 1t was a
big thing of this sort-the head ap-
peared like a rather duh looking star
of medium magnitude. From over
the head and spreading out far and
wide behind, like a long, narrow,
fine, white lace vail was the tail,
sloping to the south a little more
than the letters in ordinay writing.
1 should judge that the comet, tail
and all, was twenty-five to thirty
degrees long, or as long as the tall
est neighboring mountains are high,
possibly a little longer than that,
and the extreme end of the tail as
wide as half a dozen moons. It
looked as if some Titanic painter
had dipped his brush in the day
light sky and had made a streak
with it in the night dark sky. 1t
was not fanny, not lightning streaky
but more like a sunbeam on a cloud,
or a steady ray of the north
ern lights, Gl the steam from
a gigantic locomotive high up in
the sky; or "a dash of luminous
Yap0r, which 1t possibly is. The
| further it assembled in the heavens
the more conspicuous and notable
I thought it became, and 50 l con-
Guided that it was well worth get
ting up to see.
Nearly at the first | awoke my
family, and had them out to see
the sight, carrying the youngest
wrapped in blanket, for it was an
eager and a nipping air, frosty and
keen. After a brief view, all of
them promptly nipped off to bed
again, but | continued in and out,
gazing and gazing. until after 5
O'clock. Then | called the big boys
again to come and see the comet
entire, and to much better .adYan-
tage. But they said nay, l could
not comet over them again. So I
retired, and before the comet did.
My little fellows thought it was
wonderful, though one critically
complained that the head was too
| Insignificant for such an enormous
tail; and he apparently half re-
gretted that he was not able to put
a head upon it of a more imposing
character, and more consistent with
the unities.
This comet is the largest that |
remember to have ever beheld, and
| it is well worth seeing. But those
who wish to see it need not get UP
at $50 o'clock, as it is III full and
better view much later than that,
and cannot be missed till the light
of day eclipses it, which | presume
is not till $50, but a few minutes
after that it is clean gone from our
gaze. although stars can be seen till
6 o'clock and even later, while the
sun rises over the mountains nearer
= than 6. Five o'clock then, is as
good time as any to get up to see
the comet.