Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-11-28


ms of New York, Pennsylvania
--4.o Canada, and was due to similar causes
to those which produced the famous dark
ness of September. 4 correspondent of
the Globe sends the following extract from
a letter relating to that darkness, and dated
Boston, May 10, 1880. The letter was pub
lished in the Imperial Messenger for 1889.
The extract says:
This day has been rendered very re-
markable by an extraordinary phenome-
non, which demands particular relation.
An unusual darkness came on between the
hours of 10 and II il the morning. and
continued to increase. Your friend hay
ing been accustomed to dark days in Lon
den y regarded it with no special
attention until called to do it by his neigh
bors, who we're much alarmed. He dined
by candle light about 1. After that it
grew much lighter, and he walked about 5
o'clock to tavern, mile distant Oh the
road to Boston, to NEE: i committee of
Roxbury on special business.
when they had finished about O'Clock
at night, he set out for home, not suspect
ing but that being fully acquainted with
every foot of the road, ne should easily
return notwithstanding its being extremely
dark. There were houses ell the way,
though at a considerable way from each
other. He marked the candle light of one,
and with that in his eye went forward till
he got up to it, but remarked that the ap-
pearance of the place was so different from
what was usual, that he could not have
believed it to be what it was, had it not
been for his certain knowledge OF the stu
alton. He caught the light of a second
house, which he reached, and thus on. At
length the light being removed from the
last he had gained sight of, ere he was
up to it, he found him
sell in such profound darkness
as to be incapable of proceeding, and
therefore returned TO the house he had
passed and procured latern. Several OF
the company having further to go we're on
horseback. The horses could not see to
direct themselves, and by the manner in
which they took up and put down their
feet on the plain ground appeared to be
involved in total darkness. 4
The shifting of the wind put an end to it;
and at midnight it was succeeded by a
bright moon and starlight. The degree to
which it rose was different in different
places. In most parts of the country it was
so great in the daytime that the people
could not tell the hour by either watch or
clock, nor dine, nor manage their domes-
tic business without the aid of candles.
= X x :; The extent of this
darkness was extraordinary. It was OBJ
served as far east as Falmouth. 10 the
westward it reached to the farthest parts of
Connecticut and to Albany. To the south
wara it was observed all along the seacoast,
and to the north as far as the American
settlement extended.
"This phenomenon appears to have been
owing to the clouds being highly charged
with smoke, which they had been collecting
for days in the back country. x
The weather being clear, the air weighty
and the wind small and variable for several
days, the smoke, instead of disappearing,
rose and constantly collected in the air till
the atmosphere was loaded with such an
immense quantity of it as proved, in COM
bination with other vapors, the parent of
the preceding darkness.