Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-11-08
Celebrated Dark DayS.


do you expect the apostles along?"
Celebrated Dark Days.
The strange darkness which oyerspread west
ern Ontario on the 9th of last September and
reached New England the following day, is still
the object Of attention from many and is GER
tainly the most famous phenomenon of it's kind
recorded during the present century. 1t has
had parallels. though only one is recorded which
approached it In darkness and lurid magnifl-
cence. In the year 528, the whole of the Roman
empire is said to have been covered 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 ac-
emulation of the red dust which now and then
falls over the Mediterranean and which Prof
Ehrenberg. celebrated scientist has examined
micrOscOpically and found to be drie0 vegeta-
ton, probably borne by the counter trade winds
from some tropical region where drought pre-
vailed.
COMETS AND DARK DAYS.
In 1888 @ large part of Europe North Amer
lea and the western portion of Asia was covered
with dry fog of pale blue color. which dimmed
the light OF the sun and ar times almost eXtin-
guished it. 1t was accompanied by violent cleo
trical disturbances. and lasted for several weeks
1t spread alarm everywhere. writer saws re-
garding the weeks of this fog:-'It was a time
OF terror of tumult and of universal excite
ment." In 1881 fog of long duration prevailed
and made the sun look green or blue Both
these fogs seemed slightly phosphorescent at
night. The same phosphorescence was noticea-
bic in 1921. when for several days duri ,g which
it was supposed the earth was passing through
the tail of the great comet of that year, a
slight haze pervaded the atmosphere. 1t is sug-
gestive that at the time of the dry fogs of 1883
and 1881 the earth was also in close proximity
to the tall OF comet. If not actually Immersed
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 to
the presence Of cOmetary vapor in the atmos-
phere. Some Of the celebrated observations Of
solar light are confined to small areas as Lon
don fOgs, the cause Of which is obvious In
1913 London was darkened for 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 obscurty In the
Spring of 1893, mysterious darkness covered a
portion OF Minnesota, ordinary occupations were
suspended, and people were obliged to eat
their dinners by lamp light.
THE BLACK FRIDAY OF 1850.
More celebrated, however, is the "Black Fri
day" of New England, May 10, 1880. The coast
was shrOuded In Darkness which turned away
incoming ships. The air was of brassy color.
and pervaded by snlphurous and sooty smell
Many thought the day OF Judgment had come
The Connecticut legislature was in session when
the darkness fell and the senate chamber be-
came enshrOuded In gloom. The general alarm
spread to the law makers and one of them SOL
EMMY moved that the senate adjourn. Col
Abraham Davenport Immediately arose and on
posed the adjournment. His speech though
BRIEF was remarkable one. and had the effect
OF restoring cOmposure of mind in the assembly.
tie said: am against the adjournment Either
the day OF Judgment is come or it is not If it ia
not there Is no cause for adjournment. lift is
wish to be found in the line Of my duty ask
that candles may be brought This terrorizinp
darkness extended over most of New England.
and portions of New York, Pennsylvania and Can
ada, and was due to similar causes to these
which produced the famous darkness of Septem-
Der. correspondent of the Globe sends the
following extract from a letter relating to that
darkness. and dated Boston, May 10, 1880 The
letter was published in the Imperial Magazine
for 1889 The extract says:
"Thfs day has been rendered very remarkable
by an extraordinary phenomenon, which de-
mands particular relation. An unusual dark
ness came on between the hours of ten and
eleven III the morning. and continued to in
crease. Your friend having been accustomed to
dark days in London regardedit with no
special attention until called to do it by his
neighbors who were much alarmed. He dined
bv candlelight about one. After that it grew
much lighter, and he walked about five o'clock
to tavern, mile distant on the road to Bos-
ton, to meet a committee of Roxbury on special
business.
when they had finished about eight O'Clock
but that being fully acquainted with every foot
OF the road, he should easily return nOtwith-
standing it's being extremely dark. There were
houses all the way, though at a considerable
way from each other. He marked the candle
light of one, and with that in his eye went for
ward till he got up to it; but remarked that the
appearance Ofthe place was different from hat
was usual, that he could not have believed 1t to
be what it was had it not been for his certain |
knowledge of its situation. Hecaught the light !
q ma thr1c
on. At length the light being removed from the
last he had gained sight of, ere he was up to
it, he found himself in such profound darkness
as to be incapable OF proceeding, and there
procured lantern. Several of the company
having further to 60 were on horseback The
horses could not see to direct themselves and
by the manner In which they took up and put
to be involved In total darkness. 81
The shifting Of the wind put an end to It; and
at midnight 1t was succeeded by 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
s their domestic business without the aid Of can
darkness was extraordinary. It was observed
as far east as Falmouth. TO the westward it
reached to the furthest parts Of Connecticut and
to Albany. To the southwark 1t was observed
all along the sea coast, and to the north far as
the American settlements extend.
."Vhis 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. The weather
being clear. the air weighty and the wind small
ana variable for several days, the smoke, M
stead Of disappearing rose and constantly col
lected In the air till the atmosphere was loaded
with such On immense quantity Of 1t az proved,
u combination with other vap0rs, the parent Of
the preceding darkneae - TORONTO QO6a