St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-01-17
The Remarkabie sunsets.

evidence has been as to their nature.
In the columns of Nature for more than
two months past letters have been
published from various parts of the
world nearly every week bearing on
this appearance. In the Sandwich
islands in Oct, in Japan and Australia,
and on board vessels in different parts
of the world, there were falls of pecu-
liar dust attended by a very. strange
cOlored atmosphere. From different
parts of India later in October came
accounts of the sun appearing green,
frightening natives and awakening the
curiosity of scientific men.
IN November the bright colors of the
sunsets claimed attention all over
Europe, Africa, India, North and
South America. The prominent fea-
| ture of these was that the early lights
were of a peculiar lemon yellow with
shades of green, while always later in
the evening there were deep shades of
red and purple lasting a very long
time after shutdown.
In several places the spectroscope
has been brought 10 bear on the ap-
pearance, and i'll India the evidence
from that examination was that the
green was produced by vapOrs at a
very unusual elevation, while the low
FL layers of air were at the time dry.
Soon afterwards, though, there were
heavy falls of rain in some parts of In
dia. In other places the same instru-
ment showed more absorption regions
i'll the red of the spectrum. Very re
Gently there have been analyses re-
! ported from Europe of rain and snow
which had fallen during the time of
colOred lights, and these have given
! Spain, an eminent geologist found
four distinct and peculiar minerals,
identically the same as those found in
some specimens of volcanic ashes re-
Gently sent from the eruptions in Java
In the agricultural laboratory at
Wageniugen, Holland, they had made
an analysis of ashes also sent from
krakatOa to ascertain the value of the
ashes as plant food. They had no
ticed deposit on the windows from
rain. This was analysed aud found to
contain the same materials as the ash =
es. In view of these facts the state
ment is made by editor of Nature that
''the view that the wonderful sunrise
and sunset phenomena have really
been due TO the terrible eruption of
krakatOa in August, has been con
tirmed in the most definite manner"
Another fact has special interest in
this connection. An Ascent was made
July 1880 by a scientific expedition of
the mountain Chimborazo. The vol
canO CotopaXi was in full view twenty
miles away. AT sunrise the latter was
unusually clear and free from any
eruption. Soon an eruption took place
and great column of smoke arose to
n great hight. After rising more than
twenty thousand feet vertically a cur
rent high in the atmosphere bore the
smoke in ali Immense sheet towards
the party on the other mountain and
the effect ''simplv amazed" them
They say eve saw a green sun and such
a green as we never before or since
have seen in the heavens" The color
changed at times to "blOOd red OIL
brick dust red and then to color like
furnished copper or shining brass,
surprising i'll wierd effects and vivid
intensity the widest effects of most
gorgeous sunsets. Soon the ashes be-
gan to fall extremely fine and causing
the snowy summit of the mountain to
look like a plOughed field.
The greatest obstacle to believing
that all these late appearances have
been produced by the eruption i'll Java
has been that it seems almost incredi-
BILE that mineral matter could have
been thrown out in such immense
quantities ST. very fine as to float SO
long and be carried so far. Yet it is
acknowledged that our knowledge OF
the higher currents of the air is very
imperfect and these very things are
expected to throw very valuable light
on this department of physical geogra-
ply. All good scientific authority has
agreed that the cause is high in the all
and produced by fine particles of some
kind. We understand that analyses
of snow are being made at Harvard
University but with what results we
have not yet learned.
We shall expect that further com
parisOn of different observations in
various places will enable the progress
of this dust to be more exactly mapped
ont and this event SO terrible in its
immediate results will contribute ma
terially tO our knowledge of the earth
and the laws at work in and on its
surface. $ H. Il.
Dartmouth College gets $50 900.
flls will of Julius Hallgarten. a New
York broker who died recently in
Switzerland, disposes of -, 600, 1000. of
which over $I50,0OO is given to public
ms Itrrtt 1.