Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-12-03
Mlistellaueuns &eadiug.
THE DARK DAY.

HE DAhh UAIs
May 10, 17S0.-That was during our revo-
luton, you remember, and the same year
in which the traitor Benedict Arnold at
tempted to betray his country to his enc
mics. For several days before the 10Th the
air was full of vapors, as we often see it
when the fires are raging in the woods near
us, and the sun and moon appeared red, and
their usual clear light did not reach us, es..
pecially when rising and setting. The wind
blew chiefly from the southwest and orth-
east, and the weather was cool and clear.
The morning of the 10th was dusky, and
in many places slight showers fell, some
times accompanied by thunder and light
ming, but as the sun arose itdid not increase
the light, and the darkness deepened, until
the children standing before the tall clocks
could not see to tell the time, and the older
people peering over the Almanac were un-
able to distinguish the letters. The birds
sang their evening songs and flew to their
nests in the woods, the poultry hurried TO
their roosts, while the cattle in the field ut
tered strange cries, and leaned against the
stone fences to gain their stalls, and the
sheep all huddled together bleating pite-
ously.
Color, which you know depends upon
the light of the sun, filled many with as
tonishment by its unusual appearance, for
the clouds were in some places of light
red. yellow and brown, the leaves of the
trees and the grass Of the meadows were OF
the deepest green, verging on indigo, the
brightest silver seemed furnished, and ev-
erything that is white in the sunlight bore
deep yellow hue. The shadows, which be-
fore noon fell to the westward and after
noon to the eastward, were observed in the
increasing darkness to fall in every direc-
ton. The rain also was unlike any other
rain, and it set.all the people to wondering
as they dipped it from tubs and barrels, for
a scum formed on it resembling burnt leaves,
emitting a sOoty smell, and this same sub
stance was seen on rivers, especially on the
Merrimac, where it lay four or five inches
thick for many miles along the shore. An
other popularity was the yapor; in many
localities it descended to the earth from
high in the atmosphere, but at one point a
gentleman saw the vapors at o'clock rls-
ing from the springs and low lands one
column he particularly noticed rapidly as,
cending far above the higher hills, then 1t
spread into large white cloud and sailed
off to the westward and second cloud
formed in the spring, but did not rise as high
as the first, and third formed fifteen min
utes afterWard. At "a quarter of 10 O'Clock
the uppermost cloud was Of reddish hue,
the second was green indigo and blue, and
the third was almost white. So unWhole-
some was this vapor that small birds were
suffocated in it, and many of them SO fright
ened and stupefied that they flew into the
houses, adding to the fear of ignorant peo-
ple, who consider it bad sign for bird to
enter dwelling.
The commencement of the darkness was
between 10 and IL o'clock in the forenoon,
when the men were busy in the fields, otfi-
ces and workshops, the women spinning,
weaving and preparing dinner. and the
children at school, or helping their parents 1
at home, and it continued until the middle
of the following night; but the degree oi
darkness varied; in some places the disk OF
the sun was seen when the darkness was
most dense. Lights were seen in all the
houses, and the people in passing out OF
doors carried lanterns and torches, which
were curiously reflected on the overhanging
Clouds.
Thousands of people were sure that the
end of the world had come many dropped
their work and fell on their knees to pray !;
others confessed to their fellows the wrongs
they had done, and endeavored to make res
titution. The meeting-houses were crowd
ed, and neighboring prayer-meetlngs were
formed, and the ministers and old church
members prayed long prayers, mentioning
who had been destroyed on account OF their
sins, and begging that as God spared the
great city of Nineveh when it repented, so
he would forgive them, cheer them again
by the light Of the sun, and give victory to
their armies.
All the shivering, frightened people be-
gan now to look forward for evening, hop
Ing that, as the moon rose at 8 o'clock her
light would penetrate the gloom; but all
the children who were coaXed to sit up and
see her, grew very sleepy; their strained
eyes were not rewarded by her beautiful
beams, for at o'clock in the evening the
darkness was total; they could not dlstln.,
guish between the earth and heavens, ana
it was impossible to see hand before ones
face. Then all the weary children were
sent to bed, after the most earnest prayers
that they had ever prayed, and the older
people sat up to watch for the light that
never before had appeared so glorious.
And never dawned a fairer morning than
the goth of May, for the sun that opened
the flowers and mirrored itself in the
dewdrops brought the color again to the
children's faces, and filled every heart
with confidence. The birds sang joyous
ly, the cattle returned to their pastures,
and everyone went about his work more
gentle toward man, more grateful toward
God.
After the darkness was passed several per-
sons travelled about to gather all possible
information concerning this memorable day,
and DR.. Tenny wrote an account Of what
he learned while on a journey from the
East to Pennsylvania. He says the deep
est darkness was in Essex county, Mass,
the lower part of New Hampshire and the
eastern portion of Maine. In Rhode Is
land and Connecticut it was not so great; !;
in New Jerey peculiar clouds were 0bserv-
ed, but the darkness was not uncommon,
and in the lower parts of Pennsylvania
nothing peculiar was observed. 1t extend
ed as far north as the American settle
ments, and westWardly to Albany, but its
exact limits could not be ascertained. In
Boston the darkness continued fourteen or
fifteen hours, varying in duration at other
places.
AS it was impossible to attribute the
darkness to an eclipse, the wise people
formed many theories respecting it; being
convinced that it was due to immense fires
in the woods, winds blowing in opposite dl-
rections, and to the condition of vapOrs,
but Herschel says: "The dark day in North
America was one of those wonderful phe-
nomena of nature which will always be
read with interest, but which philosophy
is at loss to explain. ."-AnaericoW Ht"dt
Home.
How GOOD WRITING IS ACQUIRED
Writing to be good must be legible and
rapid; to be legible it must have good form,
and to be rapid it must be simple in its con-
struction as regards forms and their combi-
nation, and it should be small, since it is OBJ
vious that the pen can be carried over short
spaces easier and more rapidly than long
ones; and it should have little shade, and
be written with pen above medium for
&I,t &ho InIl box