Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1885-04-04
The SUMS Eclipse.


The most interesting event in the scientific
world is the eclipse of the sun, which took
place Monday, March 49, In belt about 30
miles wide, beginning ON the Pacific coast in
California, and running up over Hudson's
Bay to Greenland, the eclipse was annular in
North America. That means that the sun
appeared as a bright ring around the dark
body of the moon, The eclipse was annular
because Just at this time the moon is near to
the sun, comparatively. Had it been farther
away the shadow would have been larger, and
the eclipse would have been total in the belt
mentioned. Elsewhere it was partial one.
In the United States, where visible, it was of
the shape shown in our diagram. Not more
than half the suns disc was obscured, at many
points not that.
Winnipeg, British America, was the far
thest point north and west from which the
event was reported by telegraph. There the
darkness was greatest of any place heard
from. Only a thin crescent of light appeared
above the moons shadow, and at the moment
of densest observation sit looked as though
thesun was going to be swamped altogether"
During the eclipse there the temperature fell
many degrees. At the greatest observation
the thermometer went down to 33 degrees
below zero, it is said, statement that is diff
cult to believe, even for Winnipeg. The effect
of the weird ghastly twilight was something
ndescribable At Winnipeg the eclipse began
at 1890 o'clock in the morning. At New
York it began at about 10 minutes past noon.
At intermediate points ON the contirent the
moment of contact was all the way between
those two extremes of time.
In most parts of the country the day was
clear, and afforded fine field for observations.
To get an image of the eclipse doubtless
thousands of persons resorted to an ancient
experiment, which everybody should know.
Darken a room by hanging over the win
dows heavy blinds, black oilcloth screen, or
anything which will shut out the light
Pierce this screen with pinhead holes, to let a
tiny spot of light in. Wherever this tiny
spot Of light falls upon the floor there will
appear a very small but perfect image of the
eclipse, upside down If you did not know
this before, make Lote of it, and try it next
eclipse
Telescope observation developed some in
teresting features. It was noticed that the
earth's atmosphere still presented the haziness
which has characterized it since the red sun
sets appeared a year ago last fall. These are
believed to be due to floating matter still in
the atmosphere from the tremendous volcanic
eruption of Krakatoa, in the summer of 1888.
Three spots were observed on the suns disc,
and one learned professor announces that
there was a storm in progress on its surface
covering an area of 81, 900 square miles. The
most interesting feature Of all, however, to
those who had the opportunity of looking
through good telescope, was the mighty
mountains Of the moon. Tremendous peaks,
Of height of 10000 feet, were sharply out
lined against the brilliant white of the sun.
At one point there was seen a side view of q
yawning, dish-shaped valley, with mountain
ranges at each rim, and lofty, conical peak
in the centre. The inhabitants of the earth
without asking cur friends of the moon, il
there are any, have taken the liberty Of giving
names to these mighty lunar mountain ranges
The Rook and D'Alembert ranges and the
Lunar Cordilleras were all plainly visible
through Kaleidoscope wildly marked against
the sun.
These names may or may not be those giver
to the same peaks by the moon people. Fol
some years past, at solar echpses, astronomer.
have made careful researches to detect, il
possible, any sign Of an atmosphere surround
ing the moon. None has ever been discov
cred. The observations for this purpose wer,
continued on Monday, with the same negative
result
At the leading colleges of the country anC
at the Naval Observatory at Washington
photographs Of the eclipse were taken. A
the Naval Observatory between so and g.
views were obtained. At Amherst Colleg,
about so were taken. Professor Maria Mitchell
and her girls at Vassar also secured mum
Der. When these are all printed we shall
know what additional knowledge science re
ceives from this eclipse
Snow and Ice Gutter.
Mr.. Leslie, Canadian postmaster, has in
vented something worth while, apparently
The snow pillow at present in use on railway
is mostly a monstrous butting machine
When set to removing drift upon the tracl
it dashes into it, head on, with all the fore
that steam can give If it does not succee,
in driving through at once, it only rams tn
ice more compactly together and increases it
own difficulty.
Mr.. Leslie's invention is not snow rammer
but snow cutter. In shape it is huge
square-cornered funnel. 1t is ten feet square
Inside the funnel is a system of revolvin
blades or knives, that are attached to a screv
propeller. The machine is fastened t
aplatform car, and pushed by a powerful
locomotive engine, The engine drives tn
funnel, big end forward, into snow banl
The knives, revolving by machinery, cut til
snow like sausage meat and it is turne
backward to the little end of the funne
Here it is caught upon large revolving ia
and thrown out $50 feet on each side, or owe
6O-foot embanlment. The fan revolves j
a direction opposite to that of the screw
though it is only 1-64th of an inch ava
from it. This part of the invention is
wonderful mechanical triumph. One machir
costs $4,000. The first one, just now con
pletod, will be shipped to Chicago to be trie
ON some great drifts of snow near there. II
machine was built by the Railway Steal
Snow Shovel company, Paterson, N. j.
Mine Oyster.
An OYSTER has n stomach and a haart