Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-01-03
THE ECLIPSE.


Service Officer Barwick.
The day was ushered in without clouds
but about 10 o'clock few cirrus clouds be-
gan forming in the southwest, moving to-
ward the northwest, Notwithstanding q
gentle northerly breeze was blowing at the
earth's surface. These thin clouds did not
reach the sun until some time after the be-
ginning of the eclipse The first contact
between the sun and moon took place at II
O'Clock "a minutes and IS seconds, after
which time the clouds began encroaching
upon the sun, slightly obscuring the view,
but not enough to affect the sight through
smoked glass. The time of the greatest OBJ
scuration was 1:50 P. NJ, the duration of the
greatest observation lasting 80 seconds,
during which time the sight was grand as
viewed from the Signal Office building.
The horizon from the northwest to the
southwest was covered with cirrus stratus
clouds and colored delicate pink, rapidly
increasing to bright rose and as rapidly
changing to somber gray. At the same
time the eastern horizon, over the Sierra
Nevada mountains, was perfectly clouGless.
The sky was of greenish color and the
whiteness, appearing much closer than it
really was. The planet Venus was seen
above and to the left of the sun. Owing to
the clouds in the southwest the planets
Mercury and Jupiter were not seen during
the greatest observation. After the latter
occurrence the sky over the snowy range
had a murky or hazy appearance, the snow
showing its purity with less distinction
At 2 o'clock the clouds formed into GIRO
stratus, and the sun for several minutes was
covered until it could not be seen through
smoked glasses. The clouds passed away
before the last contact. At time of greatest
observation there appeared to be about the
fifteen sixteenths of the suns surface ex-
posed, the clouds at this time hiding from
view any portion of the corona which
might have been partially visible had there
been no clouds. The last or fourth contact
occurred at minutes 80 seconds past 8
o'clock. The time between the observation
OF the first and last contacts was hours
43 minutes 35 seconds. The observation of
the barometer, wet and dry, thermometer,
humidity, with wind velocity and direction,
were taken every ten minutes for Professor
Wlpslow Upton, beginning at II clock
and ending at $3.50, during which time the
barometer fell from 30.31 inches to 1927,
at the time of the greatest observation, and
was steady during the time The the1-
mometer dropped from 81 before the eclipse
to 4S at the greatest observation, from
which time it rose slowly to 80, ten min
utes after the last contact. The humidity
increased from Sc before the eclipse to 81 at
the greatest observation, decreasing after
ward to 81 at ten minutes after the eclipse.
The wind WAS northerly throughout the
observation, blowing from six to eight
miles per hour at the beginning and de-
creasing to two miles al the greatest OBJ
scuration, after which time it increased to
seven miles per hour ten minutes after the
eclipse.
Alyah Pendleton of Nicolaus reports OBJ
servations as follows on the shadow
bands: Direction of bands before totality,
north and south; after totality it was
cloudy and no observations made; direc-
ton of motion of shadow bands, southwest
and northeast. Just before total obscura-
ton clouds came over the sun, putting
stop to any further observations.
The average signal service temperature
on Tuesday, January LIST, was 40, being
the same as the normal for that day. The
highest and lowest temperature was $50
and 80; weather clear.
The average temperature yesterday was
390, being 70 warmer than the normal for
that day. The highest and lowest tenn
perature was 44o and $50, with weather
foggy and cloudy; barometer, 1920 inches
and falling