Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1893-05-05

Minneapolis Journal.
THE SOLAR ECLIPSE.
O~bservations by Professor Pickering AN
"a. Unequaled Success.
VALPARAISO, April 2l.-The details
of the total eclipse of the sun, as OBJ.
served by Professor chickering's party
at Nina Arts, are as follows:
/ Professor Pickering has worked out
.ome OF the observations. He reports
that the day broke absolutely perfect,
without the faintest cloud during the
entire period of the eclipse, the first
contact. when the edge of the moonbe-
gan to touch the edge of the sun, oc-
curing at I'll I'm. IS. a. m. The sec
ond contact, when the eclipse became
total, was at Sh. ION. 9s. The third
contact, marking the cessation of
the total phase, "a registered at sh.
2lm. $685., and the final contact, at
which the moon left the suns disc at
Oh. 3Om. los. All these periods are in
local time. Forty minutes after the
first contact, about 1851 a. m, the
light of the was observed chang
ing to a sickly yellow hue, and there
was a perceptible though faint chill
OF the air. Twenty minutes later the
corona revealed a round moon, before
the observation had become total.
During the period of totality there
were in the east and west dark lines,
like rain clouds, lowering on the hor-
lion. The colors wer yellow and
faint orange in tint, the light resem-
bling that OF a faint dawn. But gen.
orally it was less dark than at past
eclipses. Professor Albrech took OBJ
servations at a point 800 feet higher
than Professor Pickering. His data
were scant, having been obtained
only through the telescope.
The temperature fell three degrees
during totality. 1t was specially not
able, the observer considers, that the
condensed shadow bands, or sfringes,"
were similar to hot-air waves over an
oven or rfpples on a pond, having the
velocity of a fast walk. None of them
was more than two inches in breadth.
They were from one to three feet
apart. They seen before and af-
ter totality; before totality they were
faint. The direction of movement
was variable.
Professor Pickering says that the
results of photographs obtained with
the differential spectroscope give
twenty lines, the reversing layer" of
the solar atmosphere-the shadow
stratum Of gas lying right above the
philosophers, and known to contain
the vaporsof many elements common
ly found on our globe. Twelve of
these brilliant colored spectral lines
were seen through the telescope.
This is the first time that these lines
hayc been successfully photographed.
Professor Pickering also says that the
entire spectroscopic and corona pho
tographs taken on Sunday are very
satisfactory, and promise to yield inn
portant data. Thirty-four seconds
before the eclipse became total. two
rays of light were see issuing from
the cusps, the terminal points corre-
spending to the horns of the neW
moon, and the cusps were observed in
violent motion.
Before totality the corona showed a
conical structure, with a network of
fine tilaments visible to the naked eye.
There were four light streamers from
the corona; the two upper were short
err than the lower mes Seven prom
inences were observed. Douglas esti-
mates that they attained a height of
$4,000 miles. The migrating spec
troscope showed red and yellow lines,
two green lines and one blue in the
corona. The promincnces were fine
and we'll photographed. The corona
was unusually brilliant, with much
detail. The expedition is satisfied
with the photometrlc results. Pho
tographs taken with a doublc-image
prism were secured.
Builders and contractors OF Buffalo
are uneasy over the signs Of discon-
tent in labor organizations. From
surface appearances there is going to
be, a general strike of building trades
unions unless the demands of the
%plasterers, bricklayers and stone-
masons are granted. All the plaster
ers except flfty-one have struck for