Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1893-02-02
lFor the Ellsworth Americana
The Sun Sets In Winter.

Not long ago man offered me the
/ sets on United States territory. told him
l3he had been misinformed-that the sur
imay not set on our domains in the Ion,
sadays Of summer. but that 1t certainly sets
land lately he has produced slip cut from
some newspaper, which reads as follows ;-
1.-The exact situation of the geographic
lal centre of the United States is surpris,
Ito any one who has given the subject care
siful attention. The most eastern point OIL
,itte United States Is Quoddy Head. Maine 4
sthe most western. Alton Island, Alaska Il
1.-The most northern, Point Barrow, Alaska i
sdthe most southern, Key West, Florida
4The centre of the quadrangular figure
Sformed by uniting these four points, I'll
located at the crossing of 55 degrees nortl
latitude and ITO degrees west Longitude.
about APO miles north of the northern lin'
7of Montana. 1t is also trne of the United
Estates. as of Great Britain, that the sur
! 3never sets on our territory, for when it Is
s6 NJ on Attou Island. Alaska. it is 8 SCI
IA. NJ. of the following day at Esstport,
iMaiDe."
This is correct so far as naming thel
sextreme points Of our territory and no,
3farther. The writer of it had perhaps noI
given the subject careful attention or he
7 had made some miscalculstions. Eastports
Ills in Ion. 81 degrees west; Attou Island, inI
1the Aleutian group, the most western of
four possessions. Is in east longitude l13,
Il IA ba of tpF IN
story, from east 10 west, cover l20 degrees
iof longitude third of the circle-ors
Exactly eight hours of time. Hence anys
shour of the day occurs at Eastport eights
sof time at Attou therefore when it is /.
NJ on Attou, il is two hours past midnight
/ at Eastport, instead OF . SO IN the fore-s
jnoon. Attou is in the high latitude of 53i
degrees, therefore in our summer solstict
1.-The sun will not set there till very late
tabout 9 20-at which moment 1t will bel
) 20 of the next morning At Quoddy Hesi,f /
land at the latter place the sun rises at 20,
local time, hence the sun does get up at!
sour eastern point, at that season, an houry
before it sets on Attou.
And also, during these longest days off
summer. the sun will not set at all oni
I Point Barrow. nor will it rise there att
sChiistmas. But at the winter solstice the /
sun sets on Alton at about 40 and does Z
! not rise at Quoddy till 40 (local) whichS
after allowing for the eight hours differ \
sence of time) makes the rising at Quoddys
1 mine hours after il sets on Attou-givingn &
.eUery part of our possessions, at that sea \
son, moderately long rest, each nIght,F
l from any sunlight whatever.
Our central meridian is l27 degrees west, Il
INSTEAD Of ll0, and our central parallel Isl;
4s degrees-not So. The Intersection off
these lines is In the Pacific near the coasul
sof Vancouver
Eugishmen have long b0asted, wthE
truth, that the sun never sets on Brtishk
ground. The fact causes their govern. /
ment much care and great treasure. Lets
US be content to allow them, alone, TOT
constantly keep an eye on the sun while j
We put out the lights and take few hours 1
rest each night for nearly all the year
1t is certainly not through any lack off
pride regarding the United States, norf
I from any fault to be found with the sun,
2that | have undertaken to correct theS
amislnformation that some proud Amerl- j
Jeans seem to cherish in the matter. Thes
United States is q great country-it wass
great enough, in territory, before WEI
possessed Alaska and undertook to bess
to the seals. The posses-s
] Isions were bought cheap, and the revenueE
from them has apparently been consider
|able, but they are source OF untold ex- 4
3pense, OF conflicting international views II
and the future history regarding them can I
mot now be guessed. Though foreign toi,,
] my subject | have TO say, that what thisE
,c0 untry needs more than distant and cold, I
scattered islands or never setting SUM-
lis to be the unquestioned mistress Of aE
sdeep waterway from ocean to ocean. Al
1canal of our own, though it must bel,
Through borrowed zones, would be off
much greater value to our governmentk
than all Of proud England's monopoly Off
the sunlight. EX NANTAsKEr. :
BRoCkToN, Jan, 1898.
If cold and rough weather were news IL
could send any amount. For three weeks
mercury has been lowering around zero,
land now seems afraid to leave it. A plen-
|ty of snow here and has been for three3
weeks. Coal has gone up to IS per ton,
wood nearly out of sight, and pork is soH
high that one can't hear it squeal and yet :
people live, grow fat and 60 to theatres. 8
Nothing is low here this winter, exceptE
water and mercury. l saw one happy man
to-day, Mr.. Newton White formerly OF
Sullivan. The doctor had just told him
that his wife was all right and he had bet
ter call the little boy John, as this is the