Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1894-08-09
THE DARK DAY-MAY 18th, i7so.

Seventeen hundred and eighty, that thert
fell
Over the bl,om and sweet life Of the spring
Over the frtsh ea.th and heaven Of noon,
A horror of great darkness. like the night
In day of which the Noriand sages tell.
The Twilight Of the Gods. The low-hung
sky
Was black; with ominous clouds, save
where its rim
Was fringed with q dull glow, like that
which climbs
The crater's side from the red hell below =
Such ia Whittier's description OF
the clark day" which caused such
CONSERVATION here in America one
hundred and fourteen years ago.
For several days previous to the
10th Of May the sun was cTouded,
the atmosphere was very close and
peculiar vapors foated above the
earth. Many people predicted a
volcanic eruption, and we find COM
ments On the atmospheric condi-
tions in many old letters of the
time. When the sun and moon
rose and set they cast dull uncer-
tain light which seemed more a re-
Election than a direct light.
On the morning of Friday, the
10th, the atmosphere was heavier
than on any previous day. About
9 o'clock in the morning a gentle
man, who was watching the un-
usual clouds, saw sheets of vapor
rising from some springs and low
lands some distance away. The
clouds consolidated and rose above
the hills and floated off to the west
ward. A second cloud formed soon
after and very shortly third. In
three-quarters of an hour from the
time the first rose the ulpermost
cloud was of a reddish tint, the
second was green and blue, while
the third was white. The higher
the sun rose the less light seemed
to reach the earth. Between 10 and
IL the darkness increased, and be-
fore noon the people were obliged
to light candles in the houses.
While the sun gave any light the
shadows were observed to fall in all
directions instead of to the west
before noon as is usual. The clouds
were in some places yellow and
brown and even a faint red. The
trees and grass exhibited marvel
Gus deep green-everything which
was naturally white appeared yell
low, while the most highly polished
silver looked very much tarnished.
The cattle were greatly frighten-
ed, and jumped the fences to get
home. The domestic fowls roasted.
The birds sang their evening songs
and flew to their nests, while the
night birds commenced their songs.
IL the small birds ventured to fly,
they were suffocated in the strange
vapor which surrounded the earth.
The were SO confused that many of
them few into the houses, causing
the supersti.ious to declare i'll
,,,mens.
a,"rally every one was greatly
puzzled AM, very many were much
frightened. so...'e thought the end
of the world was l. ,rsar az hand; ;
others believed blazing staf haa
come into the direct rays of the l" s"n'
and had in some wonderful way alb
sorbed all the light of the sun,
while still others declared that a
great mountain had sprung up in
space somewhere between the earth
and the sun, and thus accounted
for the intercepted light which
reached the earth.
Many declared that the blaokness
was forewarning of some calamity
which was about to befall the coun-
try. A few months later, when
Benedict Arnold so treacherously
betrayed his country, these people
were thoroughly satisfied that their
belief was correct. The Tories and
those who were undecided in their
opinions regarding the separation
of America from the British crown
believed the terrible darkness to be
a communication from the Lord
warning his people against the Sc
paration.
Lanterns were seen fitting about
as men went from house to house
trying to gain some consolation
from the troubled faces of friends
and neighbors. The churches and
meeting.-houses were opened, and
the ministers and deacons went from
their homes to the places of worship
with lighted lanterns to conduct
services. Those who did not wish
to go to public worship held neigh.
borhood prayer meetings.