The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-06-09
DAY OF ILL OMEN
The Earth Enveloped In q Mys.
toriOus Darkness.
sages and Scientists Alike 1t Fault for
N Explanation Of the Phenomenoa
which FILLED the People
with Terror.

| IN Explanation Of the Phenomenoa
| which Filled the People
| with Terror.
The most memorable phenome non o,
| the heavens in modern times was tina,
day of remarkable darkness over New
England May 10, 1881. That day, say.
a writer in the Chicago Times, made a
more profound impression, has been
more written and talked about, than
all the auroras, comets and meteoric
showers within the last FIVE centuries.
The great astronomer Herschel placed
it in the domain of the unexplainable.
So pronounced was the darkness that
settled down over the earth that fowls
went to their roosts, horses and cattle
showed distress, dogs whined, and
thousands of persons anticipated the
dawn of doom. The great colonial
struggle for American independence
was still IN progress, the federal union
was not yet established; there was
that chaotic state that generally pre-
cedes great changes, and there was
considerable rancor in the minds Of the
people.
Patriot and royalist each regarded
the ominous sky and the threatening
gloom as the evidence of Heavens dis
pleasure against the other, and the
general conclusion was that the i'm
pending mystery would eliminate in
the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah. The
ignorant gave way to all sorts of gro
tesque conjectures, and the few pro-
founder minds were unable to advance
any rational explanation Of the very
unusual occurrence.
The legislature of Connecticut was
IL session on this M-omened day, and
most of the members made no secret
of their belief that now had come the
great day foretold in the spocalyptic
vision. A member got up and pro-
posed adjournment. The matter being
open for discussion legislator named
Davenport arose and said:
~Mr. Speaker, it is either the day of
Judgment or it is not. If it is not there
is no need of adjournment; if it ISL de-
sire to be found doing my duty. Let
candles be brought and let business
continue"
But the motion to adjourn was deci-
sively carried, and the lawmakers who
fashioned the laws for the ''men of
steady habits went forth from their
chamber to gaze at the weird and SOM
Der sky.
1t was Friday and the intensity be-
gan soon after ten o'clock a. m. and
continued till past tho middle of the
following night. The wind was from
the southwest, and the darkness seemed
to come with it from that direction. 1t
soon became too dark to read common
print readily, and candles were lighted
in order to attend to household duties
After time the breeze subsidized;
dead calm followed and added to the
solemnity. The darkness was all over
New England, westward as far as AL
bany, n. Y, southwark along the coast
of Maryland, South Carolina and
Georgia, and northward as far as any
communication was had with any set
Elements.
Nothing was known beyond these
boundaries, but there is reason to be-
heve that a much greater area was in
volved.
Prof Williams, of Harvard college,
was indefatigable in observing, collect
ing and recording reports Of the condi-
tons attending this phenomenon, and
to him the credit is due for the data
from which 1t is possible to deduce the
causes OF this soul-harrowing dark day.
Mr.. Williams professed himself unable |
to offer any solution, but this was prob |
ably owing to the lack OF knowledge |
of the physical interior of this great |
and its sometimes peculiar re-
lationship to current meteorology.
All was black as primeval night
when chaos ruled the world and sun
md stars were as inky spots in the
heavenA
And now we come to the key that
unlocks the mental situation and It be-
ZONES clear what it was that stood in
The way Of an understanding of this
Innumerable were the gro
'esque and Irrational hypothesis that
we're advanced from which their advo-
'stes endeavored to find the solution of
his extraordinary occurrence.
An eclipse of the sun was claimed,
'ut as the moon was near its full and
probably one hundred and eighty de-
'rees out of solar line from the earth,
UGH condition was physically impos-
IDLE. A transit of Venus or some other
CELESTIAL body across the SUMS disc had
advocates. Men Of grave demeanor
that star had caught fire
nd started a confagration of the
or the sun had expired, hence
no residuum Of smoke and ashes.
There had been immense land fires,
Vhere there was no one to report, COW
ring perhaps many hundreds II not
thousands Of square miles, probably
AIMED BY brisk gales. the vapor and
ooty substances taken up By ascend
1g currents from the heated surface
nd loaded on favoring breezes to be
'afted over the land of the pilgrims
nd, as it CHANGED, to be air-dammed
18th the results narrated. This con-
nued until the barriergsve way, when
ne vapor soon dispersed.
The great middle and western states
ave time and again had this srnoki.
ess, which no one now thinks of re-
arding as supernatural The only IN.
suai feature of this occasion was the
nusual combination of conditions
This. in brief. is the explanation Of
he wonderful dark day. .
The Voice in Men Of Different Races.
The Tartars are supposed TO have, as .