The sun., 1895-05-28
DAY DARKENED AT NOON.
GLOOM LIKE NIGHT DESCENDS
UPUN THE CITY.


Business Suspended in Supreme Court,
Chambcrs-ts Gas Hills Increased All Over
Town.-The Cause OF the Phenomenon.
Darkness like that Of night settled on this city
at noon yesterday. In nil the office buildings
business was suspended or lights were turned
on. and when the darkness was over, without
any disaster, people drew q long breath and con-
graduated themselves that nothing dreadful
had happened A tornado was tho least that
might have been expected from the appearance
of things.
There was some rain early in the morning,
and then the sky cleared up. promising n fair
day. II was n promise soon broken. A littlc
before noon black clouds overspread the heavens
and a torrent OF rain came down. 1t continued
for a few minutes. during which the sky dark
ened and the probabilities Of n mild thunder
storm were outlined in fiickers OF lightning. Up
to this time the darkness was such as comes
with an overcast sky; but now the strange part
OF the storm came. The rain slackened. and
darkness fell with the rapidity of the coming OF
night on theatre stage. Still the light failed.
and over tho sky spread, with n ghastly effect,
n livid green hue, shading to n pale yellow In
the west. 1t was as II the sky were arranging it.
self for the enac actment of one of Mr.. Clark Rus
sells storm scenes.
People in the street stopped and looked up in
wonder and some alarm. A light breeze stirred
the leaves in City Hall Park, but tho rain had
stopped and the atmospheric quiet. contrasting
with the alarming hue of the heavens, was
ominous. Light began to appear here and there
in the big Office buildings, and tho broadway
cars. with lamps burning, fckcred weirdly
through the gloom. The Produce Exchange and
other exchanges stopped business temporarily
while lights were rugged up. From somewhere
in the depths of dimness came q cold breeze that
sent the mercury in the street thermometers
sliding down tho tube. Then flash OF light
ming tore tho gloom apart, and the
thunder clap following instantaneously
shook down a torrent OF rain that hisscd in the
vehemence Of its driving force. In an ins tant
the pavements were afood, and those who
were abroad added wet shoulders to their wet
feet moment later, for swift wind dean came ne
spirals about them. driving it under umbrellas,
which It rudely buifeted about, until the owners
Strangely I,.ss ~ as ai it GS had darkened ~I =
From the western horizon q line OF backness
sped up the heavens like the drawing Of . cur
tain Leaving % an % Srea Of Lighter GoTd pehina. mind
utes after the falling Of the dense darkness it
was gone and nothing worse worse followed than M,
and HASH Of
the building at l79 Front street. and frightened
about. There were few other flashes of light
ming. but none was very brilliant.
crowded. usual Sefore the storm but @ there
were a great many women hurrying from store
Nothing was so remarkable as their complete
disappearance as soon on as the heavy downpo9r
on a cable car from Thirty ninth street down to
Fourteenth. and the women seen could have
on Of the In
women were nowhere 10 sight. The first drops
Of the rain might have floated them nil out OF
sroadway Brow from @ 7 tp H. e'i to cooek % seq they
were not In the cable cars, for these were spar
@ Uasiveiy % mem anu they they may ali have taken refuge
in the big shops; s;;. but wherever they went they
Shortly after the noon hour. whom the. city
was enveloped in darkness. the business of Su-
short time on account of the extreme darkness
Of the room. This is one OF the few roomsi In the
deliers or gas Jets. The room was so dark that
lawyers could not see the Judge. "
front Of the judges bench and handed W up pa
Immediately. The Judge received it just as tho
Your Honor. would like you to look over
those papers and sign them as soon as possible"
the papers"
presented a dismal aspect. The gaslights in all
the elevators went out on the lower floors OF
tn0 DullulnR tne lRntS OWlnOleu 10 u mere Rllm-
mer, and It was difficult to recognize u face at a
Coroners' court had to be lighted. and they
were kept burning during the afternoon.
The cause of the remarkable manifestation.
according TO Sergeant Dunn OF the Weather
Bureau was primarily an area OF low pressure
passing over this region. AS the centre of the
storm passed over the city the wind shifted
from east and south to northwest, and the
atmosphere did a lightning change act, for with
in two minutes the temperature went down =
and the wind rose from eight miles an hour to
thirty miles an hour in three minutes more.
The sudden darkness was due to the rapid
condensation in the atmosphere caused by the
cold air rushing in and clashing with the warmer
A dense fog blowing In under the clouds gave
the livid green hue to the sky. and when the
strong wind blew the mist away this color dis
appeared. Under Just such conditions, only
more intense, tornadOes are formed and the city
was fortunate In getting all the atmospheric ap-
About Los inches OF rain fell between O'Clock
yesterday morning and in the afternoon. most
of 1t during the two hours after noon.
West of here the temperature was much
lower. At 4 O'Clock this morning the thermom-
eter at Albany registered $50, and at Oswego
4so. This may mean that western New York
got some very bad weather, and Mr.. Dunn said
ther damage in the region that suffered so
greatly from the hail storm of n week ago.
About 3 80 the sky cleared up somewhat, and
then settled into n sun Frightened gray OF light
clouds. Fair. cool weather Is predicted for to-
day. and warmer weather for tomorrow. The
storm was general in this State and the New
England States and south over the middle At
lantic States.
TRoyTEY RVMpS ~ THE SToB,r