The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1900-06-07
THE ECLIPSE IN RALEIGH.
A Magnificent and Beautifully Weird
Sight as Viewed from the Dome of
the Capitol 1.-The Cows Came
Home" and the Chickens Went to
ROOst,
(Col. F. A. Olds, in Charlotte Observer. }

(Col F. A. Olds, in Charlotte Observer)
RALEIGH, N. c., May 2s, 1900.
The weather could have hardly been
more favorable than it was here to-
day for viewing the eclipse. At 7
o'clock your correspondent went on
the top of the capitol, and from that
commanding point of view saw the
grand spectacle. On the top of the
dome was Lieutenant Geo. G.. Rounds,
of Manassas, Va. who was General
Sherman's signal officer in 1865, and
who then had the top of the dome as
his station. To-day he used the same
telescope, field glasses and signal
flags. There were many persons on
the roof of the capitol, some of them
from points as far away as Detroit,
Chicago and Boston. Interest was in
tense. In the streets below work was
going on as usual. In the sky to the
westward few cirrus clouds t1oated
lazily. The light breeze was almost
| from the west. There was watching
| OF watchers to see whether the first
contact Of the sun and moon was on
schedule time Lieutenant Rounds
signal flag wig-wagged 'frst con-
tact"
AS the minutes slipped away the
eve rovrd far and wide over the fair
landscape, visible a score of miles
away. AS the light dimmed, the
colors changed beautifully. 1t seemed
that stiffness came with the change.
Clusters of people in the streets were
| I,Io
other groups. all gazing intently. On
the roof of the weather station the
experts could be seen, rs busy as bees
Across the fields far away shadows
seemed gradually to settle, One
thought of Millions lines:
Nov came still evening on AID twiligh
| gray
Had in her sober livery all things clad"
The swallo VS., those ..birds of sun
set and its purple clouds" appeared,
and wheeled about the dome, with
plaintive twitterings. TO the strained
eve totalty seemed very long in COM
ing. The cusp of the sun seemed to
rest for quite while without grow
ing, greatly less. Then it became
but little crescent of fire, fingered,
went out. The eye, turned to the
South- West, saw like flash the great
dark shadow-wave as it came up and
rushed past, a very ghost of shadows,
at the instant of totality. The corona
burst into its ring-like flame and
from its upper right and lower left
portions extended broad brushes of
vividly white light, the upper one
longer than the lower. These were
indescribably beautiful. There also
appeared to be protuberances very
much like "liquid light" or quick
silver drops, two on the left upper
portion and one on the right lower
portion. Quite near and to the right
a planet, Mars, sprang into view,
while to the North Eastward and
much nearer the horizon, was another
planet. Venus, larger and brigher and
more beautiful still.
The air grew chilly. All sounds
were hushed. 1t was night and yet
not night. One seemed to see and
yet not see the hills and forests far
away. Everything visible appeared
to culver. An effort was made to see
from such hei ight on the broad walls
of the Park Hotel and the water tower
the passing of the shadow, but none
were thus observed.
Suddenly the upper right portion
of the sun appeared like drop Of fire
and quicker than ever fairy's touch
, worked magic the darkness disap
!, , peared. This weird brightness was
more intense, by reason of contrast
; with the intervening derkness, thar
the last CLINT of sunshine before to-
; tality.
There were all sorts of interesting
phenomena. II during the period O.
: totality the hand was held before the
eyes and the earth, the shadow of the
> bones was cast, as if by an X-ray
The bones of the fingers were thu:
: clearly depicted, with the swelling o
the joints and the metacapal bone!
were equally plain. The fleshy par
. of the fingers was shown as th'
: 'shadow of shade" The effect no
of a shadow, but a round one, wa
also produced. Capt. c. b. Densoi
Il made careful observations of all these
points and told me of the results, a
Il above. Many others tested anl
!. watched this queer A-ray effect of th'
! coronal light.
: Anumber of persons who stood OF
J the ground. among them Mr.. A. H
u Green, watched the shadows as the,
q \ passed during the totality. The,
we're in the shape of little crescents
y at first with the convexity to tn
J. right, and then to the left. Th
U ..dewfall," or rather formation, wa
y very pronounced.
5 Corporation Commissioner, 5. l.
IL Rogers, being curious to know effec
{ of the eclipse upon animals, was at
y place where there were cattle AM
s poultry. The chickens, as totalit,
I came on, made for their roosts ant
y some hens who did not reach thes
/ squatted in the grass and broode'
II their feathered babies, mother-lov
y rising upon fear Of a phenomenon O
which they knew nothing. Mr.. Roger
also watched the queer procession o
the shadow-ghosts and felt the gras
and found the dew surprisingly heavy
The chickens saluted, with lust
q crowings, the return of daylight. A
. SAG, as totality began, the temperatur
/ at the signal station was II Lilo de
erees and at 1854, five minutes later
it was 50 PIG degrees.
= At 9 O'Clock Lieutenant Rounds re
4 ported, by the army code signals. tn
. message he gave to the great army Q
General Sherman from this yer,
: point, the top of the dome, April IS
q 1885; Peace on earth, good will to
!, ward men," He prefaced it with tn
:. words, Ito the good people of Raj
q eigh and North Carolina"
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