The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1900-02-27
TEE NEXT TOTAL ECLIPSE.
W ONDROTS SpECTACLE 10 BE PRE-.
SEHTED ON MAY rs.
Path OF tho Coming McllpRc-YIow 1t VIII
bo PhO!oBr"phtd- ) Linn Of Obsory-
Ing StntiOIS from how Orleans
to EurfOlh--Io study
tho COrOng.
(From the Boston TRANSCRIPT. J


ly interesting and altogether urpro-
codcntcd. For e&le, photogrn-
ply iS to bo employed to IN extcnt
unthought of on my previous occa-
sion OF tho kind, involving not only
tho exposure 0i muny thousands Of
plates for rciontitic rocord, but Incl.
dentally an nttompt to secure moving
pictures of tho phenomenon IF tbs
latter purpoHc can be accomplished
it. will be practicable TO exhibit some
sort Of " couutcrfcit Of the wondrous
spectacle by mgchinc, Just as though
IL were o prize fight, and theatre gu,
dicnces oil over the country will have
q chance TO admire it between turns
Of vaudeville.
Another now experiment Of i'm
portance will bo tho Preparation Of
q continuous circuit BY tho Western
Union Company al along tho pNtl,
Of the coming eclipse, from New Or
loans to Norfolk, in order that it may
he practicable littorally to telegraph
ah cad Of tho moon. But, to make
this clonrly understood, it ought to
be explained that tho HhudOW Of tho
lunar orb, after moving over Mexico
in an onstcrly direction, reaches New
Orleans at 7.27 y. IN, aul, continu.
ing on its way, does Lot arrive at
Norfolk until $50 a. m. This allows
u period Of nearly uu hour and hnlf,
during which the phenomenon may
DO watched FROM different points on
its track across tho southeastern Dor
ton Of tho United States. Though
the mighty shadow moves at the rate
of 1000 miles an hour, it is easy
enough to overtnko il with the cleo
trio spark, nd thus in case on astro
nomical obHo. YER near Atlanta, say.
noticed anything peculiar, he could
wire to some OF the Stations farther
along, requesting the observers at
those points to look out specially for
the matter in question. The path OF
cclipses aro very apt to be located in
out of-the-way parts of the world, SC
that astronomers arc obliged to travel
great distances in order to witness
them. Luckily, however, this par.
ticular eclipse arranges itself so that
the shadow Of tho moon will pass di,
rectly through one Of the most dense,
ly settled sections of tho United
States, the cities Of New Orleans
Mobile, Montgomery, Raleigh anc
Norfolk, rs we'll rs many minor town:
lying directly within tho shadow
peth, and thus hundreds Of thousand.
of porsons will have III opportunity
to see that most wonderful spectacle
Of astronomy, the solar corona--t
phenomenon which is neyor visible
except On tho occasion Of q tota
eclipse OF the sun. Already astrono
mers are making preparations to 10
cate stations along the shadow. patl
and to carry out scientific obscrva
tions on an extensive scale.
The chief fear is lest clouds inter
fere with observation and, in order t.
give help in this matter, tho United
States weather bureau has made
survey Of the sky during tho las
three years along tho path that vii
be traVersed by the shadow. AS
result 1T is able to point ont tho 10
calities whore the heavons are mos
Ikoly to bo FREQ Of Clouds Contra
Georgia and Eastorn Alabama boin.
found to offer tho most promisin!
conditions. just after sunrise tn
shadow will enter Mexico IRON tn
west, and when it leaves this coun
tIy, near Norfolk, it will cross th
Atlantic Ocean and touch Europe o
Coimbra, Portugal. Next it vii
take in Algiers and Northorn Africa
and will vanish at sunset near tb
northern end Of tho Red Sea. [
will cross Spain in tho afternoon af
ter 4 o'clock.
A total eclipse of tho sun ma
fairly bo called tho most beautiful
and mysterious. spectacle in nature
and tho phenomenon occurs on til
earth only about seventy times in
century. Nothing else at all like
can be imagined, and it is not at al
surprising that in some parts of tn