Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-06-04

here may not mean their nonexistence.
since if Professor W. II. Pickering Of
Harvard is right they are produced by
atmospheric conditions that were not
present during the time OF eclipse.
Pickering's theory about the shadow
bands is that they are due to the inter-
ference of atmospheric currents about
1000 feet above the earth, moving at
different velocitieS, which accordingly
produce atmospheric waves, and these
in turn cause such an interference OF
light rays as to produce the phenome-
IA noted.
As the path of totality was overlaid
was barely above the normal pressure
of 80 inches. there was a great uni
formity in the atmospheric masses to
a great height, and it is not believed
there We're any contradictory currents
that could give the shadow bands. On
the contrary, there was down settling
of air all along the track, with sur
face wind movement at Norfolk from
the south which did not vary at all
during the eclipse or even during total
ity. Curiously enough at Virginia
Beach the sea breeze from the east I'M
derriding the south wind apparently
produced the necessary atmospheric
conditions, for there the shadow bands
were observed by a party of scientists
headed by G. W. Pickard of Boston,
representing the Blue Hill observatory.
They were seen to consist of alternate
bands Of dark and light strips. the dark
about one inch wide and the bright
streaks about three inches, moving to-
ward the southwest at a rate OF about
eight feet per second. The streaks
looked like the shadows Of picket
fence on a rapid march. At Virginia
Beach dew formed, there was a slight
haze and the fall of temperature was
considerably greater than inland, and
after the eclipse the sea breeze died out
and the south wind ruled alone.
The fieeting character of the weather
changes brings to mind the really sig
nificant weather fact connected with
the eclipse, and that is its perfect see
ing characteristics. And this calls at
tention to the signal success of Profess
or Willis L. Moore in his forecast of
perfect eclipse weather" 1t was per-
feet and could not have been bettered
all along the line from New Orleans to
Norfolk. On Saturday. May &c, the
outlook was bad-very bad-but on
Sunday a very dramatic scene was en-
acted in the Washington office of the
weather bureau. knowing that 40
stations, thousands of scientists and
millions of observers waited anXiously
for news of the state of the weather,
Professor Moore had special observa-
tons taken, and when tie first synop-
tic map was drawn and the forecast
ready he surveyed it with the eye of
an expert and pronounced the outlook
clear weather all along
the line" The wires all through LOU
isiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia,
South Carolina, North Carolina and
Virginia were-,open, waiting for the
word that would bring joy or dismay.
and when the authoritative, unequiv-
ocal message was sent one could al
most hear in the Washington Office the
exultation with which the suspicious |
news was received all along the line.
The eclipse of 1900 has now gone in |
to history so far as n spectacle is con- |
1t is now left for American
astronomy to work out the results and |
to add a new and splendid chapter to |
its great record in the domain of solar |
physics. a chapter which should throw |
searching light on the mysteries of the |
universe.
One of the very interesting side is |
sues of the eclipse Is that, according to /
astronomers who saw |
It at Norfolk, the eclipse was five sec
onds ahead of the computed time at |
the beginning and one second longer at
the end. In fact, if Professor New
combs revisions of the mathematical |
tables made % years ago had not been |
IN use the eclipse would have been one
minute ahead of reckoning.
Professor Willis l.. Moore, who was |
here viewing the eclipse, received the /
following dispatch from Professor
Frank II. Bigelow at Newberry, S. c.:
The weather was perfect-cool, quiet
The corona was like the
1878 and 1899 type, with polar rays and
wide equatorial extensions. The great ,
shadow was wholly missing, and the
shadow bands were hardly visible.
This remarkable phenomenon must
have been due to the steady air, thus
making them, when they occur, me-
effect. The inner corona