The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1900-06-07

of clock. At 500 the darkness was
perceptible, and under the nearby
trees the crescent-shaped images of
the sun showed very plainly on the
ground, but in reversed direction from
the position of the suns crescent in
the sky. About two minutes before
totality began, dull yellowish hue
overspread the landscape. The hori-
zon grew very dark toward the South
West, like a thunder cloud, but those
who were looking for the rushing
shadow were disappointed. 1t was
too quick for them and the deep twi-
light of the total eclipse was upon
them in a twinkling. White sheets
previously spread upon the ground
ca ught the mysterious shadow bands.
! THE CLIMAX.
Words cannot describe the solemn
grandeur of the scene at the moment
of total eclipse. The chattering crowds
had been awed into silence as the
/ wierd, mysterious darkness leading
up to totality had progressed. The
color effects of sky and horizon were
surprisingly beautiful. Above, the
| blue deepened to almost blackness
and all around the horizon rose rings
of orange and purple. just before
totality it looked as a rainbow ring
last ray of the sun was obscured all
this changed and the coloring of the
horizon was that which shortly fol-
lows a summer sunset. Around the
sun the corona shone forth with
great brilliancv and in a beautiful
form. There were two brilliant
splotches of light. One famed out
from the first point of contact. 1t
was shaped like a fish tail and was
about three times the diameter of
the moon in length. The other flash
ed out below in an opposite direc-
ton, while circling the shadow was a
narrow belt of light of extreme bril-
liancy. The planet Mercury beamed
just a little beyond the end of the
first arm of the corona, Venus spar
kled like a diamond. The shadow of
the total eclipse produced an effect
something like moonlight, yet with a
softened brilliancy. One could dis
tinguish faces in the near neighbor-
hood, vet it was as if through a yell
lowish haze. Observers differ as to
the exact time of the duration of the
totality, but it was about Is seconds.
The most dazzling effect of the entire
spectacle was at the first moment of
the sun emerging. 1t was as if a
mighty arc light more powerfully and
brilliantly penetrating than anything
ever imagined on earth had been sud
denly lighted in the skies. 1t was
binding and dazzling in the sudden
ness and splendor of its appearance.
With the first flash of the light the
wierd darkness gradually began to
disappear and very soon the shadow
was lifted and the earth appeared to
be itself again.
AT THE SMITHSONIAN OBSERVATORY.
The instruments on the Smithson-
. ian grounds were run by clock work,
to move correspondingly with the
movement of the earth. Not one man
of the number employed at the
various instruments got glimpe Ol
the sun in eclipse. They had to keep
their ears open for the signal bell and
. their eyes on their instruments. The
signals were given by G. Il. Putnam
of the United States Coast and Geo
detic Survey, who was also in charge
of the instruments for determining G
the latitude and longitude of Wades
boro. At precisely ID minutes before
bo hn Ial
, eral alarm on his bell, and thereupoI
every man on the ground bent his at
tention to his instrument. Five rap:
denoted that tOtality would occur
+ within one minute. Two raps de
, noted totality and three raps were
given ten seconds before the end o
, totality. These strokes of the bel
guided the men under the tents il
their work of recording an eclips,
that they did not see. Each man hae
| his particular duty to perform and al
did it well.
Sun SPOTS.
f Rev. Mr.. Quinby, of Berwyn, nea1
Philadelphia, was in charge Of the in
struments for recording sun spots
1t was not good time for this kin'
OF observation and ne is not yet PIE
, pared to state the results. The spots
however, will show up in the numer
=, Gus large photographs taken OF th'
:, sun by other observers.
} TEMPERATURE CHANGES.
The drop in temperature during th
eclipse was sufficient to make itsel
|, felt BY all observers, notwithstandin.
their interest in the eclipse itself
The duty of recording the temperatur'
changes was assigned to Prof. II. II
Clayton, from Blue Hills Meterologi
, cal Observatory. near Boston. Prof
Clayton's report shows that at the be
. ginning of the eclipse. the tempera
ture was Il degrees. Just after con
, tact it was 65. For five to ten sec
= onds after totalityit was 63 degrees
As the eclipse passed off the tempera
: ture began to rise rapidly. and a
1880 it was 7S degrees. This recor'
shows fall of degrees and a rise o
:, Is. Prof. Clayton's record shows tha
= the wind increased as Dthe eclips
: came on, and decreased as it passes
!. off, but at no time did the direction
of the wind change.
O THE COLORS.
+ The color effects of the eclipse a
: has already been intimated were beau
e tiful. They were officially recorde