The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1900-06-02

ludn uES dStIOuOIlcIS duu oClcAlAoeS
who had located their o~bservatories
in North and South Carolina, Georgia.
Alabama and Louisiana, report that
the weather could not have been more
suspicious for the study Of the suns
eclipse and to secure splendid photo
graphs of the details attending the
passage Of the great orbs. From the
many stations of observation estab-
lished by universities, scientific and
private parties the reports indicate
that the taking OF scientific data was
Entirely Successful
and no incidents occurred to mar in
the smallest degree the full benefit
that vas expected to be derived from
the event by the scientists, many of
whom made long journeys to view the
eclipse fer eighty-ive seconds. The
two most notable features Of the day
was the discovery by Prof. Lord Of
the Ohio State university, who be-
lieves he obtained results that tend
to prove that the mysterious matter
which forms the corona is to be found,
also in the solar prominences, and the
existence Of protuberances on the sun
as reported by Prof. Pickering of
Harvard. What constitutes the gas
eous element surrounding the sun,
however, has not been determined,
and II any astronomer has
Solved This Problem
he has not yet committed himself.
The eclipse came with startling pre-
cision in spite of a miscalculation Of
seven seconds, and while the period Of
$nfo1i%v locfoH rot,,No AMMAN rodF RI
stand still in awe, If not in fear Of the
manifestation. The first perception Of
something beyond the ordinary came
to Barnesville and vicinity in the shape
Of a gray, pearly light that streamed
down when the suns sphere was half
obscured, diminishing gradually as
the crescent Of the visible surface
narrowed. The shadow bands denot-
ing the coming of the total eclipse
were clearly %perceptible against a
white surface in the enclosing gloom
for fully three minutes before the rays
were entirely obscured. The shadow
bands, strangely running from the
northwest, were watched with
Peculiar Interest
and first were seen a series of small
wavy shadows falling against the
white surface, quickly growing larger
and more dense, and coming in rapid
succession, until, as the moment Of
totality arrived, q dense wave Of
gloom, enveloping everything in ma
tnre, shot by to the southeast. The
time Of darkness, in which everything
was Obscured to such a degree that a
man would fail to distinguish hio
friend across the street, seemed long
to the ordinary observer, but to the
man of science, u~nreasonably short.
The first notice that the phase Of to.
ray of light that produced a change
sweeping from the southwest at the
moment when the phase began. From
all points In this section comes the
news Of the perfect day for the
eclipse with nothing to obscure the
phenomenon.
Naval Observers Successful.
Washington, May 80. - Advices re-
ceived at the naval observatory from
its agents in various ports in the South
show that favorable weather prevailed
for observing the suns eclipse, that
the contact occurred very close to the
schedule time and that the programme
arranged was carried out without q
hitch. Three parties were sent out
from the observatory, viz: One to
Pinehurst, N. c., in charge Of Prof.
Aaron N. Skinner; one to Barnesville,
Ga. in charge of Prof. Milton Upde-
graf, and one to Griffin, Ca, in charge
Of Prof. Stilson j. Brown. Supt. G. n.
Davis, Of the observatory, was in COM
munication with these officials by tele-
graph, and. during the day he received
the following from Prof. Skinner, at
Pinehurst: "Sky clear and favorable,
permitting successful observation OF
the eclipse. All seventeen instruments
successfully operated. Contact &C..
CURED very close to predicted time.
Corona very fine. Mercury only star
VISIBLE"
Prof. Updegraff. at GAINESVILLE, and
Prof: Brown, at Griffin, merely report
ed that observations were successful.