Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1900-06-01
ON SCHEDULE TIME.
The Eclipse of the Sun Takes Place
According to Predictions.
IDEAL WEATHER FOR OBSERVATIONS.
Splendid Views Are Obtained b! the
Government and Other .tstron-
omers-Some Notable Fca-
lures Are Recorded.

Washington, May 29.-Advices re.
ceived at the naval observatory from
Its agents in various points in the
south show that favorable weather
prevailed for observing the suns
eclipse Monday, that the contact oc,
Cured very close to schedule time and
that the programme arranged was
carried out without hitch. Three par
ties were sent out from the observa-
tory, viz, one to Pinehurst \. G., in
charge of Prof. Aaron n. skinner; one
to GAINESVILLE, Ca, in charge OF Prof.
Milton Updegraff, and one to Griffin,
Ca, in charge of Prof. Stimson j.
Brown. Superintendent c. Ii. Davis,
of the observatory, was in communica-
ton with these officials by telegraph,
and during the day he received the fol-
lowing advices: Prof. Skinner, at Pine
hurst, reported "clear sky and favora-
BILE, permitting successful observation
of the eclipse. All IL instruments sue
cessfully operated. Contact occurred
very close to predicted time. Corona
very fine. Mercury only star visible"
Prof. Updegraf, at GAINESVILLE, Ca,
and Prof. Brown, at Griffin, Ca, mere
ly reported that their observations
were successful.
Cloudy In Washington.
In Washington the weather was
slightly cloudy, which somewhat
marred the opportunities for getting
a satisfactory observation of the
eclipse. The eclipse arrived just few
seconds ahead of schedule time, but
the irregularity was SO slight that an
ordinary observer could not have dis
cerned it. The trained star gazers
claim that the contact came from five
to eight seconds before it was due,
but the difficulty OF telling just when
the actual contact began WAS SO great
Because Of a cloud which passed that
even they cannot quite agree among
themselves. They do agree, however,
that it was one OF the most remark
able predictions in the history of as
tronomy. it being doubtful If eyer be-
fore the time of the arrival of an
eclipse was SO accurately announced
in advance. The first contact was
scheduled to take place a Al minutes
and two seconds past seven o'clock,
meCdian time, which is eight minutes
and Is 7-10ths seconds faster than
Washington time. a few seconds before
that time the edge of the sun and moon
Were in contact, but it was several sec
onds later before the naked eye look
ing through smoked glass could tell
that the eclipse was actually taking
place. From the moment of first con-
tact until the period OF the nearest
approach to totality. at exactly nine
o'clock, the light faded gradually until
the city was in a condition of hazy twi-
light. M s.s,s ~.
~eh en- emeaa Observed.
The watchers at the observatory
gazed at the phenomena through q
26-inch and a 12-inch equatorial tele-
scope, while another official used a
comet finder. There were no attempts
at photography, as all the instru-
ments for such purposes had been sent
south. The only object of the watch
ers in Washington was to catch and
record the time of the first and final
contact and the exact moment of the
nearest approach to totality. The
phenomena of the moons shadow
bands, which was promised as an ac-
compartment for the eclipse, was not
observable here Mr.. Boeger. who
watched through the a6-inch instru-
nent, took particular pains to see
whether the other phenomena prom
Used, that caused py the SUMS rays
falling through the leaves of trees,
was present. and he was rewarded for
his pains. With an unshaded sun the
rays streaming through leaves pro.
ducc little circles of light on the
ground beneath While the shadow
was on the sun Mr.. Boeger found that
these circles were changed to cres.
cents.
Rainbow in Cloudiess shy.
Unofficial reports which hage
reached Washington indicate that thu
eclipse was visible to greater or less
degree in it's entire path of totality
Particularly fortunate were the OBJ
servers in the southern section of the
country, where the weather seemed to
be unusually favorable for securing
the Photographic data which the sci.
.entists were SO anxious TO obtain
though in some portions toward the
gulf the weather was cloudy. In some
of the southern cities during the pc
riod of totally stars were visible al
snost direatly overhead In Richmond
q most striking feature of the ECLIPSE
was a short but !,f;lIiAnt rainbow OF
the west or contact side sf the sun
The phenomenon was the more sur
prising as there was not cloud in ths
sky.
Ideal Weather.
Atlanta, Ga, May 29.-In every sec
dion of the southeastern states Mon
day over which the belt of totality oil
the suns eclipse a&tended, the
weather was ideal for the observation
OF this remarkable phenomenon .r
the southern portion Of Alabam;
there was some badness, but othe
than this the astronomers and sci
.entists who located their observatorie
in North and South Caroline Georgia
Alabama and Louisiana report tha
fhe weather could not have been NOR
suspicious for the study of the SUM-
eclipse and to secure splendid photo
graphs of the details attending TIL
passage of the great orbs
From the many stations of obser
-atiGp established by universities, sci
sntific and private parties re
ports indicate that the taking of sci.
entific data was entirely successful
and no incidents occurred to mar in
the smallest degree the full benefit
that was expected to be derived from