The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-04-18
THE COMING ECLIPSE.
Some Interesting and Instructive N otes bv
President Carlisle, of Wofford College.
Nc,cs and Courier.

The following notes on eclipses oi
the sun, more especially the one abou,
to take place, have been kindly pre-
pared for Che The News and Courie.
by DR.. Carlisle
Louis Nv Of France (171O-1774,
asked or commanded one Of the French
astronomers to find out when be could
hope to see total eclipse Of the sun.
A list Of eclipses was laboriously pre-
pared. If the King had lived to this
day in Paris he would never have had
the coveted privilege The coming
eclipse will not be total in Paris. In
1847 central eclipse passed over
Paris, but the disk of the moon was
too small to hide all the face Of the
sun, it being only an annular eclipse.
Will some Of the Oldest resident in
Charleston tell of the total eclipse Of
1884, November 30? A reference to
the files of the Charleston Courier
might be of interest. The present
generation will soon have the rare
privilege Of being pleased aud star
tied, even awed, by this great object
lesson. The moons dark shadow will
cross our State May %, in path
about fifty miles wide, nearly parallel
to our seaoost and little above the
middle of the State. Take a map of
South Carolina, lay ruler, touching
Newberry and Winnsboro. Draw q
straight line between these two towns,
prolonging the line each way to the
edge Of Georgia and North Carolina.
The centre Of the moons shadow will
move very nearly along that line, pass
ing over Lancaster. Draw line on
each side Of that line parallel to it
about twenty five miles distant.
That belt will very nearly cover the
section on which the eclipse will be
total. It-is striking TO see how many
towns will be covered. The upper
line runs very near Abbeville, Lau-
rens, Union, Yorkville; the lower to
Edgeield, Lexington, Columbia, Cam
den, Bennettsville.
This total belt will be prolonged to
the Old World, ending in Northern
Egypt, near the Red Sea.
It is safe to predict that this eclipse
will be honored by a more numerous
company Of expert gazers than ever
studied any similar phenomenon. In
the two minutes of the total eclipse
many questions will be asked &C the
sun and moon. Some will probably
be answered and yet the answers will
suggest new questions, thus illustrat-
ing the saying that as we enlarge the
surrounding circle of darkness.
The newspapers, ouT great public
educators, will prepare old and young
to look intelligently on the wonderful
spectacle. Our officials in the nation.
al observatory have issued an instruc-
tive pamphlet with maps.
The following description of a
total eclipse Of the sun, by Prof. j.
Russell Hind, of the Royal Astrono-
mical Sooiety of London, is worth
quoting just now: 1.
During the eclipse of 1843 nearly
the whole population of some Of the
principal cities of Southern France
and Italy, which were upon tho CEN
tral line, turned out to view the rare
phenomenon of fetal deprivation oe
the suns light in the day time. At
Paris MIR. Bailey says, "there was an
unusual shout, which made the welkin
ring" at the conclusion Of the eclipse:
and NJ. Arago, who observed at Per
pignan. says: Nearly twenty thousand
peSsoIs covered the terraces, ramparta
and other, eminences: about the place
and that an astounding shout from the
multitude announced the extinction
and reappearanco Of the suns rays.
At Milan, Padua, ETC., the excite
ment was equally great. Long live
the astronomersl" was the cry when
tho rose-colored flames burst forth on
the bright ground Of the corona, dur-
ing the total observation. Two hun
dred years previously many Of the ;n-
habitants Of Paris hid themselves in
caves on the mere announcement Of
anacclipse Of the sun, which was total
in that city In July, 1912, in the
South Of France, horses attached to
vehicles came to a decided stand, and
noEexertions Of the drivers, though
backed BY the whip, could induce
them 70 proceed until the sun had
again appeared. Cattle in tho fields
congregated together Immediately az
seE darkness came on, as in appre-l5
hsnsion of an attack. Dogs in par.
ticnIar appear.to have been sensible