The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-05-27
TO SEE THE ECLIPSE
A Number of People Come
Here From the North.
Hon. Geo. c. Round Will Observe il From The
Dome of The State Capitol. Time OF
TotaIity is 9:48 O'clock.

morning have an opportunity On Wiz
Messing the grandest phenomenon OF
nature-a total eclipse of the sun.
II will here at 3S minutes past
O'Clock in the morning. exactly at 4S
minutes past 8 O'Clock it will be total.
The period Of totality will last about
a minute The eclipse will end al 10
minutes past 10 o'clock.
Observers here will be able to dis
tinguish four contacts. The first
contact occurs at the instant the
sun begins to disappear: second &C n
tact occurs al the instant the eclipse
becomes total third contact occurs
at the instant the eclipse ceases 10
he total: fourth contact occurs at the
instant the eclipse is entirely +on-
Guided.
The last contact. as seen by obser-
vers in Raleigh. will occur at 10 min
utes past 10 O'Clock At places
be made slightly earlier at places
more easterly. d little later.
The most interesting phenomena of
the eclipse can all be seen here-the
suns outer atmosphere. the corona:
its lower atmosphere, the chrome
sphere; the red fame or prominences.
and the moons shadow bands. These
bands can only be seen when the sun
is wholly obscured.
The eclipse will be total along Il
tract of land a little more than 80
miles wide. extending from New Or
leans TO Norfolk. TO be more eX-
plicit. this belt begins at Atchafalaya
Bay. on the southern coast of Louis
lana. and stretches through Louis
lama, Mississippi, Alabama. Georgia
South Carolina, North Carolina and
Southern Virginia. 1t passes into the
ocean after covering Norfolk. Po"ts-
mouth. Newport News. Virginia beach
and places in their immediate vicin
ity. Before touching the United
States the path of totality extends
across Northern Mexico. From Nor
folk and its neighborhood the path
crosses the Atlantic to Western Por
tugal and Algiers ana ends at sunset
near the Read Sea.
COME TO RALEIGH TO SEE IT.
Astronomers from all over this
country are taking up stations within
the path so as to observe the eclipse
at it's best \ number of sightseers
have come to Raleigh to witness the
spectacle
Among those who have already ar
rived from Il distance are: Hon. Geo.
c. Round, Manassas. Va. Mr.. w. \.
Potter. New York: DR.. J. G. Allen.
Philadelphia: Mr.. j. +. Overhaltzer,
Norristown, Pa; Mr.. and Mrs j. y.
Williamson. Johnstown, y. j.. Mr..
Francis a. Jackson and his daughters.
Misses Rebecca and Anna jackson;
Mr.. Joseph T. Bunting. Secane. Pa;
Mrs. Monroe Aver and Miss Laura
Hall. of Boston.
Others from a distance are expected
to arrive today. 1ne afternoon trains
also will bring in many people from
different parts of the State outside
the path of totality. They come here
to get a view of u total eclipse.
Perhaps the most interesting and
interested observer of the eclipse here
will be Mr.. George {. Rounds, of Nir-
9inia. He comes to this city partly
TO get a good view of the eclipse and
partly to revisit the scene of his laSt
work as an officer of the United
States Signal Service in the Civil War.
He will use his old signal station on
the dome of the State capitol for his
observations. The Keeper of the cap
itol has arranged the dome for the
accommodation of Mr. Round. In his
observations he will use the old sig
nal telescope which he used there in
1860. He also has one of his old sig
nal flags, (red with a white centre)
with him. With this. after the sun
comes out of the totality, he will re-
peat the same message which he sent
when he had the privilege of an
nouncing Peace" ON the Goth of
April 1865.
In viewing the eclipse small spy
glasses and opera glasses are capable
of giving good results. Opera glasses
can he held in the hand. but spy
glasses will require a stand for sup
port. These instrument as the first
and last contact should be protected
by shade glasses.
\ good way to observe the eclipse
is to secure three strips Of thin color
ed glass one and a half inches wide
by five inches long-red blue and
oreen-bind them over the eye-end of
a good opera glass and adjust the TO-
Gus on the sun. Another convenient
form is a long wedge of coored glass
achromatized by similar wedge of
white glass cemented to it. A
neutral tint of green is good color.
while deep blue has been advocated
by some of the observers.
When no proper shade is at hand
an excellent substitute is made by
smoking slip of thin fat glass about
four inches long, so that its shade
may increase uniformly very light at
one end to very dark at the other.
The smoked surface should be pro-
tected by a covering glass of the
same size and separated from it by
bits of thin card inserted at the ends
the whole being bound together at
the edges by a narrow strip of paper.
On the night of the 9th Of May or,
better still, early on the morning of
May 2Sth. every person should see
that his or her watch gives the time
as nearly correct as possible.
\ total eclipe of the sun is one OF
the most stupendous, sublime and
awe-inspiring spectacles that the eye
of man can behold. Nature. as if to
impress upon us the grandeur of her
beauty, lifts the veil from before the
borderland and permits MS a glimpse