The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-05-23

ductions of Mr.. Bishop i'm his essay
were corrOborated and absolutely ac-
cepted as proven.
Il did not" said Mr.. Bishop, after
scanning the heavens this morning,
observe as much of the afterglow last
right as 1 should have liked to have
done. When my attention had faded
to it, much of the brilliance had faded
frCm the descriptions accorded me by
others. l shall watch it with interest
a. L think the phenomena a repetition
on smaller scale, of those accom-
panying the eruption of Krakatoa, the
greatest eruption described in history.
II you will look from the verandah
here, just shutting off the suns disc
with the edge of the roof, you can OBJ
serve grayish corona around the sun.
extending, roughly, about thirty de-
grees. This was one of the character
lstics of the Krakatoa explosion, al
though they were much more marked.
The afterglows at that time were
produced through the medium of a
haze cloud, composed of impalEable
particles of volcanic glass shot from
the enormous crater high into the air,
perhaps sixty and probably not less
than forty miles high, a stream of va
por discharged over and upon the up
per surface of the atmosphere of the
Indian Ocean, by powerful initial inn
pulse, which drove it straight in a
great circle, Independently of atmos-
pheric currents and gradually suffer-
ing retardation as it descended into the
atmosphere. The glows were first OBJ
served here ten days after the eruption
while these from Martinique have TAX
en- twenty days to reach us. The eff
tects of Krakatoa were plainly visible
for several months and lasted for two
Ci three years.
First in the tropic and then the tenn
perate zones, the tenuous vapor grad
ually descended towards the earth. The
particles were light almost as the at
mosphere itself. At first, it is calcu-
lated they must have travelled with the
wind some ninety miles an hour grad
ually decreasing to sixty The sunsets
were most remarkable the most con-
spicuous taking place during one hour
or more before sunrise and after sun
set. Although seemingly dense the
stars and moon would show clearly
through it. The coloring changed from
greenish yellow and olive to orange and
deep scarlet. Thirty minutes after sun
set deep scarlet would predominate all
the other hues that flushed out and
flame along sixty degrees of the hori-
Zon rising to ten degrees in height. AS
ii sank a dark interval appeared and
above it a repetition of the range and
olive hues. After the stars were out
and the earlier flame had sunk, far
later than any common twilight, a vast
blood red sheet would cover the west
rising as high as 20 degrees. Some
times the usual half hour twilight
would last for ninety minutes"
Mr.. Bishops essay gives in it's read
ing vivid descriptions of the phenome-
ma and the action of the eruption that
in the light of the Martinique disaster,
serve to convey some image of the ter
rors of that catastrophe.
In the dawn recur the same appear
ances, but in inverse order. In Septem-
Der, 1888, they were singularly impress
sive and even terrific, as the first low
sullen incandescenCe rose and spread
and glared among the stars, as if the
very heavens were in cOnhagration.
"A conspicuous object when the sun
is high has been from the first the
opalescent silvery glow around the sun.
This occupies a circle of 25o radius OF
more, The outer part develops a pink
ish hue, which against the blue sky
shows lilac or chocolate tints. The ear
lier appearances of the sunset CLOVIS
We're as a rule Immediately preceded
by a peculiar yelling and discoloration
of the suns disc, commonly termed the
Green Sun" While the sky was
cloudless, or family obscured by unde-
Unable haze, the disc of the sun was
described as pallid livid, bluish cop
perry, greenish, bird 's-egg hue plague
stricken. 1t could be directly viewed
with the naked eye, and it's spot dis
tinguished. At the altitude of 4O' the
sun generally resumed its ordinary as
rect, but again turned pallid and green
as it descended in the West. The first
appearances of the Red CLOVIS were So
intimately associated with the Green
suns that it is impossible not to treat
them as different aspects of one aud
the same phenomenon.
From such records as were accossi-
bic, / have constructed the accompany
iu" tabulalei statement of the earlier
recorded appearances of the Greer
suns and the Red CLOVIS. The distauc.
from l>rl.-Itol is estimated lu lnH'Is.
miles, the uuurbgT' of hours lu TRANSIT
aui the velocity of the ouwaa, anIau
Dated from latitude aud longitude A
.a OF these seventeen localities nUU
.. Green sun and the E.I CLOVIS E..rl
u.Uar.I ns having been seen ou Ju
... dog" - four U..u n.- E.
..# Nsr. rU....eL, a.a 40 ..-" 1a
]. Green SUNS
.I mos. I." ... ... .r.....
F.. ..# l..e .# ..I
.... f.. .H....
|.....E traced ...a. o. .
s. lau laH. lo W.. ..n.
worry U. I.. '.....r. u.......