The Omaha morning bee. [volume] (Omaha [Neb.]) 1922-1927, 1923-09-11
Fog Banks
Hide View
of Eclipse
Airplane Ascends Over 5000
Feet but Clouds Obscure
Visibility of Famed
Army Fliers.
Emstein Test u S e | e S S
BY Uniyerral Service.


San Diego, Cal, Sept. 10.-The solar
eclipse Of 1928 was wrecked on the
biggest fog bank that has blotted the
escutcheon of California climate for
September in the weather annals.
The eclipse, therefore, was total in
a double sense, although the astro-
nomical totality was matter for
ever. with slight exercise of these
there was enough OF the novel. and
even magnificent, to make the event
epochal to those who witnessed it.
The last hope of worthwhile re-
suits for American scientists was
dashed when Lieut.. John A. Mac.
Ready, famous transcontinental army
fiier, and Capt. A. w. Stevens, most
expert of army air photographers,
dropped to Rockwell field with the
sad words nothing doing"
They had just returned from a
flight to the center of the path of
totality east Of Ensenada, lower Cali.
fornia.
No View in Clouds.
we WENT u lO,oOO lcttt Sdlo
Ready, but there were still clouds
above U.S. There was no prospect of
ever getting above the black masses.
Also, with only three and half
minutes of totality there was no
time"
Captain Stevens, who is in charge
of aerial research work for the gov
AL led
"photographing the corona was out
of the question. Clouds were con-
stantly drifting across the spectacle,
giving us at the best only a vague
effect.
"The diffusion of pearly light from
the corona over a vast area either
way along the path of the shadow
and to the north. and the purple light
radiating from the crescent just be-
fore totality were the only unusual
effects we caught"
Same Effect on Earth.
These phenomena We're witnessed
probably by all who were within the
1o5-mile band of darkness, which,
through the day, extended from near
the coast of Japan, across the Pacihc,
over the southwest corner of Cali
fornia and then across Mexico down
into the Caribbean sea.
But no effects which will be pre-
served to science were recorded by
any of the many American research
stations which stood in the magic
pathway, from San Clemente island
down to points in the desert noun
tains of lower California southeast OF
Ensenada.
I'VE went through all the motions,
said Prof F. II. Sears, in charge OF
the Mount Wilson solar observatory
station, which formidably raised its
battery of instruments heavenward at
the tip of Point Iona, but there is
no hope that the results secured VIII
be of any value.
No Test Of Theory.
"No u.e whatever was made of the
two great cameras with when we
were to photograph star fields for the
purpose of testing the Einstein theory
of gravity. There was no need 10
bring these into action, as no stars
we're visible.
Similarly, the motion picture
camera for recording shadow BANDS
was not employed, for the excellent
reason that no shadow bands were TO
he seen. Some effects from the
corona were visible, but not the
corona itself, except as vague sug'
pestion of what might have been re-
vealed."
There was one phenomenon common
to all total eclipses Of the sun wnich
was not missing in. this latest oner-
ing. This was the darkness. And YET
II was not so dark, according 10
seasoned observers, as others "hich
harn heen staged in flaWless skies.