Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-01-26
Natures Greatest Spectacle
Witnessed by Capital City
Folk-An Eerie Light Cast
Over Landscape at Moment
of Greatest Tota!ity-Clouds
Blot Out Final Stages of
Phenomena

| Old Sol had very close shave on
Saturday morning when he made his
OILY appearance here in a bona fide
Houdini stunt for over a hundred
years as, through some misunder-
standing, the invisible stage hands
started to ring down the curtain be-
| fore he had completely emerged from
his temporary hiding place. How
ever he had again come into view
enough so that the large audience
viewing the spectacle through smok-
ell and colored glass was satisfied
that his act was as billed and that
the press agents had not stretched
the truth with regard to his interest
ing but infrequent performance.
This lowering of the curtain, fig
uratively speaking, cane after the
total eclipse or rather after the mo-
ment of greatest totality had occur
red, but through the kindness of old
Dame Nature in this regard the peo-
pie Of this vicinity were fortunate in
being able to see the eclipse from the
moment that the moon first touched
the edge of the sun until it had pass
ed much Of the way across its face.
nl Is liiS IIlOIc tiS IL lo
unusual to have a clear day on jan
uary "a. Figures compiled by a Mas
sachusetts insurance company show
that for the past 35 years there has
be n but one clear oath of January
in that state and those figures are
without doubt very similar to ones
that would apply here.
His stage partner Luna, who
added the feminine touch to the per-
Torrance and acted as his az istant
was, according to astronomers who
were making various measurements
with regard to the eclipse, from three
to five seconds late in keeping her
engagement with this Houdini of the
heavens, but this fact was not APP
parent to the laymen, who were so
interested in the main performance
that the discrepancy was not noticed.
From shortly after eight o'clock
until we'll after ten Saturday morn
ing 1t was no unusual sight to see
men, women or children. singly or
in groups standing in windows, at
doors, on the sidewalks or even in
the middle of the streets. gazing
through pieces of smoked or colored
glass at the unusual sight in the
heavens.
The first appearance of the moon
nibbling at the edge OF the sun WOuiu
not have been noticed by the aver
age citizen if they had not had ad-
vance notice to eX. Get an eclipse ana
even when a considerable bite had
been aaken from the sun the fact was
not noticea lie through any appar-
ent dimming of the light from the
sun. Shortly before nine O'Clock
however, a condition resembling, c.
pecially on Water street, the ap-
proach of twilight, although from
the east instead of the west, began
to be noticeable. Between the build
ings on the street n gloom descended
which grew deeper and deeper until
It was necessary in many offices to
turn on the lights to continue the
work.
The appearance Of the sun had
constantly undergone change as
this gloom increased. The moon had
worked it's way across the sun,
gradually obiterating more and
more of its radiant face until at the
moment of greatest totality a thin
crescent of light appeared where the
top of the sun was just peeping out
over the dark, black bulk of the
moon. Those viewing this part OF
the eclipse found that where a
heavily smoked glass had been rec
essary in the early stages Of the