National Eclipse

THE ECLIPSE OF THE SUN.

THE SPECTACLE AS WITNESSED FROM BROOKLYN HEIGHTS.

A Vivid Picture from a Master's Hand—The City and the Bay During the Hour of Greatest Obscuration—All Nature Hushed—All Living Things Impressed.

To the Editor of The Sun.

SIR: At about 4½ o'clock P.M. the great luminary, toward which thousands of eyes were already beginning to be cast, passed behind a long and dark mass of cloud, which formed a thick brown belt lying from north to south, and covering in breadth 30 degrees or more of the heavens directly in the path of the sun. Anxiously we waited for the cloud to move away; but it seemed to hang provokingly still, and only to drag its great bulk sluggishly along. Our chronometer indicated that the time of the contact had arrived, 5h. 12m. 39s.; but our telescope was vainly pointed toward the black cloud; nothing of the sun was visible; we had lost the first interesting observation, that of the first impingement of the moon on the apparent surface of the sun.

At exactly 5h. 19m. 45s. the much wished-for orb sailed out majestically from the end of the ugly cloud, and we took our first note and a sketch of the obscuration. From the northern lower limb of the sun a piece appeared to be cut out of about 45 degrees, or one-eighth of the circumference of the disc in length, and 1½ digits, or one-eighth of the sun's diameter in depth, looking like a small black arch in the rim of the sun.

At 5h. 30m. 10s., 90 degrees or one-fourth of the sun's periphery, and one-quarter of his diameter were covered. At this time there was a marked, diminution of light, the sky assuming a colder hue, and shadows becoming fainter.

At 5h. 54m. the moon reached and covered the last of a group of four small spots which were situated in the southern hemisphere of the sun, distant about four digits from his southeastern rim.

At 6h. 2m. the sky in the region of the sun was of a sickly, purplish gray, rapidly becoming a dead gray; the steam from the steamers on the rivers and bay appeared no longer white, but of a brownish smoke color.

The greatest obscuration appeared to us to be at 6h. 9m. 45s., when only a crescent on the southern and eastern rim of the sun of about 1½ digits, or less than one-sixth of the sun's diameter in width, remained visible. The moon at this moment reached and covered a very large spot on the sun at that distance from the southeastern rim of the latter. The lines of the crescent were clear and well defined through the telescope, and its horns sharp and bright, notwithstanding the aberrations in the atmosphere caused by the vapore which at times drifted across the sun and injured the viewing. None of "Bailly's [sic] beads" were apparent at the ends of the crescent, nor did we notice any actual corona, though the radiation of rays from the narrow luminous rim upward produced somewhat the effect of a partial corona.

The most interesting and impressive effect during the height of the eclipse, was the appearance of the diminished light, and the color and aspect which it imparted to the sky and landscape. For a long distance from the sun, say 40 degrees in every direction, the sky was of a dull, leaden gray, with a slightly purple and greenish tint, and from the zenith to the opposite horizon, of a dark slate-colored blue. The clouds turned to a dark umber-brown color, even those quite near the sun; shadows were of a sombre yellow-brown, gloomy and yet not very sharp in outline; the water changed to a muddy color, chiefly perhaps from the reflection from the brown clouds; trees and grass looked very green, but of a yellowish tint, such as one sometimes notices in an afternoon after a thunder shower. The reflection of the wan light of the crescent sun upon the distant water of the bay was most peculiar and beautiful. It was precisely like a soft electrical light thrown on a sea of silver.

The Palisades looked dull and gloomy, while the distant hills were of the softest, cold, purplish blue. I watched a flock of swallows flitting about, twittering as they usually do just at sunset, which they seemed to suppose was about to take place. The influence of the unusual and, one might say, weird light was certainly very impressive and almost awe-inspiring, giving one a faint idea at least of the incomparable grandeur of a total eclipse. There seemed to be a hush over everything.

The aspect of nature during the height of the eclipse reminded me, in atmospherical effect, of a cold, still winter's afternoon, when the sun is low and near the horizon. But the light was not exactly the same; there was something supernatural, weird about it, as if only the ghost of the sun remained where but an hour before his warm body had filled the heavens. No stars were visible to the naked eye, as the sunlight, though comparatively faint, is stated to have equaled, even when over five-sixths of the sun were hid, the light of 100,000 full moons.

Just as the most impressive effects were beginning to be apparent, which reach the height of their sublimity only in a total eclipse, the moon began to move off the sun's surface, and the light began sensibly to increase. The weird aspect of things passed away, the earth seemed to rouse from its momentary lethargy, men moved on in their various avocations, and only a few observers were left to watch the end of the spectacle.

At 6h. 13m. 20s. a large crescent of over two digits in breadth extended around half the sun's circumference on the eastern and northern rim. At 6h. 19m. fully three digits were visible on the north side; at 6h. 25m. 15s. only about 90 degrees of circumference and three digits of the diameter of old sol remained obscured; and at 7h. 0m. 18s. we noted the last contact, and the great eclipse of 1869 was over, remaining only in the memories of those who were so fortunate as to witness it, and in the astronomical notes of scientific observers.

Observations by the Savants at Des Moines.

DES MOINES, Iowa, Aug. 7.—An unclouded sky allowed the many observers gathered here to witness the eclipse with great distinctness. According to Professor J.H. Safford's observations, the first contact occured [sic] at 3h. 43m. 43s. The beginning of the total obscurity was 4h. 45m. 30s. The end of the totality was 4h. 48m. 22s. The last contact was 5h. 45m. 11s. These points of time are from 6 to 22 seconds later than calculated, according to Washington. Another point noted was a discrepancy between the calculation and observation of the corona. It was nearly rhombodial in form, and very distinct, and extended at some points half a degree beyond the edge of the sun's disc. The rose-colored protuberances appeared to the number of five or six, the greatest being on the sun's southwestern quarter. Professor Harkness's observations of the protuberances in the spectroscope showed a different spectrum for each. But a single band was thrown by the corona. Professor Eastman's observations of the thermometer showed a fall of 13 degrees in the temperature during the progress of the eclipse. The total obscuration lasted 2m. and 52½s. Venus and Mercury were distinctly visible to the naked eye. The darkness exceeded that of the night.

Total Eclipse at Wilmington, N.C.

WILMINGTON, Aug. 7.—The time of the greatest obscuration was at 6:6¼ o'clock. The duration of the total phase was one minute thirty seconds. The time of the beginning of the total phase was 6:5. The end of the total phase was 6:6½. The beginning of the eclipse penumbra was 5:5. The end of the eclipse penumbra was 6:54. During the total obscuration the stars shone almost as bright as at night. The fowls went to roost three quarters of an hour earlier than usual. Business was almost suspended in the city.

A Meteoric Shower during the Eclipse.

SHELBYVILLE, Ky., Aug. 7.—Prof. Winlock observed a shower of meteors between the earth and moon. Photographs of the sun were taken at different times during the partial obscuration. The beautiful red flames or solar protuberances were visible to the naked eye. "Bailly's [sic] beads," as well as the dark and dismal shadows of the moon sailing away through the air, were noted by a party of amateurs stationed on the top of Shelby College. The sky was perfectly clear, and everything seemed to favor the success of the observations. There were ten or twelve mounted instruments in use on the occasion.

The Observations in Illinois.

CHICAGO, Aug. 8.—The eclipse at Springfield, Ill., was a startling and sublime phenomenon. The sky was perfectly clear. Prof. Peirce, of Harvard, had charge of the observations, which were made near the city reservoir. A hundred photographs of the eclipse were taken by Mr. Black, of Boston. When the total obscuration took place the heavens and the earth presented a scene of awful sublimity. A brilliant amber-colored corona appeared around the sun and moon, shooting rays of light outward in all directions, when the whole horizon was illuminated with a light of the same color. Mercury and Venus and a number of fixed stars were distinctly visible, but no planet orbs between Mercury and the sun were discovered. A brilliant rose-colored flame or protuberance was noticed on the western limb of the sun during the period of total obscuration. The phenomenon known as "Bailly's [sic] beads" was also distinctly witnessed. At Mattoon observations were made by Profs. G.W. Hough, of Dudley Observatory, Albany, N.Y.; David Murray, of Rutgers College, New Brunswick, N.J.; and others. The instruments made use of were the ordinary telescopes. A chronograph was employed to note accurately the time by telegraphic communication with Dudley Observatory. At 11 minutes and 17 seconds past 5 the sun became totally obscured. The darkness was equal to that of a moonlight night, and the temperature was 42 degrees cooler than one hour before. The eclipse ended at 9 minutes and 22 seconds past 6 o'clock.