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New York Sun - August 9, 1869

The total eclipse of August 7, 1869, was a highly anticipated event, entering the U.S. in Montana Territory and crossing over several large cities before exiting the country in North Carolina. The eclipse wasn't total in New York, but the New York Sun provided its readers with reports from various locations along the path of totality and a local account by a New Yorker who witnessed the 87 percent partial eclipse from Brooklyn Heights. The witness notes that the light diminished enough that the steam from the ships on the river appeared to darken from white to brown. The other reports are from Des Moines, Iowa, Wilmington, North Carolina, Springfield and Mattoon, Illinois, and a strange account of meteor showers during the eclipse from Shelbyville, Kentucky.

(Any information about eclipse viewing procedures provided in historical articles should be considered unsafe)

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New York Sun - August 9, 1869

(Any information about eclipse viewing procedures provided in historical articles should be considered unsafe)


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