THE TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN.

Waikato Argus, Volume IV, Issue 261, 19 March 1898, Page 2 (Supplement)

THE TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN.

* Mr -E. W. Maunder. The Times' special correspondent telegraphing from Talni says:— The first encroachment of the dark body of the moon gave us an hour and a half's warning of totality, and slowly indeed did the first part of that time pass. A fino procession of sharply defined spots lay across the solar disc, and were swallowed up one by one by the invading darkness. The air, whioh had been intensely hot, grew chill, the weird sense of approaching disaster which always accompanies an eolipso oppressed the nerves, and then, with what seemed a sudden rush, the shadow fell. I was watching the eclipse tlirough a binocnlar, oue lens of which was fitted with an eyepiece prism. As totality approached the burning specfrum at tbe sun became ciowued with dark semicircles —tbo Fraunhofer lines. These grew finar and sharper, and then suddenly turned to bright flame at either eud of the semicircles. The continuous spectrum narrowed, the bright arch grew with startling swiftness, a long constellation of glittering points sparkled out for a fraction of a second, and totality had begun. "Go !" I cried. The signal clock was started, and its clear beat rang oui, emphasized at every tenth second by the sharp tin;? of its bell, and the warning voice of the timekeeper called, " One hundred,' " Ninety, " Eighty," according to the number of sec inds still left us. Just behind me Captain Molesworth and Mrs Maunder, at an equatorial with two cameras, were changing plates with the confidence and precision begotten of much piactice. With each camera six plates wore to bo oxposed, and all went without a hitob, but, just as the word came for the sixth exposure, with a sudden ru«h an immense flood of sunlight poured forth. The eclipso had been four seconds short of the time we had expected. Between our other occupations we looked up at the magnificent spectacle before us. The darkness did not equal that of the eclipses of 1886 or 1896, "but the corona stood out in the sky as a vast silver star, brighter and more extended than when I saw it 11 years beforo. Two fine shaped extensions stretched out almost horizontally east and west, whilst nearly, but not quite, on the sun's equator, directed south-west, was the greatest ray of all, two millions of miles in length almoßt. pointing to where one celestial b.illiant glittered several degrees away. Eeuter's correspondent at Bombay says:— As the eclipso reached its zenith the temperature fell rapidly and the atmosphere became perceptibly chilly. Quite an earthy smell pervaded the air. One naturally expected to'see stars peep out and twinkle in semi-darkness. But the scene hero was too bright for that, and rather resembled a lanscipo under a wintry English sun. Crows flew from tree to tree or circled in flights, while sparrows twittered preparatory to roosting Kites descended and cocks crowed. At tho moment of totality the conditions were favourable at Sir Norman Lockyer's camp at Viziadrug, and the same was the case at Professor Campbell's camp at Jewar. The sun was gradually blotted out, and a marvellous corona of pale silver blue appeared. The duration of totality was two minutes. Stars sprang our, and all was deadly still. Native astrologers had prophesied all kinds of calamities, including a tidal wave at Bombay, and some foretold a great disaster a week hence. Religious Hindii3 sat down and counted their beads at tho moment of contact, at the same time reciting prayers and hymns. Here find thare on the foroshore stood Parsees, Zend-Avasta in hand, with their faces turned toward the sun. The Arahmio priests, who are ever ready to receive alms, ceased their solicitations during tho ellipse. Beggars, however, swarmed nearly everywhere, ana the Hindu streets were alive with the cry, " Give alms for the recovery of the sun from the jaws of of the dragon Rahu !" The large gatherings which usually assemble along Back Bay on the occasion of eclipses for the purpose of bathing in the sea were prohibited by the Plague Committee. The few bathers to be seen tied Durab grass to their clothes and put some of it into pickles and prcs -rves to insure that thoy should not be affected by the eclipso. There was general fasting, but not much alarm seeded to bo felt. It is tho impression Df somo of the Hindus that when there was no M'ahomedan or British Raj in India the solar eclipses occured once in twelve y ars, and that they are now more frequent on account of the increase of sins and misdeeds. The Nizam of Huydarabad has released 50 prisoners, each of whom received a present of mniioy and clothes. A correspondent at Calcutta says that the natives in various parts regard the event as presiding the downfall of the British Rhj, but no distnrbanses are reported from ' any quarter. Immense crowd* bathed in the waters of the Ganges at Benare->, Calcutta, aud other centred during the ec'ipse. Mr Nevil Maskelyne writes from the Kgyptian-ball, saying:—The Rev J. M. Bacon, F.RA.S., who has charge of the observing station near Benares, telegraphs that, with the instrument I designed specially for his use, ho has made a successful exposure for the first "animated pliDtograph'' ever taken of any celestial phenomenon.