occurrence in these
regions, and many a springtime since has seen the melting of heavy
winter snows and the rise of vapors; yet May 19, 1780, still stands
unique in the annals of modern times as "the dark day." However
observers and writers disagreed as to the nature of the mantle of
darkness that was drawn over New England that day, they were _one_ in
recognizing the extraordinary character of the event.

The facts are fully covered by the statement in the dictionary, "The
true cause of this remarkable phenomenon is not known."

What we do know is that the Saviour's prophecy declared, "Immediately
after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the
moon shall not give her light." And when the time for it came, the sign
appeared.

Contemporary Records

Though the comparatively small-sized newspapers of the day were crowded
with news of the progress of the Revolutionary War, then raging, no
little space was given to reports and discussions of this remarkable
darkening of the sun.

A correspondent of the Boston _Gazette and Country Journal_ (of May 29,
1780) reported observations made at Ipswich Hamlet, Mass., "by several
gentlemen of liberal education:"

"About eleven o'clock the darkness was such as to demand our
attention, and put us upon making observations. At half past
eleven, in a room with three windows, twenty-four panes each,
all open toward the southeast and south, large print could not
be read by persons of good eyes.

"About twelve o'clock, the windows being still open, a candle
cast a shade so well defined on the wall, as that profiles were
taken with as much ease as they could have been in the night.

"About one o'clock a glint of light which had continued to this
time in the east, shut in, and the darkness was greater than it
had been for any time before.... We dined about two, the
windows all open, and two candles burning on the table.

"In the time of the greatest darkness some of the ... fowls
went to their roost. Cocks crowed in answer to one another as
they commonly do in the night. Woodcocks, which are night
birds, whistled as they do _only_ in the dark. Frogs peeped. In
short, there was the appearance of midnight at noonday.

"About three o'clock the light in the west increased, the
motion of the clouds [became] more quick, their color higher
and more brassy than at