Show 3 A SHOWER OF BLACK RAIN examination proved it to have a fetid smell and ft A bad taste the meteorological records of the world chronicle se several veral incontestable instances of black rainfalls rain falls to say nothing of the more startling phenomena ma of showers of blood blue snows etc prof barker in april 1845 1645 laid before the royal society of dublin some observations ions on a shower of black rain which fell around carlaw and kilkenny extending altogether over an area of about four hundred square miles during the course of his lecture prof barker exhibited to the society a specimen of this uncanny shower which had been sent him by a friend the specimen shown in the vial was of a uniform black color much resembling common black writing fluid dr barker found however that after allowing it to stand for a short period the black col coloring oring i matter separated from the water with th which it had mixed rendering the color of the rainwater ter much lighter but still dark enough to be called black rain nin ra the shower which was in broad daylight was preceded by a darkness so dense as to malm make it impossible for one to read without the aid of a candle after this darkness had continued contina adfor for some time a hailstorm set in at tended attended with vivid lightning but without the least semblance of thunder when this hailstorm wa yas over the black rain began to fall on examination ot of the rain immediately after the storm was over it was found to have an extremely fetid smell as well as a very disagreeable taste all light colored animals and all articles of clothing exposed bore dark spots and stains and 1 cattle refused to drink the water op 0 pat eat the atas unta jitter after a shower of real rain had vashell Vash etl off the black poisoning matter |