So far, the auroras we’ve seen have been a fun phenomenon, but haven’t caused any problems on Earth. However, a series of auroras over several days in 1859 was so powerful that it knocked out telegraph service in North America and Europe – and even started small fires in some telegraph offices, including in Springfield.
The Carrington Event – named after the British astronomer who associated it with large sunspots and a burst of light so strong it temporarily blinded him the day before – appeared to involve equipment on the American Telegraph Co. line between the downtown Boston and Portland, but it led to an interesting experiment on both that line and a line between South Braintree and Providence: operators disconnected the batteries that normally power the lines and were still able to listen to messages for two hours, using the generated electric current. in the wires by magnetic waves from the upper atmosphere.
The September 2 event, still considered the most powerful geomagnetic storm in recorded history – causing phenomena seen as far south as Havana and Jamaica – had been preceded a few days earlier by another round of less intense, but still brilliant – and telegraph disrupting auroral displays across North America.
Four months later, the American Journal of Science and Arts published a series of telegraph operators’ accounts of what had happened, including one by George B. Prescott, telegraph inspector of the American Telegraph Co. office. in Boston, at 31 State St., which discussed both the events of August 28 and September 2:
The effects of the magnetic storm of August 28, 1859, were visible on the wires for a considerable part of Saturday evening and all of Sunday day. At 6 p.m. the line to New Bedford (60 miles long, running a little west of south) could only be worked intermittently, although of course no signs of the Aurora Borealis were visible to the eye at that hour. The same was true for the wires running east through the state of Maine and for the wires running north to Montreal. The wire between Boston and Fall River had no battery connected on Sunday, and yet power was on all day, causing the holders of the electromagnets to open and close as the waves rose and retreated. …
On Friday, September 2, 1859, when work was commenced at 8 a.m., it was discovered that all the wires leading out of the office had been so greatly affected by the aurora contents that no business could be conducted except with great difficulty. . At this intersection it was proposed to cut off the batteries and simply connect the wires to earth. The Boston operator therefore asked the Portland operator to shut down his battery and try to work only with Arctic current. The Portland operator responded, “I did. Would you like to do the same?’ The Boston operator replied: “I have shut down my battery and connected the line to earth. We are working only with the power of the Aurora Borealis. How will you receive my letter? “Very well,” replied the Portland operator; “A lot better than with the batteries on. There is much less variation in the current and the magnets work more stably. What if we keep working like this until the Aurora fades?’ “Agreed,” said the operator from Boston. “Are you ready for business?” ‘Yes; go ahead,” was the reply. The Boston operator then began sending private messages, which he could do much better than when the batteries were still on, and continued to use the wire in this way for about two hours, when the Aurora After they were taken off, the batteries were resumed.
While this singular phenomenon was occurring on the wire between Boston and Portland, the operator at South Braintree—Mrs. Sarah B. Allen—informed me that she was working on the wire between that station and Fall River—a distance of about forty miles to the south – only with the aurora flux. I have since visited Fall River and had the statement verified by the intelligent operator on the railroad at the depot in that village. …
Such was the condition of the line on September 2 last, when they maintained communication over the wire for nearly two hours, using only the celestial batteries!
Also a report from a Springfield telegraph office was provided by JE Selden, who discussed the August 28 geomagnetic storm:
On the evening of August 28, the Boston-New York circuit had a very heavy current on the wire one moment and no current at all the next. At the Albany and Springfield circuit, a flash passed from the breaking key of the telegraph apparatus to the iron frame, the flame of which was about half the size of an ordinary gas jet. It was accompanied by a buzzing sound that resembled a heavy current running between two metal points that are almost in contact. The foam head was sufficient to make the smell of carved wood and paint clearly noticeable.
But what did it look like in the sky? Much, much brighter than the screens we get now. In the next issue the Journal published a series of reports, including one by Dr. Henry C. Perkins of Newburyport, who described both nights, beginning with the aurora of August 28. Around 9:30 p.m. he reported:
The merry dancers sprang from the northern sky, and at 10 p.m. the whole vault of heaven glowed with streamers, crimson, yellow, and white, gathered in undulating brilliant folds, a little south and east of the zenith, making a canopy. of the richest shades and most beautiful texture. The light was examined through the polariscope and found to be unpolarized. The stars were so lost in the glow that it became somewhat difficult to distinguish the constellations. The print could be read using a small lens, and the time could be determined on the watch by the simple light of the aurora.
During the evening of September 1, the aurora was quite bright, and around a quarter to one (September 2) it spread very rapidly and soon enveloped the entire sky. About one o’clock the spectacle was magnificent: a perfect dome of alternating red and green streamers formed, and the light was so great that the plain print could be read as easily as in the daytime. It lasted until morning.