The Aurora Borealis in "Polaris"

Well do I remember the night of the great Aurora, when over the swamp played the shocking corruscations of the demon light. After the beam came clouds, and then I slept.

And it was under a horned waning moon that I saw the city for the first time.
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The third sentence mentions a "horned waning moon", which precisely matches data for late on the 7th of March, 1918. Of course this is a typical situation each and every lunar cycle. However, that evening was a night of low moonlight.

The "horned moon" can be coraborated in two sources, one calculated (briancasey.org), and one contemporary (Armour's Almanac 1917 for 1918). You will see (click to expand images below) that in Boston, the last quarter Moonwas 5 March 1918 at 5:44 AM. New Moon was 12 March 1918 at 2:52 AM.

However, why is 7 March such an interesting date? It was the date of a spectacular aurora borealis that dazzled New England and shorted out telegraphs. The product of solar flares, the energy is tremendous as it interacts with Earth's magnetic field. This one was a "hum-dinger". Between about 9:45 PM and 11:00 PM on 7 March 1918 the electric wires sizzled. The NYT article is below. Conveniently, Popular Astronomy received a Massachusetts report on the visual giving as close as what Lovecraft would have seen from his window or outside if he ventured into the cold (note snow on ground).

There is a slight complication, as that on 5 April 1918 another Aurora was seen of less intensity. That report is also listed below.

A star map from Popular Astronomy for March 1918 is included with green sketching (by Chripy) for the aurora (above). Polaris is marked in red. It runs right through Charles' Wain (wagon), also known as ursa major and the big dipper. Polaris is part of the "little dipper". One supposes that while Lovecraft was writing Polaris, he recalled the aurora and impulsively mentioned it.

To date, Chripy has not seen a definitive dating of Polaris. However, Darrell Schweitzer in Discovering H.P. Lovecraft (p. 75) states that "'Polaris' seems to have been based on a dream Lovecraft had in Spring of 1918, which is related in some detail in letter 34...". (i.e. to Maurice Moe, 15 May 1918, "...several nights ago ..." HPL had a dream about a city.] S. T. Joshi and David E. Schultz in An H.P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia mentions that it was written in late Spring or early Summer 1918 using the letter as a terminus date. This is repeated in The Dreams in the Witch House and Other Weird Stories (2004).

Whether seeing the aurora in March, or even in April, stimulated the subsequent dream in May, Lovecraft clearly had this event in mind and forced the connection to the star Polaris.

1918 Newport, RI Mercury News Weekly

1918 Newport,RI Mercury News Weekly (30 Nov 1918 prominently noted)

It was political season as can be seen. [To Kleiner, 25 Nov 1918] "In the recent political campaign, the greatest heat was engendered by the attempt of George F. O'Shaunessy, an Irish Wlson-Democratic congressman, formerly of the New York Tammany machine ... to defeat for reelection Senator Le Baron Bradford Colt, a statesman of honourable distinction, & a Rhode-Island Republican gentleman of ancient ancestry. O'Shaunessy based his campaign on lies; claiming that he has voted to increase soldiers' pay, when in fact he had voted against the increase. ... "

Colt is featured in a reelection ad in the top right hand corner.

When recording facts, Lovecraft continues to be trustworthy - though one must be suspicious of interpretation as he "spins" the information. Lovecraft would be quite prejudiced against any Irish based candidate, and he seemed consistent with the Republican party for many decades.

As often as possible, we will attempt to back up or call HPL on his "facts" as Chrispy finds Ebayeum items - or other items - and able to post them.

Enjoy looking at the fashions of the time, too.

Oh if I had an extra $75! (The starting bid for this collection of newspapers).

_____

Additional found on "Da Google":
1918 Nov 5: LeBaron B. Colt (Rep), elected; George F. O'Shaunessy (Dem), defeated; Frederick W. A. Hurst (Socialist), defeated.

LeBaron Bradford Colt(Incumbent) 42,055 51.76%
George F. O'Shaunessy 37,573 46.24%
Frederick W. Hunt 1,623 2.00%
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NY Times blurb:
FAVORS COLT'S OPPONENT.; President Wilson Backs O'Shaunessy for Rhode Island Senator.
Nov 2, 1918, Saturday
Page 7, 146 words
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History of the state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations: Biographical
NY: The American Historical Society, Inc. 1920

GEORGE FRANCIS O'SHAUNESSY -- Representative in Congress from Rhode Island in the Sixty-second, Sixty-third, Sixty-fourth, and Sixty-fifth Congresses, Mr. O'Shaunessy returned to private life, March 4, 1919, and to his practice as senior member of the law firm of O'Shaunessy, Gainer & Carr, of Providence, R. I. Mr. O'Shaunessy came to Rhode Island after a busy and useful career in his profession in New York City and State and from participation in political activity in Brooklyn and New York. And in Providence, his home and the scene of his professional practice since 1907, he holds equally honorable and important place, having rendered to his city and the State of his adoption public service of value and devotion. Mr. O'Shaunessy is a son of Stephen and Margaret (Flynn) O'Shaunessy, and was born in Galway, Ireland, May 1, 1868, being brought to the United States by his parents when a child of four years of age. more at ... http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~rigenweb/articles/175.html
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LeBaron Bradford Colt (1845-1924) was the older brother of Samuel P. Colt and a prominent lawyer and politician. He preceded his brother Samuel as a graduate of Columbia Law School in 1870 and succeeded him as a member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives from Bristol when Samuel was appointed Assistant Attorney General in 1879. LeBaron was appointed a federal judge by President William Garfield in 1881 and served on the bench as a District Court and Appeals Court judge until 1912. He won election to the U.S. Senate from Rhode Island in 1912, a position for which his brother Samuel had run unsuccessfully in 1906 and 1907. He was re-elected in 1918. LeBaron Bradford Colt died in 1924. An extensive obituary was written for the (Providence) Evening Bulletin, August 18, 1924.

Spanish Flu (1918) In Lovecraft's Providence

I've not yet read any statements by Lovecraft during the epidemic. He would have loathed the populist rumors, rallied that Providence - and the whole country - should be dry (free of alcohol), and bemoaned that he might have died had he been successful in enlisting in WWI. He was often vocal about his own death, or possible death. In the current swine flu crisis, it's interesting to see part of an article describing the 1918 pandemic.

http://riroads.com/history/flu.htm

From Rhode Island Roads Magazine (About the author, Patti Cassidy: Patti Cassidy is a writer/photographer/videomaker who lives on an island in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island.)

Excerpt:

There was no flu vaccine in 1918. And that year's so called "Spanish Influenza" was roaringly deadly - killing 21 million people worldwide and over 2300 in Rhode Island alone during its short reign of terror.

Ordinary people had ... theories ... One woman in Boston said she had seen a ship come into port with a greasy dark cloud hanging around it just before the epidemic began. Others said that the German pharmaceutical company Bayer had packed the flu in its aspirin. In Rhode Island, the fall version of the flu (there had been a less deadly version in the Spring) began at Newport's Navy base in early September. Within 10 days, over 30 sailors died in the Naval District. It easily spread out into the community. By October 3, the Newport Daily News reported that "Camphor, whiskey and onions are in great demand by persons who have their own notions about keeping off the disease, but the health authorities are not offering any suggestions in this line."

According to many sources, liquor provided some protection and some cure, but this was a source of friction between Newport, which was dry, and the rest of the state. The Newport Daily News triumphantly reported that "the internal use of alcohol in the present situation is substantiated by medical publications. In brief, the argument is that alcohol puts to sleep the blood corpuscles which otherwise would work to destroy the disease germs, and hence has a direct tendency to increase the disease."

Providence volleyed back that Newport would never have succumbed to the disease in the first place if it hadn't been dry, and quoted studies on the efficacy of the use of booze in the treatment of pneumonia.

Handwritten Corrections By Lovecraft circa 1918

"EIDOLON, THE" [poem]. TYPED MANUSCRIPT (TMs). {Only one page image available} Two pages on rectos of two sheets of 8 1/2 x 11 inch hotel stationery (Hotel Kimball, Springfield, Massachusetts). Says: "H. P. Lovecraft / 10 Barnes St. / Providence, R. I." at upper left corner of first leaf. Circulating copy, with several corrections in Lovecraft's hand. Dated 1919 in ink at conclusion of poem on second sheet. Poem published in THE TRYOUT, October 1918 (volume 4, number 10) as by "Ward Phillips.". ... Provenance: Barlow / Derleth Papers. (#114689) Price: $450.00

1918 Poem, autographed

"DESPAIR" [poem]. Single sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper, mimeographed, printed on recto only. Tearsheet (or offprint) of page 13 of PINE CONES, June 1919 (volume 1, number 4), signed and dated by Lovecraft. From: Barlow / Derleth Papers. (#114687) $500.00

{Note that the handwritten date says 1918}

United Cooperative (DEc 1918 - Apr 1921)

UNITED CO-OPERATIVE, THE. December 1918 - April 1921 (volume 1, numbers 1-3). Edited by Winifred Virginia Jordan, W. Paul Cook, H. P. Lovecraft, and Others. Providence, Rhode Island: H. P. Lovecraft, December 1918 - April 1921 (volume 1, numbers 1-3). Octavo, three issues, self wrappers, stapled. All published. "Another idea Lovecraft put forward to encourage amateur activity was the issuing of cooperative papers -- papers in which a number of individuals would pool their resources, both financial and literary. He attempted to teach by example by participating in such a journal, THE UNITED CO-OPERATIVE, which published three issues: December 1918, June 1919, and April 1921. Lovecraft had contributions in each issue: 'The Simple Spelling Mania' and the poem 'Ambition' [published under his pseudonym "Ward Phillips"] in December 1918; 'The Case for Classicism,' the poem 'John Oldham: A Defence,' and the prose-poem 'Memory' [published under his pen name "Lewis Theobald, Jun."] in June 1919; the collaborative story 'The Crawling Chaos' [with Winifred Virginia Jackson, as by "Elizabeth Berkeley and Lewis Theobald, Jun."] and 'Lucubrations Lovecraftian' in April 1921." - Joshi, H. P. Lovecraft: A Life, pp. 180. Joshi I-D-ii-9; I-B-ii-227, I-B-iii-2, I-B-ii-227, I-B-iii-94, I-B-a-34, I-B-iv-a-25, and I-B-ii-173. The first issue is fine, the second issue, with binding staple roughly removed resulting in small ragged tear to spine, is near fine, and the third issue, with light tanning at edges, and Lovecraft's authorship of "The Crawling Chaos" indicated in ink on front cover, is very good. Rare. (#108497) Price: $1,500.00

The Tryour October 1918

TRYOUT, THE. October 1918 (volume 4, number 10). Edited by C. W. Smith. Haverhill, Mass.: C. W. Smith, October 1918 (volume 4, number 10). Small octavo, single issue, printed wrappers, sewn. Includes "The Eidolon" by H. P. Lovecraft writing as "Ward Phillips." The first appearance of this poem. Joshi I-B-iii-36. Several creases to front cover, a near fine copy. (#108441) Price: $150.00 Front poem by Arthur Goodenough.

The Tryout November 1918

TRYOUT, THE. November 1918 (volume 4, number 11). Edited by C. W. Smith. Haverhill, Mass.: C. W. Smith, November 1918 (volume 4, number 11). Small octavo, single issue, self wrappers, sewn. Includes "Germania -- 1918" by H. P. Lovecraft. The first printing of this poem. Joshi I-B-iii-82. 17 mm closed tear at top edge of front cover, a near fine copy. (#108442) Price: $100.00 The front poem is by Arthur Goodenough.