Get those welder’s goggles on and witness history

Gary McFarlane is a big fan of science. The retired science teacher, who heads the local group Praxis, and says celestial events — such as this Monday’s total eclipse — can inspire and should be cherished.

Such cosmic happenings can also surprise, and McFarlane knows first hand.

He told the News this week that many moons ago he viewed an eclipse while conducting a wildlife survey in the Mackenzie River delta of the Yukon.

“We’d been working away and forgot all about it,” said McFarlane, whose crew was essentially cut off from major media. “Everything went dark and quiet. It was really something.”

Monday’s event will be the first time since 1979 that a major eclipse will be visible in Medicine Hat. That one involved a 97 per cent covering of the sun. Monday’s coverage will be about 82 per cent at its greatest, likely at about 11:30 a.m. our time.

As always, safety first. If you know a welder, No. 14 lens (that’s the darkest you can get) is recommended.

Shutterbugs looking for guidance about snapping the event can take a hint from the

News’s coverage of the locally seen 1979 eclipse. At that time,

News photographer Frank Webber captured the fine crescent of the sun on 400 asa Tri-X film using a 260 mm lens, 160th sec. at f/8, through a No. 8 welding shield.

Some of that translates to digital cameras.

So much for Plan B

It made a lot of sense at the time: Natural gas was cheap in the mid to late 2000s, while gasoline was through the roof.

So, therefore, wouldn’t natural gas vehicles boost not only a driver’s bottom line, but also lower their environmental footprint. It might also help blow off some of the huge inventory of shale gas and help boost its plummeting price.

About 10 years later, Bloomberg Canada reports this week that the natural gas vehicle industry is essentially stalled due to low oil prices at current. As well, car buyers seem more interested in making the bigger leap straight to electric.

While the general public might not be sold on Tesla (sales remain sleight), investors apparently are. Other car companies are following the lead on electric power. Volvo, notably, has said it won’t market a purely gasoline- or diesel-powered engine in 2019.

The report says there’s still some future for the gaseous fuel’s use in municipal fleets. (Medicine Hat began switching buses several years ago.)

Wider use however, has been elusive, partly due to lack of fuelling infrastructure. Today in the United States there are only 1,800 natural gas filling stations. There are 70 times more traditional gas stations and 38 times more non-residential charging stations.

By the way, reports are cropping up across Canada of disputes within condo associations related to electric vehicles.

Essentially, some unit owners are recharging their rides where they once used a block heater, therefore adding substantial cost to common property utility bills.

A look ahead

City council will hear a final report into the recent hosting of the Alberta Special Olympics when it sits on Monday night, as well as hold a public hearing on proposed changes to development charges.

The city’s infrastructure committee, after wrestling with a huge agenda earlier this month, will hear on Wednesday a yearfive progress report on the city’s 30-year infrastructure plan.

100 years ago

Furious debate on conscription and income tax appeared to be pushing Canada toward a general election, the News reported in mid-August 1917.

Alberta Liberals might favour a union government, an article stated, but not if it was led by current prime minister Robert Borden.

The tax issue, also dubbed “the conscription of wealth,” was a major concession by the Conservatives to the Liberals and labour factions for their support for a draft of men for military service.

Reports of gas casualties from the taking of Hill 70 reached the city, with several local men on the list.

A pig that was publicly butchered for charity by local swinesman raised $24.65 for the Red Cross when it was auctioned in two-pound chunks.

The first “Meatless Day” was held in Ottawa on Aug. 14 as the national food controller introduced penalties for hotels and restaurants that offered beef or pork on Tuesdays. Penalties ranged from $25 to $500.

Collin Gallant covers city politics and a variety of topics for the News. Reach him at 403-528-5664 or via email at cgallant@medicinehatnews.com