Inside U.K.

Crowds in Cornwall May Eclipse Best-Made Plans

By STEVE HILL

日食ウォッチングで混乱

The doom mongers are predicting anarchy, gridlock on the roads and a shortage of water that could affect millions of people in the far southwestern county of Cornwall this coming August.

Are we talking about an earthquake, the effects of people fleeing a nuclear explosion, or an uprising to proclaim an independent state? No, no and no. The subject for debate is the first total eclipse of the sun visible from Britain in 72 years.

Back in 1927, more than 3 million people traveled to North Yorkshire — the biggest recorded movement of people by train in British history — to view the last eclipse. And just as many are expected to pack their bags later this year and head for Cornwall to enjoy what is being billed as the greatest free show on earth.

The level of public interest, with six months still to go, cannot be exaggerated. With the next total eclipse visible from Britain not due until September 2090, this will be the only chance for millions of people to enjoy this rare natural phenomenon, when the moon will totally block out the sun. It does not matter that, on August 11 at precisely 11:11 a.m., the sky will turn black for only 2 minutes and 6 seconds. This event is being billed as bigger than the millennium and something not to be missed.

While many Cornish people and entrepreneurs will be doing their best to cash in on the massive influx of visitors, officials are already openly voicing concern that the existing infrastructure simply will not be able to cope and that disasters are waiting to happen.

The is where Gage Williams, a former Army brigadier, comes in. Appointed to mastermind the biggest invasion the county has ever seen, he has drawn up a battle plan covering every possible eventuality.

The greatest concern is the volume of traffic the eclipse is expected to generate and the effects of gridlock on the work of the emergency services and on the local population, people who could face problems going about their everyday life.

With so many people expected to flood into Cornwall, the next worry is where they will all stay. It has been reported that 85 percent of the county's hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts, and inns are already fully booked, despite a massive hike in prices, while there has also been a rush on self-catering accommodation. The vast majority of visitors will, in all probability, end up camping, but even here there may not be enough sites to cope despite frantic efforts to make provision.

One company, for example, hopes to sign up enough landowners to provide some 10,000 acres of camping land at 30 different sites. To all of these, roads will have to be specially laid and shops, banks and toilets must be provided.

It's a daunting task and, despite the fact that the date of the eclipse was accurately predicted hundreds of years ago, sure to trigger a desperate last-minute rush. People are already being told to arrive early with full food and water provisions for their stay, and to stay until a few days after the eclipse to ease the pressure on Cornwall.

It promises to be quite a party. Plans are being made for a program of festivals and events to keep the masses entertained before and after the big day. The city of Plymouth, for example, is to stage a 10-day festival which could feature some of the biggest names in contemporary popular and classical music.

It is predicted that some 100,000 American and Japanese tourists as well as dedicated eclipse fans from all over the world will be joining the throngs, many of whom will have no idea what they are letting themselves in for!

With such a stampede predicted, perhaps a better option for people determined to view the eclipse will be to go to continental Europe instead.

First viewable at dawn off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, then across the Atlantic to Cornwall, the eclipse will be seen over the tiny Channel Island of Alderney and then Northern France before coming into view in Germany and Austria. Its path can be followed over Hungary and Romania — where the chances of clear skies are apparently better than anywhere else — then Turkey, before reaching Iran and India.

Those not content to sit and stare — don't forget you need to look at the sun through special filters to prevent long-term damage to your eyes — could consider booking a seat on a special Concorde flight.

The supersonic aircraft will chase the eclipse over the Atlantic Ocean, giving passengers a view for some 11 minutes before being forced to decelerate as it approaches Land's End, the southernmost tip of England. It promises to be the experience of a lifetime, but will not come cheap. Seats are reported to be on sale for more than £1,000 (¥190,000).

Shukan ST: Jan. 22, 1999

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