The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-11-11
A Z PHENOMENON.
Long White Waves Of Light Floating
Round n Ship.

The kolnichc Zeitune publishes the
following, dated Gulf of Siam, April
Ii, 1870:
Last night, between two and three
o'clock, l had an opportunity of wit
Messing an illumination of the sea of
the most peculiar kind. 1t had be-
come quite calm, after a sharp breeze
which he'd sprung up from the north
northwest, caused by a passing storm
in the distance. Heat-lightning was
still very frequent in the west hOri-
ION, and the sky was covered with
light clouds, through which the moon
shone rather brightly. We took in
sail and set the engine going. | then
noticed OH the water large white
flakes, which / first took to be the re-
Election of the moon they were about
a fathom in diameter, apparently lus-
terless and of no particular shape,
like objects seen lying deep in the
water. BY the rising and falling of
the seas surface, these flakes fiOated
OIL to a short distance from the slip
without imparting any noticeable
brightness to the water, illuminated
by the moons rays. After steaming
further forward for six or seven
knots, a most wonderful spectacle
presented itself. On both sides,
obliquely in front of us, long white
waves of light were cen floating to-
ward the ship, increasing in bright
ness and rapidity, till at last they al
most disappeared, and nothing was
observed but a white, l~ustreless, whirl-
ing (schwi1rendeS) light upon the wa.
Ter. After gazing for some time it
was impossible to distinguish between
water and sky and atmosphere, all
which were but just now clearly dis
tinguishable, and a thick fog in long
streaks appeared to be driving upon
the ship with furious swiftness. The
phenomenon of light was somewhat
similar TO that which would be- pro-
duccd by the whirling round of a ball
striped black and white, SO rapidly
that the white stripes seemed TO be
lost and blended with the dark ones.
The light was just as If we were ell
veloped in a thick white fog. The
direction Of the waves of light upon
the ship was always on both sides
ob.iquely from the front. The phe-
nomenon lasted about five minutes,
and repeated itself once more after
ward, for about one minute. Without
doubt, shoals of small creatures in the
water were the aus Of this luminos-
ity, and the waves of light find their
cause according to my conviction, i'm
the white flashes described. Yet
their moderate velocity Of one and a
half geographical miles per hour, and
the weak light at first emitted by each
flake, so week as not TO influence the
tint of the surface of the water, does
not seem calculated TO call forth a
phenomenon of such magical effect as
the one described. The luminous APP
pearance commonly seen in the wake
of a ship cannot be compared with
such a phenomenon as the above.
In the former the light, ~lustrous, glar-
ing green and blue, like phosphorus,
often very splendid in deep, clear wa
ter, mingled with Il reddish, white
foam. We saw a beautiful insts nee
of this kind onc night, in perfectly
still and smooth water, i'm lonely bay
of Upon. 1t was pitch dark and per-
fectly quiet, when a heavy shower of
rain came on in large but dense drops.
Every drop as it struck the water be-
came illuminated, little drops of fire
sprung up i'm the air, and a little lu-
minous circle formed itself. 1t SEEM