Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1873-06-05

oo3eefs Wseh IT'S pencil, and they becom,
radiant and spiritual. A pile Of brick
dumped earslcssly on the deck, has be-
eChe huge bill Of crystal jewslry. livel,
with brilliant prismatic radiance. wher,
the light falls on the steps Of the stsircas.
u shows . ladder OF silver crusted with
emeralds. The round d-house. spars. masss
every spot where peak or angle ea,che.
the light. have flushed into liquid. jewel,
ed beauty; and each point. = prism and
mirror. catches. mnltiplies aud rejects the
other splendor. A rainbow. a feecy mis-,
over the lake. made prismal by the sun.
light. bunch Of sub-aqucous moss. soap
bubble. are all examples of our daily ex.
perience of that transforming power Of wa
ter in the display of color. The prevailing
tone Is that soft. golden efalgence which,
like the grace Of cheerful and loving
heart, blends all into one harmonious whole.
But observation warns the spectator Of
the delusive character Of oil that splendor
of color. lie lifts box frorr the ooze:
he appears TO have uncorke1 the world.
The hold is bottomless chaSm. Every
inden'ation. every activity that casts a
shadow. gives the impression Of that
soundless depth. The bottom Of the sea
seems loop-holed with cavities that pierce
the solid globe and the dark abysscs Of
space beyond. The diver is surrounded
by pitfalls. real and imaginary. There
Is no graduation. The shallow concavc
of a hand-basin is as the shadow of the
bot,omless we'll.
If the exploration takes place in the DEL
ia of a great river. the light is affected BY
the various densi,ies of the double.re-
frac'ing media. At tie proper depth one
can see clearly the line where these two
meet. clean cut and As sharply defined rs
the bottom of green glass tumbler through
the pure water it contains The salt brine
or gela'inous sea water sinks weighted to
the bottom. and over it flows the fresh
rivcr-water. II the latter is darkened
with sediment. it obscures the silen,
depths with n heavy. gloomy cloud. In
seasons Of frcshet this becomes total dark
ness. But even on a bright. sunshiny dav,
under clear water. the shadow Of any OBJ
jcct in the sea is unlike any shade in the
upper atmosphere. II draws black cur
tain over everything under it. completely
ob>curing it. Nor is this peculiarity lost
when the explorer enters the shadow: but,
rs one locking in tunnel from without
can see nothing therein. though the open
lainly>,i, lie. So. stand.
is dark. though beyond the sable curtain
Of the shadow the view is Gear. Apply
this optical fact to the ghas,ly story Of a
divers alleged experience in the cabin of
a sunken ship 1t is narrated that there
was revealed to his appalled, sight the spec
tacle of the drowned passengers in vari-
oas attitudes Of alarm or devotion when
the dreadful! suffoca,ion came. The sto-
ry is told with great effect aid power, but
unless votalic lantern is included in The
stage furniture. the ghas,!y tableau mus,
sink into the limbo of increditiitics.
The cabin of a sunken vessel is dark
beyond any supcrnal conception of dark
uess. Even n cabin window does not al
ter this law. though it may be itself visi-
bic. with object. on its surface. as in
child's magic-lantcrn. AS the rays Of
light pass through an object f,atwi.e, like
the blade of knife through the leaves of
a book. and may be admitted through au.
other of like character in the plane of the
first. so 4 ray Of light can penetrate with
DETECTION through air aud water. But
becoming polarizei, the interposition Of
third medium ordinarily transparent will
stop it altogether. Hence the plate glass
window under water admit. no light into
the interior Of a cabin. The disirust Of
sight grows with the divers experience.
The eye brings its h bit of estimating pro-
portion and distance from an at,cnuaied
atmosphere into another and dcnscr medi-
um. aud the seer is continually deceived
by the change He hesita,cs. halts, and
is obscrvan, of the pitfalls about him. A
ng-plank slightly above the surface of
the deck is bordcred, where its shadow
falls, by dismal trenches. There is n
range Of hills crossing the deck before
him. As he approaches he estimates the
difficulty oe the ascent. At its apparent
foo, he reaches to Chamber the steep sides.
and the sierra is still step beyond his
reach. Drawing still nearer, he prepares
to crawl up; his hand touches the top; i.
is less than shoulder-high.
Blu. perhaps the s,ronges. illustration
Of the differing densities of these two men,
dia is furnished by an attempt to drive n
nail under water By an absolute law
such an effort. if guided by sight indie
pendent of calculation, must fail. Habit
and experience. tested in atmospheric
ligh, vii! control the muscles. aud direct
the blow at the very point where the nail
head is not. For this reason the ingeni-
Gus expedient Of a ro!,aic lantern under
the water has proved to be imprac,icablc.
Ii is not the light alone which il wanted.
bu, that swee, familiar atmosphere through
which we are habituated - look. The
submarine diver learns TO rely wholly on
trucr sense Of touch. and guided by thSt
be engages in tasks requiring labor and
skill with the easy assurance of blind
man in crowded street.
The conveyance Of sound through tho
inelas!ic medium of water Is so difficult:
tha, it has been called the world of silence.
This is only comparatively true. The
fish has an auditory cavity, which. though
simple in itself. certiies the ordinary coa-
viction Of sound. but il i dull and imper-
feet; and perhaps NIL marine creatures have
o'her means Of eon.msnica,icn. There
is an instance, however. Of musical sounds
produced by marine animals. which seems
to show an appreciation. Of harmony. In
one Of the lakes of Ceylou. Sir Emerson
Ttrneut hssr,l saft rnus;rsl sxovpIs AL