Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1877-01-22
FATA MORGANA.

Once vessel was sailing over north
ern ocean in the midst of the short Arc
tic summer. The sun was hot, the air
was still, and group of sailors lying
lazily upon the deck were almost asleep.
when an exclamation of fear from one of
s9sm; one @aaf a%O fRd Fad Uttered the cry point
ed into the air at little distance. and
there the awe stricken sailors saw a
large ship, with all sails set, gliding
over what seemed to be a placid ocean,
for beneath the ship was the reflection
of it.
The news soon spread through the
vessel that phantom ship with a ghost
ly crew was sailing in the air over a
phantom ocean, and that it was a bad
omen, and meant that not one of them
should ever see land again. The captain
was told the wonderful tale. and coming
on deck. he explained to the sailors that
this strange appearance was caused by
the reflection of some ship that was sail
ing on the water below this image, but
at such distance they could not see it.
There we're certain conditions of the at
mosphere, he said, when the suns rays
could form perfect picture in the air
of objects on the earth. like the images
one sees in glass or water. but they were
not generally upright. as in the case of
this ship, but reversed. turned bottom
upwards This appearance in the air is
called mirage. He told sailor to 60
up to the foretop and look beyond the
phantom ship. The man obeyed. and re-
ported that he could see on the water.
below the ship in the air, one precisely
like it. Just then another chip was seen
in the air. only this one was steam
ship. and was bottom upwards, as the
captain had said these mirages general
ly appeared. Soon after, the steam
ship itself came in sight. The sailors
were now convinced, and never after
wards believed in phantom ships
An army marching across the burning
sands of an Egyptian desert. fainting
with thirst and choked with fine SAND,
were suddenly revived in spirit by the
| sight of sheet of water in the distance
In it were mirrored the trees and villa
ges. gardens and pretty houses of a cul-
tivated land. all reversed. The blue sky
was mirrorcd there. too, just as you can
see the banks of lake, and the sky that
bends over it, in its calm waters. The
soldiers rushed towards the place, fran
tic with JOY, but when they got there
they found nothing but the hot sands
Again they saw the lake at a distance
and made another headlong rush. only
to get again disappointed. This happen
ed frequently, until the men were in de
spair, and imagined that some demon
was tormenting them. But there hap
pened to be with this army wise man
who did not trust entirely to his Owl
eyes. and although he saw exactly wha
the others did, he did not believe tha
there was anything there but air. H
set to work to investigate it. and foun'
out that the whole thing was an ILLUSION
: 1t was the reflection of the garden
and villages that were on the river Nile
thrown up into the air, like the ship
the sailors saw. only in the cleer atmos
phere of Egypt these images are project
ed to long distance. And demons ha
: nothing whatever to do with it.
People used to believe IN fairy call
ed Fata Morgana. Wonderful thing
were said of her, and her dominions wer
t in the air. where she had large cite
which she sometimes amused herself b
= turning into variety of shapes. Th
D cities were often seen by dwellers on tt
I. Mediterranean sea- coast. Sometimes OF
e of them would be like an earthly cit,
r with houses and churches, and nearl
# always with background of mountain
$ In moment it would change into col
i fused mass of long colonades, lofty toy
: ers, and battlements waving with flag
and then the mountains reeling and fal
e ing, long row of windows would a
le pear glowing with rainbow colors, al
s. perhaps in another instant, all th
d. would be swept away, and nothing
S, seen but gloomy cypress trees.
& These things can be seen now occ