Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1880-08-26
Sea-Dust.

People laughed at the man who saiS
that the fish he had hooked kicked his
such dpet Ia the Wattr" Perhaps tbag
will laugh at the heading to this article.
but there wall still be 'sea-dust," never,
theless.
We have heard of water-spouts. az
showers of fish, of salt rain, and many
other curiosities which present them.
selves in the atmosphere, but TO assert
mat there is such a thing as sea dust il
10 transcend all reasonable bounds. The
evidence, however, in favor of its ex.
lstence is exceedingly powerful-indis-
putable, in tact-and this is the story
told by witnesses, They say that in
certain parts of the world, notably about
the Cape de Verde Islands, there are con-
stantiv met at sea, several hundred miles
away from land, thick, Notwithstanding,
not unlike London fogs IN November.
These fogs obscure the atmosphere, and
are very injurious to navigation, but they
have not the baletul odor of their Lon
don prototypes, nor do they affect the
reathing IN the same way. W mist sail
ing through them it is found that the
ship, sails and rigging are covered with
a fine, impalpable powder, which falls as
dry rain, and covers the surface on which
it falls sometimes to the depth of two
inches. In color, it is of il bnck-dust
hue, sometimes of a light yellow, and it
feels between the teeth like fine grit,
such as might be blown into the mouth
on windy day in March. No place is
free from its presence, Its tineness giving
il power to penetrate everywhere. The
sea, while the dust is falling, looks as if
it had been peppered, and is dlsColored
for some distance down, Sometimes the
dust comes in Il shower, and passes off
again. The fogs are nothing but vast
quantities Of the dustsuspendedi in the air.
1t is not only in the vicinity of the
Cape de Verde that this wonderful dust
is seen. In the Mediterranean, on the
northern parts of Africa, in the middleI
of the Atlantic it has been reported. IL,
is invariably the same in kind and ap-I
pearance, and examination under micrO-I
scopes was proved the identity Of saidi
Cape de Verde sea-dust with MediteTan-l
can sea-dust. All this is very remarka.|
Bile; dust falling in clouds, no land With
in some hundred of miles, nothing yisi-I
bic which could possibly account for tho
curious phenomenon. Saud-spOuts therel
are in sandy deserts, and showers of
sand taken originally from spots whereonl
the carrier wind has left its mark butt
, here there is no desert from which thej
sand can be rapt, and the wind, so farj
from being boisterOus or disposed III
play whir!Wind pranks, is light and
steady, blowing ships along at calm five
/ knots an hour.
In connection with these facts, hear
what Humboldt says Of the sight he sawI
in the dry river beds and sandy yalleysI
of Central America: "When beneal
the vertical rays of the bright and cloujf
less sun of the tropics, the parcheJf
sward crumbles into dust, then the IA
durated soil cracks and bursts, as if reDk
asunder by some mighty earthquakeE
and if at such a time two opposite curl
rents of air. by conflict moving IN rapid
gvrations, come III contact with TN
earth, Il singular spectacle presents ltse
Like funnel-shapcd clouds, their apeXev
touching the earth, the sands rise III ya1
pory form through the raretied air IN tn
electrically charged centre of the WhlrlA
ing current, sweeping on like the rush
ing Water-spOuts which strike such terror
into the hearts of the mariner. A DIM
and sallow light CLEANS from the loWerl
( ing sky over the dreary plain. The horl-
zon suddenly contracts, and the heart on
the traveller sinks with dismay as the
wide steppe seems 10 close upon him on
all sides. The hot and dusty earth forms
a cloudy veil which shrouds the heavens
from view, and increases the sitting OPP
preston of the atmosphere
1t is believed by scientific men that
these dust-clouds of Central America are,
in all probability, closely connected
with the phenomenon Of sea-dusi.