Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1880-09-15

We have heard of water-spouts, of show
ers of fish, of salt rain, and many othel
curiosities which present themselves In the
atmosphere, but to assert that there is sucl
thing as sea dust, is to transcend all rea
sonable bounds. The evidence, however,
in favor of its existence is exceedingly
powerful-indisputable in fact-and thi:
is the story told by eyewitness. They
say that in certain parts of the world,
notably about the Cape de Verde Islands,
there are constantly met at sea, several
hundred miles away from land, thick, yel-
lowish-red fogs, not unlike London fogs in
November. These fogs obscure the atmos-
phere. and are very injurious to navigation
but they have not the baleful odor of their
London prototypes, nor do they affect the
breathing in the same way. Whilst sailing
through them II is found that the ship,
sails and rigging are covered with 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 a brick-dust hue, some
times of light yellow, and feels between
| the teeth like fine grit, such as might be
blown into the mouth on a windy day in
March. No place is free from its presence,
its fineness giving it power to penetrate
everywhere. The sea, while the dust is
falling, looks as if it had been peppered
and is discolored for some distance down.
Sometimes the dust comes in shower, and
passes off again. The fogs are nothing
but vast quantities of the dust suspended
in the air. 1t is not only in the vicinity of
the Cape de Verde tina! this wonderful dust
is seen. In the Mediterranean, on the
northern parts of Africa, in the middle OF
the Atlantic, ii has been reported. II is
invariably the same in kind and appearance,
and examination under microscopes was
proved the identity of said Cape Verde sea-
dust with Mediterranean sea-dust. All this
is very remarkable; dust falling i'll clouds,
no land within some hundred of miles,
nothing visible which could possibly ac-
count for the curious phenomenon. Sand
spouts there are in sandy deserts, and
showers of sand taken originally from spots
whereon the carrier wind has left its mark;
but here there is no desert from which the
sand can be rapt, and the wind. so far from
being boisterous, or disposed to play whirl-
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 saw in the
dry river beds and sandy valleys of Cen:
trail America: "When beneath the vertical
rays of the bright and cloudless sun of the
tropics, the parched sward crumbles into
dust, then the indurated soil cracks and
bursts, as if rent asunder by some mighty
earthquake; and if at such Il time two op-
poslte currents of air, by conflict moving
in rapid gyrations, come IN contact
with the earth, a singular spectacle presents
itself. Like funnel-shaped clouds, their
apexes touching the earth, the sands rise
in vapory form through the rarefied air in
the electrically charged centre of the whirl-
ing current, sweeping on like the rushing
water-spouts which strike such terror into
the hearts of the mariner. A dim and sal
low light CLEANS from the lowering sky
over the dreary plain. The horizon sud-
denly contracts, and the heart of the trav
eler sinks with dismay as the wide steppe
scenes TO close upon him on all sides. The
hot and dusty earth forms cloudy veil
which shrouds the heavens from view, and
increases the sitting oppression of the at
mosphere."