Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1881-09-22
Gorgeous Display ofthe Aurora
Boreali

E Ni'NN "NN WI cp, iHt iAbSb SOl IuoitS
display OF the northern ligh,s was
observed bv the writer. was
Watching with aud caring for the
sick, aud being called to the door, |
was startled upon opening it by
swift, flying vapor rushing into the
foom and very gently tanning my
face aud hands. and my attention
was instantly rivited 10y another
similar vapor that flew like a swift
windfall into my face, stepped
outside and closed the door. aud
at once became cognizant that the
entire northern heavens was a lumi-
nous blaze of northern lights, aud
that the vapor that | had encounter
ed was that same mysterious Borea-
I rs, Tor millions of vapofs similar TO
/ the first succeeded each other in
rapid succession, fitting almost with
the velocity of lightning, in count
less sreamers like fine spun thread
shot forward in sheets of varying
thickness in coors blue and pur-
pie, light gray and creamy white.
They flew directly into my face,
around my body and over my head
among the trees, through the fence
and against the house. Yet | could
only just feel the force Of their flight
No other breath of air was in motion
Then they began to come in heavier
sheets, like fast, marrying clouds,
until there was not an instant when
those vapors were not shooting and
darting like metoors around me.
Yet they never fell to the ground,
but shot along parallel with the
earth, and although thousands Of
the luminous visitors glided through
the trees and among the shrubbery,
not q leaf was stirred Everything
was dead calm, except those silent,
flying vapors. BOOSTERS crowed
'nstily, owls hooted along the river
land toward the bluffs, with excited
vigor, while in the outskirts of the
village mourning dove kept up a
plaintive wall. | called my wife,
who was sleeping, to arise quickly
and view the sight, but being weary
from watching with the sick, she
chose to rest, | then called upon a
neighbor and awoke him and his
wife, who arose and witnessed the
strange phenomena. The great
north was one vast reservoir from
whence those gliding vapors came,
and the more and faster they came,
the danser and brighter grew the
reservoir in the north. Great
streamers of many hues would shoot
up apparently high in the heavens,
and then separate and come sweep
ing by as abo,e Stdtea. Almost
instantly they would recede into the
reservoir, and il would as suddenly
assume golden, transparent hue
and scintilate like lightning into a
purple blue. No sound accompan-
led it. There was absolute silence;
with but the least perceptible degree
OF force in the movement upon the
hands end face. But after standing
in its pathway for over half an hour,
/ iet prickling sensation in my
eyes and ears, aud my face felt stiff
ened as if it were swollen, but
shrunken instead of full, and burn
ed much as if it had been rubbed
with smart weed, and the skin felt
dry and wrln kled. l saw one small
jet, apparently fire, or more exactly
like a square Of red-hot iron. about
onS half an inch square, leave va
pOr and fall ia the street about two
rods from me. / am not certain
that l saw anything else like a me-
teor, but | thought did once; but
there was star so close in range
thst | am not certain. 1t was cold
almost frosty, throughout the dis
play, which lasted till three o'clock
ia the morning; but the grand dis
play was from one to two. The
moon was shining brightly, and
every star was aglow. 1t was one
OF the grandest sights, and the des-
cription here given is no fiction, Dat
the real and actual facts as they
x;...J Inat T,ao5av rnnruiuu at