News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1882-04-06
PHANTOM LIGHTS.
Sights Like that of the Flying
Dutchman Explained by an Old
Fisherman

"H you want to see something
downright curious" white-apro1 ned
Fulton Market fish dealer said, &c cast
your eyes into that barrel" p pointing at
one that stood in corner.
The lid was carefully raised, but in
stead of q vicious lobster that was ex-
pected, flames of fire seemed to start
out, and in the barrel were fishes glow
ing with golden radiance.
elbows that for a fire?" the fish
dealer asked. "The only trouble
about it is that it's all light and no heat
-phosphorescence, they call it."
"I've noticed" he continued, taking
one of the fish up, "that mackerel
more commonly give out light than any
other fish. It's greasy oil that shines,
and comes off on your hands. I've put
some of it in glass of milk, and there
was such blaze that read paper by
it. The light lasts on dead fish about
four days, but if it comes up cold it dis
appears, and comes again when the
weather is milder. In fresh water it
soon disappears. Alcohol, whisky or
alkalies stop it; but common salt or
honey makes the light much brighter.
No, I'm not chemist, but we have to
pick up all these points in preserving
fish, and this light is supposed to ap-
pear on fish when they are getting
stale; but that isn't always the case.
I've been through the market here in
the dark, when you could see little
patches of light on the stands, and
some of the fish stood out just exactly
as if they were afre. We had big
horse mackerel here two years ago, and
/ never saw such sight in my life. In
the dark it seemed as if flames were
spriDging out all over it, and you could
read paper six inches away.
Give seen some queer sights. Two
years ago went menhaden fishing, and
one day as we were going up the Sound
one of the hands said he hoped we were
not going off the Montauk Point,
L asked hum why. He seemed kind of
offish, but at last let out that he had
seen ships sailing about in the dead of
night, in dead calm. 1 laughed at him,
but two nights later we came to anchor
at GARDENERS Bay, and as it was a hot
night we stretched out on deck. In the
middle of the night was awakened by
some one giving me a tremendous jerk,
and when 1 found myself on my feet my
mate, shaking like leaf, was pointing over
the rail. 1 looked, and, sure enough,
there was big schooner about an eighth
of a mile away, bearing down on US.
There wasn't breath OF wind in the
bay, but on she came at ten-knot rate,
headed right for US. Sing out to the
skipper, said. Its no use, said my
mate, hanging on to me, It's no vessel
But there she was, within hundred
yards of us. SHAKING him off, swung
into the rigging and yelled, Schooner,
ahoy. and shouted to her to bear away,
but in a second the white sails were
right aboard of US. I yelled to- the
hands, and made ready to jump, when,
like a flash, she disappeared, and the
skipper came on deck with all hands
and wanted to know if we had the jim
jams. I'd have sworn that I had seen
the Flying Dutchman but for one thing.
We saw the same thing about week
afterward. The light passed around us
and went up the bay. got out the men
and seine and followed in the path of |
the phantom schooner, and as sure as
you are alive, we made the biggest |
single haul of mehaden on record. The |
light, to my mind, was nothing more
nor less than the phosphorescence that |
hoyerea over rhe tbig shoal. The oil |
from so many millions of fish moving |
along was enough to produce a light, |
put you will find men all along the |
shores of Long Island that believe there
IS regular phantom craft that comes
IN off and on-sort of a coaster in the |
spirit trade. I saw an account of some
Thing like this in the Portland papers
sometime after, and they thought it was
very remarkable; but wherever you
ind menhaden you may look out for
queer lights on the water-phantom |
ships and the like"