The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1884-10-15
A Lake Of Fire.

A correspondent of the New York
/ Times. writing from Waterloo. an cx-
/ tensive estate in Nassau. describes a
curious body Of wafer to be seen there.
The lake is nearly one thousand feet
long and two hundred or three hundred
feet wide. 1t is an artificial lake, the
former proprietor having built it to
store green turtles in. 4he plan was
to buy the turtles alive and put them
in the lake and let them increase in
size and numbers. when thV would al
ways be ready 10 be caught and eaten.
Millions of fish could be kept in the
! cupant of Waterloo would always have
agood dinner waiting him in the yard.
The lakes bed is cut out of the solid
rock, and is only a few hundred feet
from the ocean. 1t is connected with
the sea by small canal. also cut
through the rock; and when the gate
in this canal is left open the tide rises
and falls in the lake.
1t was one of the darkest nights l
ever saw. We went into the boat-house
and pushed out Il heavy row boat. l
took the oars and we pushed of. The
first stroke gave me fine start. There
had not been any unusual phOspho-
rescence on the surface of the water
more than is often seen on tropical
seas; but as soon as the oars stirred it
up they seemed to be dipped in melted
gold There was actually fire there, l
was compelled to think. While l was
- G-l tr~J
splatter, darted across the pond near
the surface, and in his trail was left Il
streak of yellow fire. Then we saw at
different places on the surface little va
pory clouds of fire flashing and darting
around like the northern lights.
''lf you have a newspaper in your
pocket" said my companion, put it
on your lap and splash the water with
both oars, to see whether you can get
enough light to read BY"
l did SO, and was able to read the
heading and all the large lines without!
difficulty. / took an oar then and
splashed the water, and wherever a
drop fell back into the lake was round;
spot of fire. There was something
startling in seeing SO much fire about,
and l had not the faintest notion where,
We we're. l had gone out upon an un-
known lake, in total darkness, and had
no idea how large or how deep it was,
nor where the current-if there was
any-might carry us.
If you pull hard and watch the bow,
and stern of the boat you will see some,
thing curious"
II did so, and was we'll repaid for
the excrtion. When boat moves fast
there is always cutting of the water
at the bow, and little eddy left just
behind the stern. That cutwater and
that eddy were of flaming fire. More
fish dartcd about, leaving fiery trails.
Indeed, wherever the water was agi-
tated it turned apparently into fire.
When the agitation ceased the fire dis
appeared, except that there was always
a little sparkling upon the surface. We
splashed, and rOwed, and watched.
One of the most curious effects was 10
throw something from the boat to a
distant part of the lake and see the fire
splash. A fountain put in the center Of
the lake would be fountain of fire.
We measured the depth with an oar
and found it to be four or five feet. 1t
is mentioned as curious circumstance
that the water in the lake can be-
changed rs often as desired without
destroying its phosphorescence. Va
rions analyses OF the water have been
made, but without any great results.