The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1886-10-13
THE MIDNIGHT SUN.
The Grand Spectacle to Be Witness
where Morning and Evening Meet.

Inc cRcCtaCAS 70 Asp ~ANH1@H@><
where Morning and Evening Meet.
No one comes TO Norway without
taking the trip to Nordland to see the
sun at midnight. Tourist steamers
make regular summer trips from
Throndhjem; but, being a few DAYS in
advance of the first of these. travelled
by a comfortable mail packet. and was
thus enabled TO visit all the coast towns
As almost the entire route lies between
the Skjargaard Islands and the main
land it IS equivalent in smoothneSs TO a
river voyage. The Kiolen range. ex-
tending along the coast. is remarkable
for the grotesque and fantastic shapes
OF its lofty peaks Alternating with
-hese snow-clad cliffs are smiling val
leys and fertile fields. which give bright
ness TO the landscape. Arctic birds.
7 penguins. osprey. and elder ducks.
abound. Whales and porpoises appear.
On the rocks immense numbers of cod
fish are spread to dry. The course be
ing exceedingly tortuous, vessels navi-
gate only BY daylight. The harvest
which Nature fails to yield upon the
bleak shore is amply compensated for
/ by that of the sea The west-eoast
people are farmers of the deep, and
during February, March, and April
make their headquarters upon the rug
ged Lofoten Islands. Hither the her
ring como and cod aud whale pursue.
Prof. Huxley estimates that these cod
consume 200. 100000 herring at a single
banquet. In single steng 5000 bar
rels of herring are frequently taken.
The fish arc driven into a shallow cove.
nets placed across the mouth. aud then
they are dipped out at leisure, to be
salted and barreied almost before they
are dead. There are from zoo to 900
fish in a barrel. Cod are caught with
both net and line.
Owing to the long arctic day. vegeta-
tion grows very rapidly. Barley sown
in May is harvested III July. Even the
turf on the houSe-tops is covered with
long grass The same effect of sunlight
is observed in the animal kingdom.
Wagtails frequently rear two broods in
one season. so rapid Is the development
of their young. At Bodo, the sun be-
ing continually above the horizon, I
was enabled TO devote twenty of my
twenty-five hours stay TO an excursion
into the country. embracing visit to
the Saltstrom. This famous whirlpool.
compared with which the maelstrom
cttilt0 EusAIDAiltaut. II AOIlntu Uk tnt
pressure of a rising tide forcing n stream
through narrow strait into sub
sidiary ford. AS the tide rises or falls
faster than the basin can fill or empty,
the force of the current becomes enor-
nous and its roar terrific. Owing to
eddles. wedge-shaped wall of water
extends inward from the mouth of the
ford until its apex disappears in the
- A..
there is an interesting Lapp encamp-
ment. where the fur-clad nomads of the
North bring their reindeer for summer
pasture. There being no snow in the
vicinity the desire for n slcd-ride could
not be INDUCED. From Hammerfest,
the northernmost town of Europe, the
voyage is speedily made to that rugged
promontory. Nordkap, from whose
summit the nocturnal sun is seen riding
high over the mysterious Arctic ocean.
My deepest impressions from witness
ing the sublime spectacle of the mid
night.sun were received at point near
er the Arctic Circle. 1t was one of
those hushed evenings which occur with
n falling barometer; so still that the
CLASSY surface of the udulating sea was
unruffled even by the breath of a
zephyr. Southward, above a wall of
cloud, majestic mountains reared their
snowy peaks. Far in the west floated
fleet of fishing craft. and long lines of
water fowl were winging their way to
rocky resting places. Above the sun,
which from my stand near the compass
L watched swinging northward, lay
several parallel strata of fleecv clouds.
The water horizon rolled up higher and
higher until. like great golden globe.
the sun rested upon its rim. The lower
cloud stratum became orange-tinted.
The next was dyed with saffron shades.
while the rosy reflection of the upper
stratum painted with delicate pink the
Kjolen cliffs in the south. For several
moments the motion of the earth seemed
checked, the sun still resting on the
oceans rim, and then-most startling
visioni-a line of light appears below
the fiery orb-the horizon is retro
grading. BY thus forcing the mind to
regard the sun as stationary in his true
position, and centering the attention on
our own planetary motion, an effect is
produced far more amazing than that
experienced by the startled Hezekiah
when the shadow retreated on the great
dial OF Aiiaz - E1uagd X. TduIoT, tn
San Francisco Chronicle.