Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1888-10-26
COLUMNS OF FIRE.
A strange Phenomenon witnessed ny
Crew OF an American Nesse''
.4On dack theren


/ Crew OF an American VESSEL
| ~On deck there"
The hail came from the foretop OF
little ful-rigged ship OF the oid-
fashioned New-B Bedford type that was
blowing along the waters OF the At
lantic. hurting the bright phos-
phorescent waves ahead oil the oroau
bow in a loud and boisterous manner
"Aye, aye" was the answer fo'-
lowed by gruff What's the matter
from the sleepy mate. -
Light on the weather bow! came
from the lookout.
Were a good two thousand miles
| from land in that direction, mntterea
the mate, as he swung himself into the
| rigging.
But when he wiped away the spray
! that dashed his face there was the
| light, and one 50 strange and unfamiliar
| that he stood there for several Sec
onds. buffeted by the waves, yet peer
ing at the strange visitor. Then
swinging around and dropping from
the shrouds to the quarterback, ne
put up his big hands to form trumpet
and roared: "Ready about
A moment later the ship was trem-
| bling in the wind, the blocks hamm err
ing the yards viciously, the cordage
grooming, the sails swapping like ire
arms, while the lunging and pitching
l al ,rftb frI ~ uni n
golden spray. The roar and confusion
brought the skipper on deck, and in
| explanation OF his order the mate
pointed at the strange light that was
now astern. The men, too, were look
ing at it, having made every thing
snug, and OF all the crew not one had
seen any thing like it before.
When first seen it looked like a
luminous buoy feathering upon the
surface, but it had gradually length
ened out, grown more attenuated, us 1t
were, until now it seemed taller than
the mainmast of the ship, OF yellow
ish tint-a most striking object against
the jet-back sky.
| Some of the men looked at the
strange form with grave apprehension.
TO them it BODIED no good, perhaps
turbed, but every one on board was at
least astonished at the curious appari.
ton that every moment seemed to grow
larger and taller.
| hnt. n inf onI he
captain to the helmsman. and the YES
sci fell away and slightly increased hel
speed. Whatever it is he con
tinued, Its coming after us. 1t looks
to me like waterspout, but never
saw one that was on fire, and that one
is If any thing ever was"
The curious object was rapidly gain.
ing on them, and now presented an ap
palling appearances huge column o
ghastly light hundreds Of feet high
of Il dark, golden-yellowish hue
standing out in strange contrast agains
the sky, or the intense darkness of the
night. 1t came on so quickly, evi
! IDENTIFY before the breeze, that the yes
sci was hauled on the wind, just in time
perhaps, for the strange column wen
kissing and roaring by not Thousand
yards astern, its base where it joined
the water surrounded by a seeming
mass of fire, while the upper portion
bent gracefully and was lost in tn,
clouds In a short time it had entire
| lxr Hon NJ ~,
was, as the skipper had suspected
II waterspout; midnight Wis
itor, coursing ever the ocear
like some weird phantom. Since thel
several have been seen at one time
voritable pillars of fire, moving rapid,
over the surface. 1t finally occurred
to scientist to examine the water il
which these fiery columns were seen
and he found it completely filled with
the forms of two minute plants know
to science as pyrocislispseudon-e
and p piSformis, whose nucleus, the
little spot seen in the center, wa.
wildly luminous.
Here, then, was the secret OF the
column OF hre-a waterspout had beer
formed and enormous masses of thu
little light-givers borne aloft, givin.
the entire spout fiery appearance
These spouts differ in color, depending
ON the intensity of the light of tn,
various animals; some are dull
yellow; others, on moonlight nights
when the sea is high, present a trul,
frlghtful appearance, resembling
pillar of fire, the base representing
caldron of seething flame. - Colder
Days.