Passaic City record., 1890-07-03
MIRAGES.
OPTICAL ILLUSIONS THAT HAVE
STARTLED MANKIND.
Cities in the Sky and Vessels Sailing
Blithely Upside Down = Nat
ural Phenomena Not Eas-
lily Explained.


fed into immense towers and pinnacles,
and ship is sometimes abnormally
drawn out until it appears twelve oil
thirteen times as high as it is long.
Rocks are seen drawn up to ten or twelve
times their proper height. Houses, as well
as human beings and animals, appear in
like exaggerated shape.
Another form of mirage is when a
ship or some other object near the water,
seems greatly elongated, and q second
inverted image meets it from above.
Sometimes the proper image of the OBJ
icct is elevated far above the lake or sea,
while the second image strangely ap-
pears inverted beneath it; the whole sur
rounded by sheet of sky, which is
mirrored and repeated within it.
In 1922, in the Arctic region, Captain
Scoresby recognized by its inverted
image in the air, the ship Fame, which
afterward proved to be seventeen miles
beyond the visible horizon of his obser-
vation.
DR.. Vince, on August 6, 1906, at P.
NJ, saw from Ramsgate, at which place
only the tops of Dover Castle towers are
usually visible, the whole of the castle.
1t appears as though lifted up and bodily
placed on the near side of the intervening
hill. So perfect was this illusion that
the hill itself actually could not be seen
through the figure.
Some forms of mirage are lateral as
well as vertical, arising from unequal
density of two contiguous vertical bodies
of air. Thus, on Lake Geneva, boat
has been seen double, the two images
some distant apart. Persons have been
duplicated in the same way. Any one on
ahot day, by placing his eye near to a
heated wall, may see lateral mirages of
objects at distance, and nearly on a
line with the wall.
Here, on the shores of Lake Ontario,
many beautiful and wonderful mirages
are witnessed. The lake is so wide, the
opposite side is not at all visible. And
yet during some peculiar states of the at
mosphere it is clearly outlined. A gen.
tleman witnessed most perfect mirage
from Sheldon's Point, Oswego. It was
about o'clock in the afternoon, when
splendid view of the Canada shore was
given. 1t extended from point nearly
opposite Oswego City to Cape Vincent,
at points on the Jefferson County shore.
Whole blocks of the city of Kingston
were visible and localities distinctly de-
fined. From Sackett's Harbor to Point
Peninsula, ten miles distant, has appeared
not more than two or three miles away,
and SO plainly in view that the limbs of
trees were visible. Stony Island stood
out plainly in view, and far beyond it
couldbe seen Gallop and Duck Islands.
Even the Canada shore in the vicinity of
Long Point and Prince Edwards Bay
were at times plainly in sight.
A vessel has been seen sailing along
the horizon with the hull uppermost,
visible at Lake Bluff. Accompanying
the appearance of the ship was that of
mountains and hills, as though the Cana
dian shore was coming into view. A
puff of wind apparently caused the whole
phantasmagoria to melt as if by magic
In Syracuse, distant city, remarka-
hle mirage was witnessed by many per.
sons. It lasted two hours, and was best
observed from University Hill looking
northwest over Onondaga Lake. Lake
Ontario was plainly visible, and stretch
ing out at an angle of twenty-five degrees
CT the horizon it looked like an ocean.
Professor Comfort says that few years
previous similar mirage occurred, and
it was go distinct that by means of
glass he could discern a town, probably
Kingston.
Portions of Rochester and sections of
the country lying south of it have been
seen out in the lake six and ten miles
distant, as though the city was standing
erect in the air. Trains of moving cars
and other objects were clearly defined,
the aerial phenomena continuing for
nearly an hour.
A well-known lake captain has also
witnessed wonderful mirage out on Lake
Ontario. While on his way from the St.
Lawrence up the lake and near the islands
known as the False Ducks, and while
standing at the wheel, there suddenly
burst into view the city of Oswego, thirty
one miles distant, with the gas-hghts in
the streets and all the appearance town
lighted up would present from hill in
the immediate vicinity at night The
lighthouse at Oswego,as well as others on
the lake shore below as far as Sackett's
Harbor, were distinctly seen. 1t was a
sort of night mirage, and rare sight, in
deed. 1t lasted for several minutes, then
slowly faded away into darkness.
At Rochester, which is about twenty
miles inland from Lake Ontario, mir
age of most surprising character was
witnessed by many. The entire northern
sky as far as the angle of vision was
lighted above the landmark with the blue
waters of Lake Ontario, while rejecting
from her bosom could be seen the mount
aims, hills, valleys, bays and rivers of the
Canada shore inward for miles. The coast
could be plainly seen mirrored over a
stretch of fifty mis-, and SO perfect at
one time that the forests could readily be
distinguished. The reader can form some
idea of its grandeur by knowing that