Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-06-18
WONDERFUL MIRAGES.
OPTICAL ILLUSIONS THAT HAVE
STARTLED MANKIND.

Cities In the Sky and Vessels Sailing
Blithely Upside Down-Interesting Sto-
ries of Natural Phenomena Not Easily
Explained.
This wonderful phenomenon takes sew
eral forms, according to the state OF the
atmosphere, but those most generally seen
are the looming mirage and the Fata Nor
CANA.
In looming mirages distant objects show
an extravaganza increase in vertical height
without alteration in breadth. Distant
hummocks of ice are thus magnihed into
immense towers and pinnacles, and ship
Is sometimes abnormally drawn out until
it appears twelve or thirteen times as high
as it is long Rocks are seen drawn up to
ten or twelve times their proper height.
Houses, well as human beings ana AM
mails appear in like exaggerated shape.
Another form of mirage is when ship,
or some other object near the water. seems
greatly elongated, and a second inverted
Image meets it from above. Sometimes the
proper image Of the object is elevated far
above the lake or sea, while the second i'm
age strangely appears inverted beneath 1t;
the whole surrounded by q sheet OF sky,
which is mirrored and repeated within 1t.
In 1922, in the Arctic region, Capt.
Scoresby recognized, by it's inverted image
| In the air, the ship Fame, which afterward
proved to be seventeen miles beyond the
| visible horizon of his observation.
Dr. Vince, on Aug. 6, 1905, 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 appeared
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.
ALONG THE CANADA SHORE.
| Some forms of mirage are lateral as we'll
as vertical, arising from unequal density
of two contiguous vertical bodies of air.
Thus, on Lake Geneva, a boat has been
seen double, the two images some distance
apart. Persons have been duplicated in
the same way. Any one on a hot day, by
placing his eye near to heated wall, may
see lateral mirages of objects at a distance,
and nearly on a line with the wall.
On the shores of Lake Ontario many
beautiful and wonderful mirages are wit
messed. The lake is SO wide, the opposite
side is not at all visible. And yet during
some peculiar states of the atmosphere it
is clearly outlined. Even the Canada shore
in the vicinity of Long Point and Prince
Edward's bay is at at times plainly in sight.
A vessel has been seen sailing along the
horizon with the hull uppermost, visible at
Lake Bluff. Accompanying the appear
ance of the ship was that of mountains and
hills, as though the Canadian shore was
coming into view. A puff of wind appar-
emily caused the whole phantasmagoria to
melt away is If by magic.
In Syracuse, q distant city, remarkable
mirage was witnessed by many persons. 1t
lasted two hours and was best observed
from University hill looking northwest
over Onondaga lake. Lake Ontario was
plainly visible, and stretching out at an
angle of twenty-five degrees of the horizon
fort says that q few years previous a similar
mirage occurred, and it was so distinct that
by means Of a 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 phe-
nomena continuing for nearly an hour.
A we'll known lake captain has also wit
messed 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 lights in
|
lighted up would present from a hill in the
immediate vicinity at night. The light
house at Oswego, as we'll as others on the
lake shore below as far as Sackett's Har
bor were distinctly SEEN 1t was sort OF
night mirage, and rare sight indeed. II
lasted for several minutes, then slowly
faded away into darkness.
a SURPRISING SIGHT.
At Rochester, which is about twenty
l ;,,1, T 10 nnta ri Qc1e
of most surprising character was wit
messed by many. The entire northern sky
| as far as the angle, or bison, was lighted
| above the landmark with the blue waters
of Lake Ontario, while rejecting from hel
bosom could be seen the mountains, hills
valleys, bays and rivers Of the Canadian
shore inland for miles. The coast could be
| plainly seen mirrored over a stretch OF
fifty miles, and so perfect at one time that
the forests could readily be distinguished.
The reader can form some idea of its grand
eur by knowing that q country separated
from Rochester by lake seventy miles in
width was, as If suddenly by the hand OF
its great Creator, painted upon the heavens
so plain as to be seen from a standpoint OF
near 100 miles distant.
7 Upon land mirages are best seen over
desert plains in hot climates. The intense
| heat of the sands greatly rarefies the air in
contact with them, and rays of light com
ing from the distant objects are gradually
bent by approaching the rare stratum I'm.
til they strike it at an angle greater than
the limiting angle. Total reflection then
occurs, the air near the sand acting as 8
mirror, or a body of water in which invert
ed images are seen. Thus is presented to
the inexperienced traveller over the desert
plains the appearance of tranquil lakes
and parched with thirst, he is sadly delud
ed by them.
Many thrilling incidents are given where
J whole parties in crossing the sandy desert,
overcome with the heat and parched with
thirst, have reached place from whence;
far in the horizon. they saw, or thought
they saw, beautiful lake, with branching
palm trees near it. Longing for the water
and the cooling shade, they have disobeyed
the warning voice Of their guide, deviated
from their true course to almost franticaliy
hasten forward toward q mere alluring de-
lusion-a mirage that has led them faI
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