The morning call., 1894-05-19
IGH BANKS. OF LUMINOUS FOG.


The lonely nightwatch as he stands be-
side the braces is struck with awe as
suddenly he views pale finger of light
pointing first toward the Point Bonita
rocks then to the winding channels of the
bar. The stOlid wheelman, whose thoughts
perhaps are on his home port, is awak-
ened from his reverie by the iIlumin alton
of the driving mists that scuTry along the
surface of the ocean. To all seamen APP
preaching the harbor on deep-water ships
the MidWinter Fair seaTehlight is
mystery. -. .-..
When the sea mists are light the search
light is best seen from the of1ing. Bnt
when the atmosphere IS clear and q snip
is living beyond the FaTailoneS the reflector
is transformed into all manner OF astro-
nomical phenomena, mistaken by sailors
for ANYTHING from shooting star to a
brilliant comet that seems to hlue It's heaQ
behind Mount Diablo and trail its fiery tail
aslant the eastern SKY.
To the captain and the crew who have
not heard of the exis tenre OF the largest
searchight in the world upon the top OF
the lofty BOnet tower the strange freaks
Of the queer celestial visitant-fer such
they usually suppose It-are never-erd-
ing source of. wonder from the time that
their ship approaches TO within 100 miles
u Ddu i ldnOloCO LAY utLb4l IL lCdCliCS pOlts
According TO those on board Of the Ger
man ship Alice, the ships Elwell and Ivy,
all recent arrivals, the light is visible
fully sixty miles at sea. Some SHIPPERS
claim that they have noticed it blinking
at distance OF nearly a. hundred miles.
They have been at a loss TO account for
the phosphorus glow. and many a con-
sultatiOn on main and poop decks has
been held to determine the nature Of the
chickering's that look so much at times like
the reflection ola distant confederation.
Other commanders who have studied the
light through glass from distance of
fifty miles say that they have been a bic 10
distinguish its fan-like figure shape, and
thus have arrived az conclusion as to
what it really IS. '-:-
The seaman's curiosity is not satisfied
By closer approach to the object of his
surprise, for as the good ship1OgS off the
knots and draws nigh to the shore first a
ring OF fire dances alb Ut her bows, then a
long, thin thread or white lies against the
dark horizon from north 10 south. Some
times this thread assumes quaint shapes.
If the sky is broken by clouds it is Wayy
and steady, while if the sky be clear it
swings about Ike the arrow of a weather
vane sweeping all points Of the compass.
occasionally remaining stationary at diff
fOrent angles -. -:
When. pointed toward the Marin shore
it spans: the gate entrance with q bridge
of translucent brilliancy. beneath which
glimmeTs in weak comparison the rays of
the Fort Point lighthouse, From the
Earal0nes he illumination can be dis
tiqetly Yiewfd and its variety of colOrs
and shapes are beautiful in their effect.
On a clear night from that point it appears
10 the naked eye as an intensely brilliant
comet, with an appendage Of magnificent
proportions. ..''. -.
At twenty miles off shore the light can
be best seen and appreciated when turned
directly north or south at an angle, say of
q bout 20 degrees. In either of these posi-
tons its lllumlnarY lines can be traced as
far south as a point over Miilbrae and as
far north as point about over BOlnas
Bay. This IS, of course, a rough ealcua-
tlon. The power of observable penetTa-
ton of Its rays are greatly enhanced by a
very light mist, not exactly fog, in which
case the illuminaTY lines can be made out
to reflect to nearly twice the distance men
toned.
From distance of ten miles the effect
of the rapid shifting of the electrical re-
flector is startling. a change Of focus
means livid fash, like the explosion of
powder. Through a glass the tower is
visible, and the secret of the astonishing.
pyrotechnic display i made known to. the
mystifed ships company. $500
By far the most interesting and curious
freak of the light as seen from The. sea is
It's effect upon landwaTd rolling fog. AS
each bank of mist crosses the path of its
rays it is transformed into a mass Of semi
-. luminous Vapor that rushes mady along
as if to avoid being subjected to the search
ing gaze Of the big eye in the tower. Cur
tains of white drape the shaft Of fire and
wrap about it like fleecy lengths Of trans
parent gauZe. The fog seems ashamed of
having been discovered, ana continues to
Irvine its folds about the intruding luster.
Colored glasses placed in front of the
reflector add greatly to the display OF the
aerial figures The green, the blue, the
red and the orange are each shown with
marked distinctness, and Jack has in
consequence Of the various shades lent by
them dubbed the searchlight "The Cali
fornia Anrora -