Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1895-07-10
FISH FROM CLOUDS.
Some Curious Phenomena which
Have Been Observed.
SHOWERS OF BLOOD, MILK AND FISH
Things Capable OF Natural Explanation
Recent Phenomena Analysed = FISH
Living in the Air.

1t would be tedious to make a list OF
all the recorded showers of blood, begin
ming with Homer, who relates that
shower fell upon the heroes Of Greece
who tried conclusions with the heroes
of Troy. A few may be mentioned as
specimens of very long list. Gregory
of Tours says that in $50 A. d., "A
shower of blood fell over tie district
about Paris. Many persons had their
clothes stained with it, and cast them
off in terror" In 1117 A. D., showers
of blood as we'll as subterranean noises
occurred in Lombardy during struggle
for freedom, there, an so important was
the matter thought that meeting OF
bishops was held at Milan to consider
the origin of them. I'm 1881, during
the month of March, there was a con-
slant rain of blood for three days IN
France and Germany; luminous cross
(probably halo) was visible IN the
skies"
"On March ia. 1918. one of these
strange red showers fell in the kingdom
of Naples and the Two Calabrias, con-
sisting of large drops of reddish rain,
which many persons took for blood and
others for fire. At last, as night ad-
vanced, the air became clear, the thun-
der and lightning ceased, and the in
habitants regained their self-posses-
sion."
Modern knowledge has no difficulty
in accounting for this last description,
and many similar ones. A storm sweep
ing over the southern part OF Italy
would be the "tail end" of one OF those
cyclones which sweep the deserts OF
Africa, says writer in the Philadel-
phia Press. During such storm the
air is filled with particles of earth.
which are carried to immense distances
and deposited again in the rain. In
one case, which also occurred in the
same part of Italy mentioned above, tf @
rain was collected and its burden ex-
amined. The substances found were
silica, aluminium, lime, chrome, iron and
carbonic acid.
Volcanic eruptions may also charge
the air with minute PARTICLES, which
: may be held in suspension at immense
J heights, as in the famous eruption OF
} 1881, attended by such remarkable sum
sets. These particles will ultimately
descend in the clouds, and finally in
the rain. Hence we may have colors
other than red, and, in fact, there have
been showers of milk" from white
earth having been carried either by
hurricanes or eruptions. In 629, accord
ing to Obsequens, there was such
shower at Veies. In $40 streams OF
milk flowed into the Roman lake.
The skeptic will have diffiulty in
dealing with fish on land, but he may
readily endeavor to get rid of the pro-
dizzy of frogs and worms falling from
the skies by advancing the theory that
these creatures, lying inactive in a
long, dry season. are suddenly reused
to activity by heavy shower of rain.
There is great truth in this. and
doubtless in many instances the ap-
pearance of frogs after rain is due to
it, but there are abundant well -authen-
ticated narratives which prove the
possibility of the animals named being
carried up into the clouds by cyclones.
J whirlwinds, wateIsouts and similar
commissions of the atmosphere.
Curiously enough, DIR. Frank Buck
land. the eminent pisciculturist and
naturalist, was doubter. 1t is worth
while to give briefly the incident which
converted him. At Merthyr Tydvil, in
South Wales, a fall of fish occurred, of
which an account was given by the
Rev. Aaron Roberts: 1.-The fish fell in
and about the premises of A. Nixon.
and nowhere else. and that in a shower
of heavy rain about a. M, which
lasted from twenty minutes to half an
hour. They fell in such abundance
that they were noticed coming down
the water pipes from the tops of the
houses thickly. and as falling with and
in the rain upon the roofs A man
holding a bucket at the end of the pipe
stated that the bucket filled quickly
with rain water, accompanied with the
fish, at the proportion of two or three
hundred to a bucketful of the water.
They fell ali at the same time and
without any interval. 1t had rained
heavily before and continued to do so
afterward i'll the course of the day and
morning without intervals. but no fish,
either before or after the particular
shower referred to, came down in the
rain" Mr. auckland, who was at
that time recognized as great author
ity on fish, had several sent to him and
pronounced them to be the fry OF the
common minnow.
Mr.. Francis also described others as
stickleback. Some were sent by Rev.
T. Griffiths to Mrs. Mares, of the
Atheneum Club. who gave them to
Prof. Owen. and they were placed by
him in an aqurium in the Royal Zoo
logical gardens. where they lived and
thrived. Anyone acquitted with fish
will see how very small the involun-
tary travellers were. and it is well to
note this, for we must not expect that