Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-04-14
WONDERS or NASSAU.
a Pbosphorescent Lake That Is Lumin
Gus at Night.


Gus at Night.
Having in remembrance the old
Sampson Stamp of Key West, the dis
coverer of the sea gardens at Nassau,
we took pilot and sailboat the follow
Ing morning and sailed some four miles
up the channel, says Forest and Stream.
There we embarked in a rowboat
with a glass bottom, made by insert
ing therein plates of thick glass,
through which the bottom Of the sea
spread out before us like dry land. A
strange feeling crept over me and In
Imagination fancied myself with Jules
Verne on the voyage Of Twenty Thou
sand Leagues Under the Sea" we
could see all the little fishes, minnows
one inch long and larger kinds one
foot, two feet and three feet in length,
some white and black and blue, beside
many angelfish, all yellow like canary,
with bright blue fins and tail, swan by
beneath us. Like the ripe wheat fields
in summer sway to the breeze so there
in the submarine currents waved great
punches of fan-leaf coral, purple, yell
low and white. The water was clear
as air, and, pointing to some especially
beautiful specimens OF rock and fans,
our little darky dove over, and. like
the fish, we could see him swimming
down until at last, clutching the growth
with two hands and feet firmly braced
against the coral, he gave tug and
away he came to the top, fan in hand.
Indeed, God hath wrought marvellous
things in this world of His, but nothing
of greater bewitching fancy than the
gea gardens of Nassau.
When night came and before the
moon was up a drive Of two miles back
on New Providence island brought us
to most interesting work of nature.
A lake some 1000 feet long and 800 feet
wide lay quiet and black as any other
sheet of water at night might do. But
once in a rowboat and showed off from
shore what a mighty change was
wrought! Two small out-swimmers,
the hue OF the surrounding darkness,
accompanied our boat Of fire. for such
it seemed. Like two human torches
our darkies swan by our side as in a
cloud of phosphorescent fire. At the
slightest disturbance the whole sur
rounding water lit up like molten sill
YER. Each boys toes and fingers were
as though the sun shone on them, and
fish darted through the quiet water
like sky-rockets, leaving a glittering
trail behind The light was so vivid
l could see the time by my watch, and
when a wave was sent upward with the
oar the falling drops were like blue
tinted pearls. The movements of our
! boat made enough light to plainly show
the bottom, for the water is from the
ocean and as clear as all that which
nature makes to flow about those lovely
Bahamas. Enticed by the waters
warmth and the hot night, my friend
and l went in swimming, but only for
few minutes. From this swim comes
a story hard to believe, but as true as
gospel. That night, as was my custom
before turning in, went to the bath
room, which / could easily darken, to
change some photo plates in my hold
ers. When about to pull the slides I
noticed the phosphorescence, which
had brought from the lake, shining
from my bare feet and giving so much
white light had to cover them with a
towel before dared expose the plates
to what a moment before had been in
tense darkness.