The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1896-05-02
WONDERS OF NASSAU.
A Phosphorescent Lake That Is Luminous
ut Night.


A Phosphorescent Lake That Is Luminous
at Night.
Having in remembrance old Sampson
Stamp, of Key West, the discoverer of
the sea gardens at Nassau, we took q
pilot and sailboat the following morn
ing and sailed some four miles up the
channel. There we disembarked in a
rowboat with a glass bottom, made By
inserting 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 I'M
agination I 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, besides many
aEgelfish, all yellow like a 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, pur-
pie, yellow and white. The water was
clear as air, and, pointing to some es-
pecially 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 a tug and
away came to the top, fan in hand. In
deed, God hath wrought marvellous
things in this world of His, but nothins,
of greater bewitching fancy than the
sea gardens of Nassau.
When night came and before the
moon was up 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
shore what q mighty change was
wrought! Two small out-swimmers,
the hue of the surrounding darkness.
accompanied our boat of fire, for suci.
it seemed. Like two human torches our
darlkies swan by our side as in cloud
of phosphorescentf fire. At the slight
est disturbance the whole surrounding
water lit up like molten silver. Each
boys toes and fingers were as though
the sun shone on them, and fish darted
through the quiet water-like shy-rock-
cts, leaving glittering trail behind.
The light was SO vivid could see the
time by my watch, and when 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 went in swim
ming, 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, I
went to the bathroom, which could
easily darken, to change some photo
plates in my holders. When about to
pull the slides noticed the phosphores-
cence, which I had brought from the
lake, shining from my bare feet and Civ
ing so much white light had to cover
them with a towel before I dared ex-
pose the plates to what a moment be-
fore had been intense edarkness.-Forest
and Stream.