The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1898-02-05
r1irages.
Whom the fnirv sllnres

|
,,c-When the fairy shores ofmirag
A mlrage-,wonderfui trick O
Dame Nature-how many hay,
ever bebeld one of these grant
Kaleidoscope scenes pictured IN
on the walls of the heavens +?
Philosophers and travellers have
given us valuable and interesting
descriptions of this strange phe-
nomena which has been observed
at dlfferentstimes and places from
time immemoral, hence n dis
course upon the nature of the mi
rage is unnecessary at this late
date. '
Suffice to write of the few re-
markable reflections seen in own
skies above the Bay of ST. Louis.
Some time during the civil war
q party of young folks Grabbing
from the wharf situated in front
or the now romantic old brick
house at present the property of
the well known Mr.. Louis Leon
hard, beheld a startling mirage on
the horizon above Wolf river. 1t
was a perfect picture of a field on
winch a battle had apparently
lately been fought.
'Strewn about the ground were
prostrate men and houses, also a
few fallen trees, while in the dis
lance troops seemed to be march
ing away
1t all only lasted few minutes
then gradually faded away, leay,
ing the young folks greatly excit-
ed. What battle the sky wonder
fully mirrored they never learned
One evening during the year of
1883 as the Cat Island lighthouse
schooner Daisy was flying "wing
and wing" through Pass Marian.
a gentleman aboard her suddenly |
beheld a mirage almost directly |
above the Daisy's topmast. The |
scene reIsained long enough for
him to discern a lonely waste of |
water In which drifted a disman-
tied ship half sunk beneath the
waters. AS there had been sever
al wrecks of ships the year before
perhaps it was one of those the
sky reflected.
During the summer of 1885 a
lady seated on the gallery of her
nome at Cedar point suddenly
'alsed her eyes from her sewing
md saw u most beautiful mirage
lpon the horizon above Bayou
Portage. Tho scene was charac-
eristic of Switzerland. There
we're the picturesque mountains
iotted by chalets here and there
A lake with numerous smoll is.
ands lay at the foot of the noun
ain. In the lake row boats could
,e almost distinctly seen among
he little islands.
This mirage lasted about ten
Then the shadows of
wllight gradually hid the glorious
picture from view.
In the spring of 1891, almost
the writer first and last
aw a mirage. 1t appeared in the
kies just about between Hender-
on,s Point and between the dlaw-
'rldge. 1t seemed very much like
me of those pictures one often
ees of ancient ruins in Athens,
1reece. Only a few Corinthian
pillars standing erect among a
'reat pile of fallen masonry. Fur
her away appeared similar ruins,
While in the distance seen through
mist was a city.
This mirage was of small di-
nensions, and not as easily dis
'erned as those others here des-
ribbed.
Old sailors are fond Of telling
If the wonderful mirages they're
cen out at Cat Island. From
What they say one would judge
he colors of the mirage are from.
pink to a glowing crimson.
others claim to have seen mirages
If a yellowish color. also of
mixed blue and red
Tradition says mirages seen
long the coast in the days gone
~ were regarded by the Indians
n a superstitious light, and many
interesting tale is told about the
ubject. f. G. CONSTANCE.
Bay ST. Louis, Miss, Feb. 1898.
State Penitentiary Farms.