The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-02-12

the stone balustrade with its Grecian
urns that he is in what was once
preentious garden.
There is a courteous manager who
explains the peculiarities If the water,
and after a little delay the tourists
are placed in a row boat. The negro
at the oars is very uncommunicative
man. He does not say a word during
the entire trip. AS the boat Is pushed
away from the stone landing the man
ager signals to little girl who has
been sitting on the railing. with a
rush she darts into the water atter
the boat. Her every movement is fol-
lowed by a trial of fire. Then you note
that every time the oars touch the
water there is a yellow light Some
distance from the shore the oarsman
stops rowing and the girl swims along
side. Then with a sudden shove she
darts her body few feet back, and
treading water, you note that her legs,
body and arms are all aglow with
golden radiance. With her withy move
ment her skirt sweeps around, and as
she slowly moves her arms, they seem
to be on fire. 1t is a splendid sight,
Loie Fuller never did a skirt dance
like this. While you watch it with
amazement, she suddenly sinks be-
meath the surface. Then from the cur
ly hair to the tips of her feet every
part of her body is distinctly illumin-
| ated with the golden glow. Slowly,
with graceful stroke she swims un-
der water and directly under the boat,
rising some distance beyond. Perhaps
she will float silently, without move
ment on the surface of the clear wat
er, until every particle of light has
| died away. Without warning, with a
strange cry she will suddenly make n
| great splash. Every particle of the dis
| turbed water is aglow with the strange
| light, she looks like a fury risen from
| the Internal regions and struggling in
| the fiery lake. Then, as you watch her
| slowly swim ashore, followed by a
| pathway of radiance, you realize that
nature may produce effects more start
| ling than those brought out by all the
art of the stage carpenter and gas
| man.
ALMOST INCREDIBLE.
What you have seen is the prelude
| to what is to follow. The guide now
rows the boat over to the farther shore
| where the shadows of the trees are
| deepest in the dim starlight The wat
| er is not deep here, perhaps three or
| four feet. He lets the boat drift along.
| There is an uncanny sensation as you
| see from out of the depths of the water
a fiery streak shoot like a falling star
| towards the center. Your voice sounds
| strange as you ask the negro, what
was that?" He does not answer.
Perhaps your companion suggests
| that it is a fish. A minute more and
| from a dark sheet of water number
of streaks shoot out from a common
center, just like the bursting of a shell.
| If you keep silent, you may here see
one of the big fish, for there are a
great many in the pond of all kinds,
swimming in his own light. AS the
| boat moves along under the shadow of
| the trees, every dip OF the oars pro-
duces a blue, sulphurous-like flame in
| the water. Every now and then, half a
dozen startled fishes shoot out like a
sunburst in the water, making zig-zag
lines and a display of golden light fin
| er than fireworks.
The brightest phosphorescence is seen
| over by the ocean hole. This is the
! deepest part of the lake. 1t is matter
or difficulty to get the guide to take
the boat there Here the pathway OF
the boat is all aglOw with yellow light
| which seems to lnger after the dis
turbance that caused it has ceased The
slightest splash of the oars produces
bright yellow spray. and the stroke
| produces a whirlpool of fire from the
| center of which, with its blue and yell
| low light, you half expect to see the
horns and head of the familiar spirit
| of the fiery regions rise.
| AS the boat is turned towards the
| landing once more a cloud may pass
! over the lake casting a dark shadow
| the cool breeze drifts across, sending
a chill to your heart, as you see il
| ruffle the surface between you and land
| and turns the slightest ripple into a
| wave of fire Then in the silence, the
darkness and the glow of the water
you realize why the negro has a sup
erstitious dread of the place.
EXPLANATION.
| The lake is always a good show at
night. The phosphorescence is so viv-
| i'd that even on a bright moonlight
night, it far exceeds that seen on the
sea when dark and stormy.
The finest sight at this remarkable
natural wonder is on a dark. stormy
| NNNlllllS, NlltIl lllG DlttAS Is lItSH anu
strong, lashing the calm water into
| little white caps. The effect is grand
| 1t is a sea of fire. The whole lake
| is ablaze with the blush light while
| where the waves break into foam they
seem to be turned into flames and one
thinks that it must be enchantment
| that keeps the forest on the farther
shore from catching fire. Yet they are
| cold, uncanny flames, almost the kind
that would form fitting foothold for
a gigantic Satan. At the season of the
tropical rains, the lake is said to be
| even better During a heavy shower
every splash of a rain drop means a
brilliant display of phosphorescence
and the effect of a rain of fire is pro-
duced. The lake resembles a perfect
inferno.
The explanation of this remarkable
hosphorescence given by the manager
is that there is always a very rank
growth of vegetable matter, both on
the banks and on the bottom of the
pond. Then there many fish of differ
ent species i'm the water, these two
causes, the decaying vegetable matter
and the fish, he thinks, produce the
growth which causes the light.
THIRTY MILES FOR AN ACORN.