The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-18
RIVER OF LIGHT AT SEA.
Strange Phenomenon Witnessed In
the Indian Ocean.
From tha .opdon Mail

Strange Phenomenon Witnessed In
the Indian Ocean.
From the London Mail.
In reference to the remarkable phenom-
enon of a white sea- which was wit
messed by some of the crew of the PENN
su.ar and Oriental Company's steamer In
dia during her last homeward voyage, two
correspondents have addressed us on this
subject. William Gardner of Dalveen,
Malcolm road. Wimbledon. says that when
he was chief engineer of the British India
Steam Navigation Company's steamer
Booldana a similar phenomenon to that
reported in the Daily Mail was witnessed
from that vessel. 1t occurred in the year
1880.
ut happened" he says, about II 80 on a
starlight night l was awakened by the
junior deck officer on duty, who brought
a message to me from the captain, asking
why the speed of the ship had been .reduc-
ed, as she was nows going a good knot less
than the speed ordered. At the same time
the officer told me of a wonderful sight
on the sea. l jumped out of my bunk
in my pajamas and was soon able to salts
fly the captain that the engines were still
going at rate that should give the speed
required, but that was sure that the con-
,dltion OF the water must have something
to do with the speed actually attained.
The sea for at least a mile broad and
many miles in length was a bright and sill
very Wilderness. caused by a brilliant phos-
phoFescence, so brilliant that although the
night was dark 1t was quite easy to recog-
nize each others faces by the light as we
leaned over the rail looking at 1t. The
whole thing was well defined at the edges
and seemed like "a river of light in the
sea-
Needless to say, we got all the passen-
gers on deck to see the marvellous sight.
and the watch below was also called for
the same purpose. Being of somewhat
inquring disposition, l got a bucket of
the brightness and put it as lie till day
hight, and on examining it was then found
il was full of little jellihed fishes. about
one inch long and a quarter of an inch
thick, by three-quarters of an inch deep,
ssld these swan on their edges. Each
little fish was highly phosphorescent and
as they were packed so closely together
in the sea, being fully one foot at least
deep, the myriads emitted a combined light
that accounted for the unusal sight We
saw and the mass of them had INSTRUCTED
the passage of the ship on the surface OF
the water.
Probably the recurrence Of this phe-
iiVIhehoh may be accounted for in the
same manner. will only add that the
Following forenoon was remarkable for
the number of whales that were seen at
no great distance from the ship. but
whether this could be connected with the
mass OF little fishes we had passed through
must be matter of conjecture -
George Fl. Bates, late surgeon of the
steamship Electra, and now of Queen Ade-
ialoe dlspensary, Bethnal Green road. e.
says that on referring to his log book he
mas that the same phenomenon as ra-
ported in the Daily Mail occurred on Ian
~ 1871, during his voyage from Alden 20
Bombay. He adds that the time he Wit
messed the strange scene was a. m and
that he was brought up from his berth TO
see 1t. - "