The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-02-11

q sandstorm-Lfghth houses as Obsts-
eIes.
(From the Washington Evening Star. } F.:
Suez Canals humphi
"I've been around the Horn and Two
been through the canal-a dozen times
each way. We OF the China trade know
both trails equal, well, and IL matters
little to sailor which his owners order
him to take
at isn't pleasant coming by the Caps
Horn way. There are sure 10 be icsberRs
and storms. snow. fog and gales, and 20 !
take your chance Of terrible bammerinG
every time you invade the southern do
mains Of Boreas.
but the things man 10 prepared for
are less trying In realization than thoss
that come to vex him from unsuspec,ed
sources In unusual ways. And In my
opinion, the Suez Canal can turn up
more uncsnny troubles for sailor u an
he's likely 10 meet OF the Horn. That
d. ont sound likely. but It's true
SO spoke First Onlcer Best OF the Big
Mogul liner Ghazee. Just arrived from
Hong Kong with n sargo OF tee and .
story OF weird experiences ct sea and In
the Suez Canal
1T can't be regarded rs proper and
decent for ship to run right over q
lighthouse and tear 1t down. continued
MIR. Best solemnly. "I3ut that Is the un-
natural thing the british steamer Strath-
ard. that went through the canal ahead
a.. 80 - -. go, -,
Oh Us, a'u' Aou NOR po'p", "om osp'
Mcintyre down, are not to 10 blamed In
tho slightest degree for the accident.
nuo,- a,a a, h.n,ans M,r.na-a.. A
nv" VI" "api
mirage-lhe OF thoss cusseo mo my
things | was speaking Of that make IL
NOR, bother to come through e Mt canal
-, -. IT,, 81 49,,
tnsh 70 'ros a'oun" 'nc n"r" u"us' e""-
vas
1.-The Strathard was stesming slow
you are only allowed to 20 six knots
through the canal-and one OF the canal
company's crack pilots Vas on the bridge
and in charge. That was on Nov. IL 1t
O'Clock In the morning.
The ship was Just passing into the Bit.
ter lakes section of the ditch-whsre
Moses aud his Israelites turned toward the
Red Sea IN their flight fIom Egypt: at
least, that's where the natives say they
turned
ait was broad daylight, Of course, and
the lighthouse, a tower eighty fee. high,
built on piles driven into the sand at
the bottom OF the canal doomed up.
laring white, apparently about three
M les off the port bow. The lantern 10
kept burning all the time. fed by com
pressed gas
How far OF Is that lightt' Capt. Nc
Intyre asked the pilot
About three miles the man an
swercd. "Just then the Qusrtermaster
on watch sounded the nonr on tine snip
bell for'ard IL was three bells.
"Now, l don't know, and nobody else
knows, what influences u bell has on de
sert miragss but as soon as the 3 .rathard y
bell sounded that lighthouse Just seemed
TO run toward the ship and brought up,
all standing. right under her ows.
1.-THE Stratbard was steam ng half sped
but she couldn't be stoi ped, and she
went right through that ing TN use and
scattered II over the placid surface OF the
water like kindling wood. The ship
got TO Port said next day leaking like d
lobster pot 1t cost lot oil money to get
her ixed up and pumped out, and then,
by Jove, the canal company's officers had
the nerve to come aboard and demand
ing down their blooming lighthouse,
when it was one of their own pilots that
did IL!
Those mirages OF the cesert are won
derful things" continued Mr.. Best reflec-
lively. Under ordinary conditions from
the deck OF ship passing through the
canal we can see the desert stretch ng
awsy for miles, giitering waste OF
sand, so glazing white under the tropical
sun that it almost blinds ones eyes TO
look long at 1t. But when mirage 90.
ours one sees marvellous tn ngs-or thinks
he sees.
The effect Is that OF a double horizon,
one merging into the other Arabs
mounted on camels ana ciu mps of palm
trees will appear where moment before
there was nothing vi Ia but barren
waste OF sand "a far as The eys can reach
Distances and relative positions are en-
tirely confused. An object that appears
to be I've miles away may be twenty and
one that looks to be twenty miles inland
may be- right under the ships forcfoot
It's u canny. positively uncanny.
- Then there are sandstorms. TOO to
make navigation OF the canal trial to
mariners. They're worse than mirases.
SesInen are used to storms that pelt and
beat and blind them with clean salt spray
or hail wind driven and meroilsss. But
. q IN I'm n "A