Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-02-01
REAL WILL-O'-THE-WlSPS

lie Oninion's r~anslations) The phenom-
ono, known as will-o'-thc-wisp appears
SO rarely that it's existence mas oeeh
doubted by some scientists. III IS op-
served most frequently in SraVeyaIuS
and in muddy channels. In gfaVeyaruS
where the gas escapes from the SOIL WITH
out traversing a layer of water the WILL
o'~-the-visD takes the form Of a long
flame. in the water the gas escapes in
bubbles that take fire on reaching the
air, producing, when the air IS cairn'
white wreaths of phosphoric anhydride.
These phenomena can be reproduced ar
tifcially with all their characteristics
nv burying in most soil or by throwing
into water some calcium ~phosphlde, a
substance prepared by causing pnos-
phorous vapor to pass over red-hot llne'
Under the action Of the water the phos-
phide gives off the gases Hydrogen ana
hydrogen ~phosphide, which infiame spon-
taneously on coming into contact with
the oxygen of the air. The white rings
are due to the combustion of the phos-
phorus, which gives rise to phosphoric
a~nhydride, a white powder that taxes the
form of wreaths. The formation OF
wreaths is due solely to the issue Of
smoke through the circular opening made
by the bubble in issuing from the water.
All smoke. while escaping suddenly
through a circular hole forms similar
Wreaths. .. .. *..r
7 had occasion during the months Of
| August and September last to observe
some very numerous and intense Will-o'-
the-wisps in the port Of Croisic (Loire-
Inferieure). During several evenings, es-
pecially about the middle of August, the
production of will-o'-the-wisps became
so abundant and manifested itself so
much energy that the phenomenon was
| noticed by all the bathers and sailors on
the quays. The sailors were particularly
astonished, for these Will-o'-the-WispS
were entirely new to them.
The captain of the port of Croisic, al
though he had lived many years in the
place. said that this was the first time
in his life that he had ever seen these
singular lights. 1t is unnecessary to add
that both hathers and sailors gave the
most fantastic explanations of the pho
nomenon. l own it to the truth to con-
TESS that at first l thought it was the
trick of some chemist, who was amusing
himself by throwing INTO the sea sticks
of calcium phosphide; but this %hypOthe-
sis was not admissible. The bubbles
were so large that TO produce them there
would have been required sticks of huge
dimensions, not found in commerce.. Be
sides, the Will-o'-the-wisps r~eappeared
every evening and over a considerable
extent OF water, so that it would have
been necessary to undergo a large eX-
pense, quite disproportionate to a simple
practical joke. [ never saw any one
throw the smallest object into the sea.
Finally, all my doubts We're removed by
the fact that the bubbles of gas, which
were very large in August, during the
season of thunderstOrmS became smaller
and smaller during September as the
temperature fell. Toward September 20,
when the phenomenon ceased, only very
- II .ll N,.
they were more numerous and scattered
over a very great surface.
1t was then necessary to conclude that
the productive cause of the ~phosphuret-
ted hydrogen underwent variations cor
responding to the changes Of temperature
and electric state of the atmosphere. Just
as certain ferments decompose mineral
and organic bodies rich in sulphur and
produce sulphuretted hydrogen, so there
must exist in the waters Of the port of
Croisic ferments hitherto unknown, ca
pable of ~decomposing phosphates and or
ganic substances rich in phosphorus, set
ting free phosphuretted hydrogen. Now
we know how atmospheric conditions act
on ferments. On certain days, especially
during thunderstorms milk sours with
prodigious rapidity and meat also spoils
in a few hours.
| will close by giving some details re-
garding the production of the will-O'-the-
wisps. These were very large and repro
duced on a large scale the Well-knOwn
experiment of bubbles of phosphuretted
hydrogen obtained by the action of water
on calcium phosphide. I observed plain
ly the formation of the white fumes Of
~phosphoric anhydride and the character
istic odor of garlic. Wreaths were not
produced, because of the constant agita-
ton of the air.
The bubbles occurred principally in the
two basins that adjoin the fish market,
whence the refuse is often cast into the
water, especially the heads of sardines.
They rose somewhat in all parts of these
localities where the tide would heap up
the refuse. This part of the port of Croi-
sic is very clean, and contains no mud.
The bubbles sometimes reached an enor-
nous size. / saw flashes so bright that
the whole port was illuminated as If by
| lightning. I noticed sometimes, but quite
rarely, regular series Of bubbles in a
straight line, as if the substance from
which the bubbles were escaping were
carried along by the current.