Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1900-12-12
ONE WONDER OF THE WORLD.

i Strange Phen0menoa Of Small Isls Il
| the Gulf Of Mexico.
"A days sail from New Orleans LEI
Snail Isle. q strange and lonely island
with . broad. low. sandy beach that
changes color with every dow Of the
tide" says Y. Burne Zelieks of the
Crescent City, who was at the Oxford
Hotel recently.
Mr.. Zelieks Is man Of wealth and
leisure, whose chief delight Is yachting,
and the outlines Of his stanch and hand
some yacht, the Sea Gull, are familiar
to the seafaring men In southern wa.
ters. He Is fond Of the Gulf of Mexico
and spends his winters cruising along
its shores.
Snail Isle, as the sailors call II, /"
said Mr.. Zelieks, 'is scarcely more
than two miles long. Half covered by
the warm waters Of the gulf at high
tide, 1t seems to bear a charmed exist
ence. Other islands larger and higher
than it have been swept away by the
heavy storms. Yet the little, low-lying
island Is as large to-day as 1t was fifty
years ago. the old sailors tell me.
Its sands are Of golden yellow color,
and when the rising tide spreads over
the wide. shell strewn beach the gilded
bits Of earth glisten in the sunlight
But when the tide ebbs seaward in obe-
dience to that strange power which
moves the world a marvellous change
takes place.
The golden sands become purple as
If by magic. Men who see it for the
first time rub their eyes lest they be
dreaming. AS the tide recedes the pur-
pie deepens, and the once bright gilt
tering beach becomes dark as the royal
robes Of an empress. Old sailors who
have sailed round the world gaze at the
beach in bewilderment. They have
never seen its like before. 1t is a sight
never to be forgotten; an astounding
spectacle which fills the hearts Of the
timid with superstitiOus dread Of the
unknown. Scientific men are startled
at the phenomena and begin to ponder
over the cases Of chemical changes Of
which they have heard and seen.
From the white deck Of the Sea Gull
watched the beach change color one |
winter afternoon. The splendor Of the |
southern sun shone over sea and land. |
The sands of the isle seemed more tru- !
y golden than any had ever seen be- |
fore. The tide, which had been at q |
'tandstill for a few moments, began to |
urn back to the ocean. Fascinated by |
he beauty Of the beach with its wav-
ng fringe of green leaved palms,
stood by the bowsprit gazing shore
ward. Suddenly the color seemed to
larken. Astonished. l glanced more
Ieenly at the scene. Over the broad
'xpanse Of glimmering sand a purple
wave was spreading. What can 1t beT
wondered. Richer and richer grew
he purple hue, and I realized that my
yes were not deceiving. Beside me,
milling with satisfaction at my aston
stood our pilot. Bob Allen. In
nswer to my hasty question he ordered
he gig lowered and silently stepped
nto the boat. l followed and away we
we're swiftly rowed toward the shore.
Is we drew near l beheld upon the
each myriads of little crawling purple
bjects. Springing ashore as the boat
ouched sand l picked up one Of the
iny spots of color. 1t was a snail.
purple in hue and as large
s peanuts, the strange crustaceOns had
olored the beach. When the tide falls
hey issue forth from the wet sand In
earch Of food with remarkable rapidi-
y. The old adages about the slOwness
( snails would not apply to the purple
mes on Snail Isle. They have elOng-
ted bodies and can crawl almost as
apidly as small crabs. They are de
cious tidbits when daintily cooked.
nd after the suggestion Of Capt. Allen
re ate many Of them. Their shells are
lngularly beautiful when first secured,
ut soon fade into a dull gray color.
here are many beautiful islands along
he gulf coast, but none has for me the
ttraction Of Snail Isle." Denver
lines.