The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-10-30
ONE WONDER OF THE WORLD.
Il Curious Little Island in the Gulf
of Mexico.
From the Denver Times.)

"A days sal from New Orleans lies
Snail Isle, a strange and lonely island
with a broad low sandy beach that
changes color with every flow OF the tide
says Y. Burne Zelieks, OF the Crescent
City, who was at the Oxford Hotel yes
teTday.
Mr.. Zelieks is man of wealth and leis-
ure, whose chief delight is yachting. and
the outlines of his stanch and handsome
yacht, the Sea Gull, are familiar to the
seafaring men in Southern waters. He is
fond of the Gulf of Mexico and spends
his winters cruising along its shores.
g Snail Isle, as the sailors call it" said
Mr.. ZeEeks, is scarcely more than two
miles long. Half covered by the warm
waters of the gulf at high tide, it seems
to- bear a charmed existence. Other isl
ands larger and higher than it have been
swept away by the heavy storms. Yet the
little, low-lying island is as large today
as it 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 she'll strewn beach the gilded bits
OF earth glisten in the sunlight. But
when the tide GIBBS seward in obedience
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 1t for the first
time rub their eyes lest they be dream
ing AS the tide recedes the purple
deepens, and the once bright gIittering
beach becomes dark as the royal robes
of an empress. Old sailors who have
sailed around the world gaze at the bach
in bewiIderment. They have never seen
its like before. It is a sight never to be
forgotten; an astounding spectacle which
fills the hearts of the tiniid with super
stitious dread of the unknown. Scientific
men are startled at the phenomena and
begin to ponder over the cases OF chem
zeal 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 ever sea and land
The sands of the isle seemed more truly
golden than any l had ever seen before
The tide, which had been at a standstll
for a few moments, began to turn back
to the ocean. Fascinated by the beauty
of the beach with its waving fringe Of
green Ieaved palms, stood by the bow
spirit gazing shoreward
Suddenly the color seemed to darken.
Astonished, l glanced more keenly at the
scene Over the broad expanse Of glim-
mering sand a purple wave was spread
ing What can it beg | wondered.
Richer and richer grew the purple hue,
and l realized that my eyes were not
deceiving. Beside NE, smiling with sat-
isfaction at my astonishment, stood our
pilot Bob AIler. In answer to my hasty
question he ordered the gig lowered and
silently stepped into the boat. / fol-
lowed and away We were swiftly rowed
toward the shore. AS we drew near
beheld upon the beach myriads of little
crawling purple objects Springing ashore
as the boat touched sand picked up one oil
the tiny spots Of color. 1t was snail
Wonderfully purple in hue and as large
as peanuts, the strange erustaeeans bad
colored the beach. When the tide falls
they issue forth from the wet sand ii
search of food with remarkable rapidity
The old adages about the slowness OF
| snails would not apply to the purple ones
| on Snail Isle. They have elongated bodies
and can crawl almost as rapidly as small
| crabs. Thay are delicious tidbits wheI
| daintily cooked, and after the suggestion
! OF Captain Allen we ate many of them
! Their shells are singular1y beautiful whe1
| first secured, but soon fade into a dull
grey color There are many beautiful
| islands along the Gulf coast, but none ha.
for me the attraction of Snail Isle.,'