Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-08-23
NORTHERN LIGHTS ASTHEY
 \ SHINE IN ARCTIC CIRCLE
CONNECTICUT VISITOR TELLS OF sPLENDORs OF AURORA l BOREALIs.

0peCt6Clo O1 WOuOfOuG Bcouty on
 the Coast of IceIand-Its Transient Glory Described in Graphic Style. (By an Eye Witness.)
 Our life on board ship was very trksome. tedious, wearisome, monoto- nous and tiresome. Sometimes, when In ford on the coast of Iceland, we would have visits from some of the natives, which would, in some measure, change the feeling of irk- someness. wearisomeness and tire sopeness which pervaded and per meated both mind and body. But, at this time, the phenomena of nature, viz: the aurora borealis, commonly called the northern lights, gave us intense, ardent and excessive delight. The aurora, in all it's noble, glorious, shining, sparkling and brilliant beauty, shone forth on several nights, and often did we finger on deck with our thoughts, our minds and our souls charmed, entranced, delighted | anu Au0SiAdICu Uy Juc 6IuAut UCduIA- full and magnificent sight. It is im- possible to give a just. an honest. an upright, an exact account of the i'm measurable beauty, greatness, grand eur and magnificence of such a scene. l One evening, about o'clock, re- member well, there were few places where the cerulean sky and the stars could be seen, while I was standing on deck near the bow of the vessel viewing Mars in its meridian passage at this place-all at once a fair, handsome, pretty, graceful and beautiful beam of aurora shot up midway between the stars and the moon. The moon, some S9 or 40 de- grees east of Mars was shining brightly, but also above and below 1t were cirro cumuli clouds.s Between the planets all was clear. The beams of the aurora borealis increased rap- idly. They were of prismatic colors this evening, pea-green predominant ing. The seven simple colors into which light is resolved when trans mitted through a prism are red, orange, yellow, green, blue. indigo and violet.
 | Oh, that I could write on paper the magnificent beauty of this im- posing and gorgeous display!
 The cirri cumu1i, the kind of clouds which were in the Armament tonight, are the most distant of any. The aurora. as 1t frequently ascend ed higher and higher in the heavens, plainly painted It's golden rays upon the face of the clouds, thus proving 1t was at play between me and them. | My delight and ecstasy in the beauty of the scene before me was caught up by the spirit of those around me; thus making 1t an ob- ject worthy of poets pen, worthy oi lasting remembrance.
 | On another occasion, the aurora commenced its capricious, fantastic and weird dances about 1 in the af- ternoon; 1t stretched its arch across the heavens from southeast to west, the whole to the south of the vessel. Though not ats first so. afterwards their base was of prismatic colors. know of no phenomenon more deep- | ly interesting than that which is to be seen in northern attitudes in the | aurora.
 At another time, the heaven is sending forth, emitting and beam- ing with aurora. The act of becom- ing visible to the eye or appearance oi this phenomenon Is quite changed from what 1t had been. Now, the aurora jumps up, springs forth and shoots forward in beams scattered over the whole canopy of the heav- ems. all tending to meet at zenith. How various and multitudinous and changeful are the scenes presented in one hour by the aurora! This evening, the changes are rapid and magnificent. Casting the eye in one direction, 1 view the instantaneous flash of the aurora. shooting up and spreading out It's beautiful rays. gliding this way, then returning, swinging to and fro like the pendu- lum of mighty clock.
 cast my eyes to another part; there. instantaneous changes are go- ing on. close my eyes for a mo- ment; the scene has changed for an- other of seemingly greater beauty. Tn truth, If one were to catch the glowing heavens at each instant now passing, his varied vfewb would num- Der thousands in one hour.
 Who but God could conceive such infinite scenes of glory? Who but God could execute them, painting the heavens in such gorgeous dis play? How lovely are Thy tabernacles. o Lord of Hosts! My soul longeth and fainteth for the courts of the Lord.
 Again, the aurora presented new phase, rays shooting athwart the southwestern sky parallel with the horizon. Later. 1t seemed to me as If the very doors of heaven had been opened. 90 mighty and beauteous and marvellous were the waves of golden light. that. for . few mo- ments, swept across the azure deep. breaking forth anon into floods of wondrous glory. have witnessed many displays of the northern lights.