Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-09-21
M|RACES FOOL EXPLORERS
Lands Mirrored in Arctic Sky
Which Fade with the Mist.
Instances Are Related Similar to Tint
Reported by Ensign Fitzhugh
Green who Searched for
CroclSer Land.


New York Evening Post The latest
case that Of Crocker Land, reported by
commander Peary, and later said to
have been mirage by Ensign Fitzhugh
Green, Is only one OF many tricks which
strata Of air heated to varying Temporal
lures have played upon Arctic and Ant
artic travellers. A Operti. who was on
the Peary expeditions of 1895 and 1897
has made a sketch In oils of one such
appariton, and It now rests on n desk In
the office OF Dr. Chester A. Reeds. as
sistant curator Of the American Museum
of natural history.
Mr. Operti has himself seen mrages
from Edgewater, n. j., across the Hud-
son. On foggy mornings, shortly after
the sun had risen and was still invisible
because of the fog. he has seen reflec-
lions Of the sun on the ice of the Hud-
son River below the bank Of fog Marin
ers in Arctic waters. he said. make use
of this refraction when the sun is In
visible by resting the point of the blade
OF a pocketltnife on thumbnail, sur
ficient shadow being cast by the knife
to enable them to determine the suns
position.
Or. Reeds gave many instances of tho
mirages and apparitlons which havs
been seen by Arctic explorers. many of
them recorded in the journals and ac-
counts of early voyages Of discovery
CAPT. SCORESBY'S ACCOUNT.
One of the early accounts is that Of
Gait w. Scoresby published IN his "Ac-
CONT of the Arctic Regions" in 1870,
which is as follows:
~ most extraordinary appearance Of
the foreland OF Charles's Island spitz-
bergen. occurred on the 10th of July.
1914. While sailing to the southwark
along the coast, with an easterly wind,
! observed what appeared to be noun
tain. In the form OF a slender but elevat-
ed monument. l was surprised that I
had never seen 1t before but was more
astonished when ! saw. not far distant.
prodigious and perfect arch thrown
across valley of above league in
breadth, The neighboring mountains dis
closed the cause. by exhibiting an I'M
natural elevation, with the columnat
structure of looming objects Presently
the scene was changed; the mountains
along the whole coast assumed the most
fantastic forms. the appearance of
castles with lofty spires. towers. and
hattlements would in a few minutes be
converted into a vast arch of romantic
bridges. The land was not alone af-
fected by this peculiar refraction, since
every object between the northeast and
southeast points Of the compass was
more or less DETECTED by it. A mass of
ice ON the horizon appeared Of the height
OF cliff and the prismatic structure of
its front suggested the idea of basaltic
columns"
Camille Flammarion also reports that
very frequently Admiral Wrangell and
his companions believed they saw noun
tains of a Blush color. whose shapes
were clearly defined. and between which
they believed they could discern valleys
and even rocks. But just as they We're
CONCENTRATING themselves on having dis
covered the long sought land, the BLUSH
mass. carried away by the wind extend
ed on each side. and finally embraced
the whole horizon
Under the name of mirage" said DR.
Reeds, I'VE designate those optical appari
tions caused by "A peculiar state of the
densities Of the atmospheric strata In
consequence of these variations distant
objects appear either deformed trans
ported to a certain distance, or mvert-
ed and reflected
JUST WHAT HAPPENS.
THE phenomena occur when the light
rays through whose agency we see OBJ
II
caused by differences of density in the
strata of the air they pass through
When luminous ray penetrates from q
less dense into more dense medium
1t undergocs a deviation which bends il
nearer to the line perpendicular to tn,
boundaries Of the two surfaces: anG
when it passes from a more dense to 2
less denS" medium, it suffers a deviation
bending IT from tho perpendicular The
mirage Is phenomenon of total re
Election.
10 clearly discern n mirage n person
must not only possess long and very ac-
c'lrate cycsigh', but must also know how
to observe details. and be accustomed to
the view. Yet in certain regions the
mirage is SO plainly evident that it ar
rests the most inattentivc gaze for ex-
ample, in the Gulf of Messna, on III,
sandy plains Of Arabia and Egypt aud
the Great iIains or the United States.
Tine same may be said Of those un
known Islands which rise up in mid
ocean before the astonished navigator
and which lead him astray towards
imaginary lands. Swedish sailors for {
long time went in search of a magic is
land that seemed to rise between those
of Aland and Upland; 1t turned out I,
be only a mirage.
The superior mirage presents three
different aspects. Sometimes the reflec
ton is seen inverted above the objects
and above the former, n second reflec
ton, erect as the object; sometimes tn,
first reflection alone is seen. the uppe
one having disappeared; and, thirdly. tn,
upper reflection remains without any in
verified reflection.
Ne'te''IG H''"e observations upon th'
'eNehsN" tioSai' lSldhd situated AT th'