Before They Were UFOs

Records of the Seasons, 1883

2012-02-02T12:18:00.000-08:00

(page 23)

[circa] 1122 ... there were many shipmen on the sea and on fresh water who said that they saw in the north-east a great and broad fire near the earth, which at once waxed in length up to the sky, and the sky separated into four parts, and fought against it as if it would quench it, but the fire nevertheless waxed up to the heavens. The fire they saw in the dawn, and it lasted so long till it was light over all.

from Chronology; or, A Concise View of the Annals of England, 1769

2012-02-02T12:09:00.000-08:00

(page 51)

[circa] 1394 ... An apparition of fire was seen in diverse places in England, in several forms; sometimes like a turning wheel, burning; sometimes like a barrel, with flames gushing out of the head; and sometimes like a long burning lance. When it appeared to any persons, it would go as they went, and stop as they stopped.

from The Church Historians of England, 1854

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(page 795)

In this year, truly, several people saw a sign; in appearance it was a fire: it flamed and burned fiercely in the air; it came near to the earth, and for a little time quite illuminated it; afterwards it revolved and ascended up on high, then descended into the bottom of the sea; in several places it burned woods and plains. There was no man who knew with certainty what this divined, nor what this sign signified.

In the country of Northumberland this fire showed itself; and in two seasons of one year were these demonstrations.

from Force and Nature, Charles Frederick Winslow, 1869

2012-02-02T10:43:00.000-08:00

(page 460)

... such or similar will-o'-the-wisps exist not alone in the marshes, and are not the only examples of spontaneous aerial combustion or luminosity that have been seen. So remarkable a phenomenon of this class was witnessed by myself in South America, in May 1865, that I am induced to give it permanent record in this connexion, inasmuch as so important a fact is not only a contribution to knowledge, but may also excite more active inquiry into the nature and causes of such spectral lights.

At the time mentioned, I was engaged in a geological reconnaissance along the coast region of the province of Piura, Peru, accompanied by two American companions, and an Indian attendant. We halted one day at dark, about half way between the river Piura, or town of Sachura, and Point Aguja, within sound of the waves of Sachura Bay. The leaden sky and damp bleak wind common to that locality between sunset and sunrise were chilling us long before we made our beds on the drifting sand of that Sahara-like region.

Sleeping little, I observed for much of the night that the cloudy sky only broke sufficiently to permit occasional glimpses of the stars. Toward morning it was more densely overcast, and bleaker than ever. Tired of discomfort, I summoned my companions before daylight in order to get breakfast and prepare for an early start.

We had barely risen, when one of them, an old resident of Paita, exclaimed, "Why, doctor, there is the British mail steamer bound south." I looked westward, over the Bay of Sachura; and there, sure enough, apparently a long way off, were two orange-coloured lights, each with a conspicuous train, and one just ahead of the other, resembling the flames or light from two smoke-stacks.

But, as I regarded them intently, I was struck with the rapidity and inequality of their motion, which seemed to increase and waver from moment to moment. They appeared, indeed, to be chasing each other. They were moving horizontally at almost the same level, only a few feet from the surface of the land or water, and with greater rapidity than it was possible for any steamer to move.

At first, supposing them far off at sea, I was surprised at the quickness of their motion and transient variations of relative distance; and soon became convinced that they issued from no steamship's funnels, but were luminous objects of some sort, one following or chasing the other, not many thousands of yards, perhaps feet, away.

I called the attention of my companions to these points; and they came to similar conclusions. What were these lights? Our curiosity became intensely excited. They would vanish for a moment as the low dunes toward the bay intervened, and appear again moving swiftly southward, sometimes almost coming together, then separating, and never more than ten or fifteen feet apart, and each showing bright yellow luminous trains two or three feet long; both objects strongly brilliant, but not defined with clear outlines. In a word, they resembled large flaming torches without smoke in hot pursuit one after the other, just above the surface of the earth and sea.

They were visible many minutes, and suddenly vanished, while yet in full blast, behind what I supposed to be a range of hillocks on the edge of the bay. Of course I was on the qui vive for the same or similar phenomena to reappear. We observed in all directions. Some minutes elapsed, when one of my companions detected and followed for a while a small bright light in the south-west. He traced it; but I failed to descry it, to his great surprise.

I patiently watched, while my companions busied themselves in preparing for the journey. They grey of dawn was beginning to steal into the eastern night, and I beginning to despair, when to my great delight another luminous object appeared, approaching from the south-west and sailing toward the north, higher in the air that those before described; and almost immediately there appeared another slowly following, but not violently chasing the first, as in the former phenomenon.

These strange objects swept along at different heights, without trains, appearing like irregularly-shaped bladders of light, sometimes near each other, then far apart, rising and falling as if moved by currents of air, or more like slowly sailing birds, and changing their motions in all directions. In aspect they were at first yellow and bright; afterwards, as daylight advanced, growing paler and blueish white, like the fumes of phosphorus seen in the dark.

They were more defined in form than the first, less intensely brilliant, yet apparently shapeless, and varying from six to fifteen inches in their various diameters. They were strange "spectral" lights without definite forms or proportions; at moments almost lost to sight, then reappearing again more brightly, and apparently having some relative connexion with each other, like that of gregarious birds.

They were a long time visible, and finally were lost in the daylight. They appeared to float over both the shores and waters of the bay. What where they? I know not. The recollection of them is a marvel to me to this day.

from The Baital Pachisi; or Twenty-five Tales of a Demon, 1855

2012-02-02T09:48:00.000-08:00

(page 503)

The monarch's spiritual preceptor was named Devasami, who had a son named Hariswami, who was handsome as Kamdev, as deeply-read in the Shastras as Brihaspati, and rich as Kuver. He was married to a brahman's daughter named Lavanyavati, and they were deeply attached to each other.

One on occasion, during the hot season, they were sleeping at night on the roof of a shed. It chanced that the veil was blown aside from the woman's face, and at that moment a Gandharb was passing through the air in his chariot. Suddenly his look fell upon her, and bringing his chariot down, he took her up while yet asleep, and placing her in the car, flew off.

Definition of "Gandharb" from The Popular Dictionary in two parts: English and Hindustani, 1889:

Gandharb: an aerial minstrel, a kind of celestial musician.

from Bohn's Ecclesiastical Library, History of the Church by Sozomen and Philostorgius, 1855

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(page 503)

After gaining this victory over Maximus, and after the arrival of Theodosius at Rome, when the emperor was on the point of taking his departure thence, a new and strange star was seen in the sky, which announced the coming of very great calamities upon the world. It appeared first at midnight, near the east, in the very circle which is called the Zodiac. It was large and bright, and in brilliance it was not much inferior to the morning star. After this, a concourse of stars gathered around it on every side, like a swarm of bees gathering in a cluster round their queen. Then, as if impelled by some mutual collision, the light of all the stars mingled together, and shone forth in a single flame, assuming the shape of a double-edged sword, huge and terrible.

But that one star which first appeared seemed like the hilt of the sword above mentioned, or rather like a root shooting up the large body of light, from what appeared to be a star, surmounted with flowers darting up like the flame from a lamp. Such was the novel and wondrous sight exhibited by the star which then appeared. Its course, moreover, was very different from that of the rest of the stars; for from the time of its first appearing in the place where we have said, and moving on from thence, it began to rise and set together with the morning star.

Afterwards, however, receding by little and little, it went up towards the north, advancing slowly and gradually, and following its own course with a slight deflection towards the left of those who beheld it, but in reality it pursued in the same course as the other stars, with which it came into contact from time to time.

(page 517)

When Theodosius had entered the years of boyhood, on the 19th of July, a little after noon-day, the sun was so completely eclipsed that the stars appeared; and so great a drought followed on this eclipse that a sudden mortality carried off great multitudes of men and of beasts in all parts. Moreover, at the time the sun was eclipsed, a bright meteor appeared in the sky, in shape like a cone, which some persons in their ignorance called a comet, for there was nothing like a comet in the phenomena of this meteor as it appeared. For its light did not end in a tail, nor had it any of the characteristics of a star, but it seemed like the flame of a huge lamp, subsisting by itself, with no star below it to answer to the appearance of a lamp.

from Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 1888

2012-01-27T03:45:00.000-08:00

(page 203)

... quoting from our own Journal, Dr. Tripe reported that in 1874, in a fearful storm of hail, rain, wind and lightning, he saw a large ball of fire rise apparently about a mile distant from him from behind some low houses. The ball at first rose slowly, but moved quicker as it ascended; when at about 45°, it started off at an acute angle from south to west with such great rapidity as to produce the appearance of forked lightning; it made three zigzags before entering a dark cloud.

from The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, 1809

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(page 88)

Of a very remarkable meteor seen at Oxford by the Rev. John Swinton, B.D., F.R.S.

The person who first saw the very remarkable luminous appearances in the air here, on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 1769, was the Rev. Mr. Cleaver, student of Christ-church; who, on his return home, at a village called Horton, 6 or 7 miles from Oxford, about 7h 15m p.m. observed, with some degree of astonishment, a dark fuscous vapour, resembling a blackish cloud, contigous to the northern horizon. Out of this vapour there issued another of a flame colour, in the N.N.W. His account of it was, that "it looked like a house, or building, set on fire."

from The London Magazine, 1784

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(page 120)

Portion of a letter from Mr. Aepinus, Counsellor of State, in Russia, to Mr. Pallas, Counsellor of the Imperial College at St. Petersburgh, in consequence of the communication relative to a volcano in the moon discovered by Mr. Herschell, F.R.S., made to the Imperial Academy of Sciences, by Mr. De Magellan, member of the same Academy, May 4, 1783.

Sir,

Nothing could have given me greater pleasure than the communication which I received from you respecting Mr. Herschell's discovery of a volcano burning in the moon. However interesting this observation may be to every lover of natural philosophy, it affects me still more particularly, as the fact when confirmed will demonstrate the truth of my Conjectures concerning the Volcanic Origin of the Inequalities in the Moon's Surface, which conjectures were formed in the year 1778, and published in a memo printed at Berlin in the year 1782.

(Footnote to letter referencing luminous spot on the moon ...)

† It was on the 11th of October, 1772, when the nephew of the late Professor Beccaria discovered a luminous spot on the moon during its total eclipse of that night; the professor having left his nephew and his sister at this own electrical observatory in Cartegna, where he intended to observe that eclipse, but was prevented, by receiving notice of the arrival of M. de Sauffure at Mondavi, where the professor went immediately to meet that philosopher, leaving his nephew with a small achromatic telescope of Dollond, with proper instructions to make the observation of that eclipse. Both the nephew and his sister did clearly distinguish a luminous spot in or near the place marked Copernicus on the moon's maps; and henceforth Professor Beccaria mentioned this observation in his public lectures of natural philosophy, to show that the round cavities of the moon's surfaces were as many craters of extinct volcanos.

... The reader may see this account given by the professor himself, in a letter directed to the Princess Josephina de Savoy-Carignan, where he delivers his opinion concerning that luminous appearance observed by Don Ulloa on the moon, during the total eclipse of the sun on the 24th of June, 1778, contending that such a luminous spot was a volcano actually burning, and not a real hole through the mass of the moon, as Don Ulloa had assumed to be the case.

... But it deserves to be remarked, that the two volcanos observed by Don Ulloa, and by the nephew of Professora Beccaria, must have been of an amazing size, both being discernible by small telescopes.

from Scots Magazine, 1811

2012-01-23T07:17:00.000-08:00

(page 648)

On the 15th of May, at half past eight o'clock in the evening, a luminous meteor was seen at Paris: the sky was serene and the atmosphere was very calm. This meteor, which appeared to be at a considerable height, lasted several minutes. It balanced itself in all directions in the air, and at length exploded, without any report or detonation. Nothing more than a smoke of vapour was perceived, which afterwards formed a cloud.

It was seen also at Augsburgh, at 37 minutes past 8 o'clock in the evening, at which time an indistinct noise was heard, which issued from a small black cloud, thick, globe-shaped, about half the diameter of the moon, and westward of a large stormy cloud. This globe divided itself at the height of an angle of 7 degrees 40 minutes; and was instantly followed by a luminous zig-zag in a southerly direction; another zig-zag still larger succeeded to the former, and pointing vertically, then rapidly to the north under an angle of 2 degrees 30 minutes, but the light of this was paler than that of the former. It again resumed a vertical direction, and returned to the southward under an angle of 2 degrees, but very obscure.

A black vapour seemed to issue from the globe and to lose itself in the atmosphere.

On the same day, at a quarter past 3 o'clock in the evening, the same meteor phenomenon was observed at Lansanne, in the north-west region of the heavens. The weather was calm and serene. It was a kind of water spout, formed apparently of a thin cloud completely resplendent with light, the base of it something larger than the top, the whole length occupying a space of about 30 degrees. Its direction was at first vertical, but it afterwards bent itself insensibly into the figure of an S. This meteor rested perfectly stationary without any visible progressive motion, and without any perceptible noise whatsoever. It disappeared after having lasted about a quarter of an hour.

from The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, 1809

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(page 480)

XI. On the Remarkable Meteor seen Aug. 18, 1783. By Wm. Cooper, D.D., F.R.S., Archdeacon of York. p. 116

No person, says Dr. C., could have a better opportunity of discerning this awful meteor than myself. The weather being, for this climate, astonishingly hot, by Fahrenheit's thermometer, on a north position, and in the open air, having for several days preceding graduated between the hours of 10 in the morning and 7 in the evening from 74° to 82°, I set out on a journey to the sea side. The weather was sultry, the atmosphere hazy, and not a breath of air stirring.

Towards 9 at night it was so dark, that I could scarcely discern the hedges, road, or even the horses' heads. As we proceeded, I observed to my attendants, that there was something singularly striking in the appearance of the night, not merely from its stillness and darkness, but from the sulphureous vapours which seemed to surround us on every side. In the midst of this gloom, and on an instant, a brilliant tremulous light appeared to the N.W. by N. At first it seemed stationary; but in a short time it burst from its position and took its course to the S.E. by E. It passed directly over our heads with a buzzing noise, seemingly at the height of 60 yards. Its tail, as far as the eye could form any judgment, was about 8 or 10 yards in length. At last, this wonderful meteor divided into several glowing parts or balls of fire, the chief part still remaining in its full splendour.

Soon after this I heard two great explosions, each equal to the report of a cannon carrying a 9 lb. ball. During its progress, the whole of the atmosphere, as far as I could discern, was perfectly illuminated with the most beautifully vivid light I ever remember to have seen. The horses on which we rode shrunk with fear; and some people whom we met on the road declared their consternation in the most expressive terms.

From Nature, 1884

2009-01-29T02:20:00.000-08:00

(page 360)

The following account I have received from a lady at Brühl near Cologne, July 26 — 8.22. A large fireball of scarlet fire almost as large as a harvest moon just sailed along and upwards, at a varying but mostly very rapid rate, until, at a great height, it remained for some minutes almost or quite stationary; then after some uncertain movements rose again, and rising, became smaller, until it finally disappeared. Everyone who saw it seemed petrified with amazement.

From Report of the Annual Meeting, British Assn. for Advancement of Science, 1853

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(Page 188)

1846. July 25. A workman near Gloucester, returning home about 10 p.m., saw a meteor of considerable magnitude. It was of the size and colour of the moon, and she compared its light to that of day. According to her account, it seemed as though it proceeded downwards from an opening cloud, and was instantly withdrawn into the cloud again; but probably this retrograde motion may have been a deception. It was in the N. or N.E. at a considerable altitude.

From Report of the Annual Meeting, British Assn. for Advancement of Science, 1853

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(page 188)

1847. March 19. Extract of a letter from a lady.

On the evening of Friday, March 19, A. and I left Albion Road (Holloway) about half-past 8. A. called my attention to what we thought a fire-balloon ascending slowly. It was in the west, a little inclining to the south. As it passed on slowly to the west its intense brilliance convinced me that it was not an earthly thing. When it appeared to be over Hampstead (but as high in the heavens as the sun is at 6 o'clock in the evening when the days are longest), it shot forth several fiery coruscations, and whilst we were gazing at it, broke into an intensely radiant cloud. This cloud sailed on slowly, and we never took our eyes off it. At this time the stars were shining. When we were in the gravel path opposite to Highbury Terrace, the cloud was rather higher in the heavens, and more to the W. It cast a most brilliant light on the houses there, brighter than moonlight, and unlike any light I ever saw. It appeared of a blue tint on the bricks, but there was no blue light in the cloud itself.

Suddenly over the radiant cloud appeared another cloud still more brilliant, but I now felt so awe-struck that I cannot say precisely how long they hung one over the other, before the most wonderful sight happened. Perhaps they remained so for two or three minutes, when from the upper cloud a small fiery ball (about the size that the largest planets appear to the naked eye) dropped into the lower cloud, and was instantly absorbed. Soon after another similar ball apparently four or five times the size of the two preceding fell from one cloud to the other in the same wonderful way. Shortly after this both clouds disappeared, apparently absorbed in the heavens, though I did see a few particles of the brilliant clouds floating about for a minute or so. Presently the moon appeared considerably to the northward of the place where the clouds had hung. We then saw the bright light across the heavens which you told me was a zodiacal light, which lasted for more than an hour.

from The American Journal of Science and the Arts, 1820

2008-12-15T14:33:00.000-08:00

(page 335—Account of a gelatinous meteor, by Rufus Graves, Esq., formerly Lecturer on Chemistry at Dartmouth College; communicated by Professor Dewey.)

On the evening of the thirteenth day of August, 1819, between the hours of eight and nine o'clock, was seen in the atmosphere, at Amherst, Massachusetts, a falling meteor or fire ball, of the size, as represented by an intelligent spectator, of a man's hat, or a large blown bladder, of a brilliant white light resembling burnished silver.

The position of this spectator being in a direct line of the street where the luminous ball appeared, and at the distance of not more than five hundred yards, with the sight bounded by the buildings, there could be no deception relative to the direction that it took. Its altitude, at its first discovery, was two or three times the height of the houses; it fell slowly in a perpendicular direction, emitting great light, till it appeared to strike the earth in front of the buildings, and was instantly extinguished, with a heavy explosion. At the same instant, as appeared from the report, and from the ringing of the church bell, an unusually white light was seen a few minutes afterwards, by two ladies in a chamber of Mr. Erastus Dewey. While they were sitting with two candles burning in the room, a bright luminous circular spot suddenly appeared on the side wall of the chamber near the upper floor in front of them, of the size of a two feet stand-table leaf. This spectrum descended slowly with a tremulous motion nearly to the lower floor and disappeared.

In critically examining the chamber where the foregoing phenomenon was observed, it appeared that the light must have entered through the east front window in a diagonal direction, and impinged on the north wall of the chamber back of the ladies, and thence reflected to the south wall in front of them, forming the circular spectrum, with the coorresponding tremulous motion of the meteor, and descending with it in the same direction, according to the fixed laws of incidence and reflection.

Early on the ensuing morning, was discovered in the door yard of the above mentioned Erastus Dewey, at about twenty feet from the front of the house, a substance unlike any thing before observed by any one who saw it. The situation in which it was found, being exactly in the direction in which the luminous body was first seen, and in the only position to have thrown its light into the chamber, (as before remarked,) leaves no reasonable doubt that the substance found was the residuum of the meteoric body.

This substance when first seen by the writer was entire, no part of it having been removed. It was in a circular form, resembling a sauce or sallad dish bottom upwards, about eight inches in diameter, and something more than one in thickness, of a bright buff colour, with a fine nap upon it similar to that on milled cloth, which seemed to defend it from the action of the air. On removing the villous coat, a buff couloured pulpy substance of the consistency of good soft soap, of an offensive, suffocating smell appeared; and on a near approach to it, or when immediately over it, the smell became almost insupportable, producing nausea and dizziness. A few minutes exposure to the atmosphere changed the buff into a livid colour resembling venous blood. It was observed to attract moisture very readily from the air. A half-point tumbler was nearly half filled with the substance. It soon began to liquify and form a mucilaginous substance of the consistence, colour, and feeling of starch when prepared for domestic use. The tumbler was then set in a safe place, where it remained undisturbed for two or three days; and when examined afterwards, the substance was found to have all evaporated, except a small dark coloured residuum, adhering to the bottom and sides of the glass, which, when rubbed between the fingers, produced a fine ash-coloured powder without taste or smell; the whole of which might have been included in a lady's thimble.

The place where the substance was first found was examined, and nothing was to be seen but a thin membranous substance adhering to the ground similar to that found on the glass.

This singular substance was submitted to the action of acids. With the muriatic and nitric acids, both concentrated and diluted, no chemical action was observed, and the matter remained unchanged. With the concentrated sulphuric acid a violent effervescence ensued, a gaseous body was evolved, and nearly the whole substance dissolved. There being no chemical apparatus at hand, the evolving gas was not preserved, or its properties examined.

from Meteorological Essays, 1855

2008-12-15T14:02:00.000-08:00

(page 38)

At the Beuzeville station, on the railroad from Paris to Havre, during a thunderstorm which took place on the 17th of May, 1852, at five in the afternoon, there were observed some very curious facts, which I insert from a letter of M. Lalande, written from the account given by M. Maillot, the station master.

"I had left my wife to replace me at my post at the telegraph, and had gone to the goods' shed on the other side of the inclined plane, for the purpose of hastening the loading of a waggon to be attached to the mixed train which was to ascend the plane at 6 h. 18 m. At this moment I saw in the southeast, advancing towards the place where I was, a luminous globe, resembling the mimic bomb shells used in the representation of battles. I called out to one of the factors that he might enjoy the sight, and thus he as well as myself saw this luminous ball, which we expected to pass over our heads, suddenly stop and disappear, just as it was above the telegraph wires, sixty feet from us. At the same time the lightning fell, as we afterwards learnt, in the churchyard of Beuzeville, which would lead me to believe that the kind of zigzag which appeared to drive the luminous globe towards us was itself the ordinary striking lightning or thunderbolt. The storm afterwards passed on with increased violence to Criquetotlez-Neval, where the hail did much damage."

from A Philosophical and Mathematical Dictionary, 1815

2008-12-14T19:02:00.000-08:00

(page 68)

As the moon has on her surface mountains and valleys in common with the earth, some modern astronomers have discovered a still greater similarity, viz, that some of these are really volcanoes, emitting fire, as those on the earth do. An appearance of this kind was discovered some few years ago by Don Ulloa in an eclipse of the sun. It was a small bright spot like a star near the margin of the moon, and which he at that time supposed to be a hole or valley with the sun's light shining through it. Succeeding observations, however, have induced astronomers to attribute appearances of this kind to the eruption of volcanic fire; and Dr. Herschel has particularly observed several eruptions of the lunar volcanoes, the last of which he gives an account of in the Philos. Trans. for 1787, April 19, 10h. 6m. sidereal time.

"I perceived," says he, "three volcanoes in different places of the dark part of the new moon. Two of them are either already nearly extinct, or otherwise in a state of going to break out; which perhaps may be decided next lunation. The third shows an actual eruption of fire or luminous matter: its light is much brighter than the nucleus of the comet which M. Mechain discovered at Paris the 10th of this month."

The following night he found it burnt with greater violence; and by measurement he found that the shining or burning matter must be more than 3 miles in diameter; being of an irregular round figure, and very sharply defined on the edges. The other two volcanoes resembled large faint nebulae, that are gradually much brighter in the middle; but no well-defined luminous spot was discovered in them. He adds, "the appearance of what I have called the actual fire, or eruption of a volcano, exactly resembled a small piece of burning charcoal when it is covered by a very thin coat of white ashes, which frequently adhere to it when it has been some time ignited; and it had a degree of brightness about as strong as that with which a coal would be seen to glow in faint day-light.

In a letter by M. Lalande, it is said that, the 13th inst. from 7 to 9 in the evening, Dom. Nouet, one of the astronomers of the Royal Observatory, perceived, in the unenlightened part of the moon, what Dr. Herschel has called a volcano, like a star of the sixth magnitude, or one of the cloudy ones, the brightness of which increased from time to time, as if by flashes. Other astronomers have perceived it, and M. de Villeneuve had seen it before, on the 22d of May, 1787. We cannot therefore doubt of the existence of this volcano in the moon. Dr. Herschel saw it the 4th of May, 1783, and particularly the 19th of April, 1787. In the eclipse of the 24th of June, 1778, M. d'Ulloa, a well-known Spanish astronomer, had seen on the dark disc of the moon, a bright point; and in the total eclipse of 1715, certain curious observers had perceived some flashes of light.

There is no sensible atmosphere in the moon, it is true, and chemists may dispute about the name of volcanoes being given to such apparent eruption; but the name after all is of no consequence, and we must certainly subscribe to Dr. Herschel's opinion. This volcano is situated on the north-east part of the moon, about three minutes from the moon's border, towards the spot called Helicon, marked No. 12 in the figure of the moon in Lalande's astronomy. On the next day, March the 14th, Jupiter had been eclipsed by the moon. This rare and curious phenomena has been observed by all astronomers.

from A Treatise on Atmospheric Electricity, 1830

2008-12-14T18:11:00.000-08:00

(Page 30)

During the month of July last we had the pleasure of witnessing this very curious phenomenon, in the marshy grounds between Hertford and Stevenage, when on the mail, coming from London northward. The day had been dense and sultry, and toward evening a stratum of vapour hovered over the marshes of the valley. On the right two ignes fatui started up suddenly, and at some distance apart; the appearance was altogether that of a solid ignited nucleus, diffusing brilliant radii around it. Their locality, as far as could be determined, seemed to be clumps of rushes. At one period there appeared to be a flitting flickering motion, somewhat resembling that of a hovering insect; but this was not continued. The phenomenon lasted several minutes, and both were suddenly extinguished, the one after the other.

It seemed to us difficult to conceive of electricity being presented under the attendant phenomenon with which these were accompanied, and the entire features were more analogous to those of an insect powerfully illuminated; but whether some insect allied to the tribe termed Gryllus gryllotalpa, or mole cricket, has the power, under peculiar circumstances, as the Rev. Dr. Sutton has conjectured, of evolving light, seems not altogether determined: this phenomenon might be adduced to plead in its favour, thus the scolopendra electrica is occasionally luminous, when excited.

We find that a gentleman observed a similar phenomenon to that described, in low marshy ground, after a sultry day and a dense evening fog; it had also to his vision all the appearance of a solid ignited body. We have also witnessed a lambent flame gliding on the surface of a stagnant lake, but are of opinion this last is altogether distinct from the other, and depends on different principles.

from The Aerial World, 1875

2008-12-14T06:03:00.000-08:00

(page 322; The Ignus Fatuus.)

... the ignis fatuus are the low-born progeny of bogs and stagnant waters. There is something spectral or ghost-like about their desultory wanderings in the midnight gloom of marshes and burying-grounds, and they thus furnish superstition with ample matter for many a dismal legend. Often have they been taken by the horror-struck wanderer who saw them moving among the tombs for departed spirits unable to find rest in the grave; and in Scotland, where they are called Elf-candles, they are supposed to portend the death of some inmate of the house near which they make their final appearance. According to another very common belief, they are goblins of a malignant nature who, by the delusion of a hospitable light, mislead the benighted traveller into some deep morass, where he meets with a miserable end; and it is to this superstitious notion, alluded to by Goldsmith, that the ignis fatuus of the naturalist owes its popular name of Will-with-the-wisp or Jack-with-a-lantern.

'Turn, gentle Hermit of the dale,

And guide my lonely way

To where yon taper cheers the vale,

With hospitable ray.'

'Forbear, my son,' the Hermit cries,

'To tempt the dangerous gloom;

For yonder faithless phantom flies

To lure thee to thy doom.'

from Researches in Natural History, 1830

2008-12-14T05:55:00.000-08:00

(page 120; Chap. X., Light emitted from vegetation, etc.)

What have been called "shooting stars," and found sparkling on the ground, seem to be the tremella meteorica, and have been observed apparently to fall from the air. Thus on the night previous to the battle of Brandywine, a shooting star was observed by one of the sentinels to fall at no great distance; it proved to be a sparkling gelatinous mass.

from The Philosophy of Storms, 1841

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(page 408; excerpt from a letter, from Mr. Auter, Professor of Mathematics, in the College of Orotava. Dated November 10th, 1826.)

About two o'clock in the morning, I saw a light resembling an aurora borealis, but more bright. Streaks of light shot from the centre to the north of my house, which reached to the forty-second degree. The interposition of the convent of St. Francis, prevented me from seeing the focus of these phosphorescent lights, which lasted from seven to eight minutes, and disappeared again for a quarter of an hour. This luminous phenomenon was very interesting, and I watched to try to discover the cause. The light appeared again, more brilliant and more extended than before, and this time, the focus had changed its position, although concealed by the hills on the coast. This light disappeared again to show itself in different places. All continued to attract my attention, when I saw globes of fire in different directions. These new meteors crossed quickly in diameter, but they did not shoot out so much light as at first, they seemed to float on the waves; some seemed at several leagues from the shore, whilst the others shot streaks behind the elevation on the coast.

In turning to the south west, I perceived some at the foot of the Tygayga Mountains, about a league from the coast, and, no doubt, there were others, in other directions on the heights which overlooked the valley. These meteors disappeared at four o'clock in the morning.

from The Philosophy of Storms, 1841

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(page 412; excerpt from Mr. Alison's Narrative of an Excursion to the Summit of the Peak of Teneriffe, in February, 1829.)

At half past two on the morning of the 7th, Mr. Auber observed several globes of fire moving upon the sea, at various distances from the shore, whilst others remained stationary. One of them, from its position, appeared to be on the top of the Montaneta of Realejo, and caused him to suppose that that extinct volcano was going to threaten the valley of Orotava with an eruption; but he was soon undeceived, by observing that the globe moved about on the surface of the water like the others, and at some distance from the spot where he first thought it was situated. These luminous globes appeared to move towards the south west, and follow the direction of the waves. The light which they spread in the atmosphere, extended more than 45° high; and although he was three miles off, it was often sufficiently strong to enable him to read rather small print; but no detonation was heard.

The number of globes increased from half past two o'clock till four, when they began to diminish. Mr. Auber, at one period of his observation, counted fourteen moving about at one time, but the glare of light which he perceived on his right, where the surrounding houses bounded his view, caused him to supposed their number to be much more considerable. Their duration was from one minute, to five or six, but seldom longer; and their apparent diameter was about half that of the moon at her full, when she reaches the zenith.

When they had all disappeared, the darkness was extreme, and he could not see the neighboring houses; but a quarter of an hour afterwards, the reappearance of the same globes, or the formation of new ones, allowed him to see the island of Palma, though nearly sixty miles distant. The rain fell with equal force whilst these globes were appearing on the sea and after their disappearance.

from The Theosophist, 1890

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(page cii)

The Buddha Rays at Badulla—In our Supplement for August 1887, a letter from the High Priest Sumungula adverting, among other things, to the extraordinary fact that the luminous phenomenon known as the Buddha Rays (Buddharasni) had occurred at Badulla on the full-moon day of that year—Buddha's birth-day. The High-Priest states in his letter that pupils of his own monastery had, in common with some thousand other spectators, seen the rays. I have just been able to corroborate this statement by the personal testimony of one of these pupils, and one of the most respected and trustworthy of the younger men in the monastery. At my request he has prepared the condensed statement hereunder printed. What gives additional value to the certificate is the fact that the young monk was thoroughly sceptical as to the possibility of the alleged recurrence of the luminous phenomenon on the Buddhist Christmas, though backed by the testimony of countless pilgrims who averred that they had personally seen it in former years. This incredulity led him to carefully examine the light he describes from each of the four sides of his dagoba. His letter is as follows:—

"Having heard of the emanation of Buddha's Rays from this dagoba, I undertook a pilgrimage thereto, reaching Badulla on the 6th of May 1887, about 7:30 a.m., which hour the sun was shining brightly on the dagoba with nothing unusual to be seen. Soon after my arrival the assembled pilgrims, who numbered about two hundred, commenced the usual ceremony of marching thrice around the dagoba to the accompaniment of drums.

"Being incredulous of the truth of these phenomenon, and desiring to be in a position which could not possibly render me subject to any optical delusion, I moved around to the west side of the dagoba, standing in its shadow. At that moment I heard the cry of Sadhu from the pilgrims, and looking up saw what looked like two or three small, bright stars rising slowly from the north side of the dagoba. These gradually increased in number, the most of them coming from the south side. There simultaneously appeared what resembled a rainbow in color, which was distinctly visible during the whole time; not stretching across the top of the dagoba but shaping itself to its contour and hovering over the emanations which certainly came from the body of the dagoba.

"The phenomenon lasted about 1 1/2 hours, the rainbow disappearing with the emanation from the dagoba."

(Signed) Rambuppola Pannasara

It is very hard to reconcile this emanation of light with any hypothesis of science. Though it occurred in full daylight and under the glare of a tropical sun, yet the total absence of condensed vapor in the atmosphere forbids our supposing the colours to have been due, like those of the rainbow, to a refraction of light. There is this further dissimilarity between it and the rainbow, that the chromatic spectrum which the priest saw in space at a distance of some ten feet above the dagoba was not formed in an arc but followed the curves of the mound with its terminal square splinth and spike. Moreover the observer saw the colors clearest from the west side—facing towards the sun, and he also saw them from the south side. Clearly, then, this could not have been an effect of luminous refraction, even had there been a misty vapor hanging about the spot, which there was not.

Still another point is noticeable—the radiant tints were visible during the space of two hours; and any one who has seen the sunlight of the tropics will easily conceive of the vividness of chromatic effect which could display itself in spite of the blaze of sunlight. From the private explanations of the young monk I learn that the effect of the phenomenon upon the feelings of the pilgrim multitude was most marked and moving. With one accord they prostrated themselves uttered the Buddhistic cry of "Sadhu" and recited the verses of their religious worship with great fervency. I wish I could feel sure that their moral natures had been so upheaved as to guarantee a radical improvement in their lives.

from The Annual Register, 1823

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(page 678)

Phenomenon attending the Earthquake at Zante—At the time when the desolating earthquake, that lately occurred at Zante, took place, a remarkable circumstance was observed just preceding the shock. Three or four minutes before, there was seen, at the distance of two miles from the point or promontory of Geraca, which is to the South-east of the island, a kind of meteor burning, and almost swimming on the sea, and which continued luminous five or six minutes; at the distance from which it was seen, it seemed to be five or six feet in diameter.

from The Annual Register, 1823

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(page 678)

M. Doe being surprised by night in the forest near Boulancourt, in the neighborhood of Brienne, department de l'Aube, was witness to a very brilliant luminous phenomenon which took place in a neighbouring marsh. It began about two o'clock in the morning, apparently at one of the openings of the wood on the western side, while the sky was serene, the stars brilliant, and the air calm and temperate. The fire burnt quietly without jets or undulations, in the form of a quadrangular pyramid. The colour of the flame was a pale red, verging on white, and the appearance of the whole like sunset, when it takes place behind a red cloud girt by a dark zone. It was found to be a marsh of half a league in extent, traversed by ditches, which furnished the phosphorous matter of the flame. The greatest height of the luminous matter was 10 or 12 feet; there was no heat, but it was bright enough to read by.

from Nature, 1893

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(page 76)

An Atmospheric Phenomenon in the North China Sea

During a recent wintry cruise in H.M.S. Caroline in the North China Sea, a curious phenomenon was seen which may be of interest to your readers. The ship was on passage between Shanghai and the western entrance of the famous inland sea of Japan. On 24th February, at 10 p.m., when in latitude 32° 58' N., longitude 126° 33" E., which, on reference to the map, will be seen to be sixteen to seventeen miles south of Quelpart island (south of the Korean peninsula) some unusual lights were reported by the officer of the watch between the ship and Mount Auckland, a mountain 6,000 feet high. It was a windy, cold, moonlight night. My first impression was that they were either some fires on shore, apparently higher from the horizon than a ship's masthead, or some junk's "flare up" lights raised by mirage. To the naked eye they appeared sometimes as a mass; at others, spread out in an irregular line, and, being globular in form, they resembled Chinese lanterns festooned between the masts of a lofty vessel. They bore north (magnetic), and remained on that bearing until lost sight of about midnight. As the ship was passing the land to the eastward at the rate of seven knots an hour, it soon became obvious that the lights were not on the land, though observed with the mountain behind them.

On the following night, February 25th, about the same time, 10 p.m., the ship having cleared Port Hamilton, was steering east, on the parallel of 34°, when these curious lights were again observed on the same bearing, at an altitude of 3° or 4° above the horizon. It was a clear, still, moonlight night, and cold. On this occasion there was no land in sight on a north bearing when the lights were first observed, but soon afterwards a small islet was passed, which for the time eclipsed the lights. As the ship steamed on at a rate of seven knots an hour, the lights maintained a constant bearing (magnetic) of N.2°W, as if carried by some vessel travelling in the same direction and at the same speed. The globes of fire altered in their formation as on the previous night, now in a massed group, with an outlying light away to the right, then the isolated one would disappear, and the others would take the form of a crescent or diamond, and hang festoon-fashion in a curved line. A clear reflection or glare could be seen on the horizon beneath the lights. Through a telescope the globes appeared to be of a reddish colour, and to emit a thin smoke.

I watched them for several hours, and could distinguish no perceptible alteration in their bearing or altitude, the changes occurring only in their relative formation, but each light maintained its oval, globular form.

They remained in sight from 10 p.m. until daylight (about 5.30 a.m.). When lost sight of the bearing was one or two points to the westward of north. At daylight land 1300 feet high was seen to the north and north-north-west, distant fifty miles, the mirage being extraordinary.

Thus, these lights were seen first in longitude 126° 33' E., and last in longitude 128° 29' E. At first the land was behind them, but during the greater part of the distance run it was forty-five or fifty miles away to the north; and the bearing of the lights for at least three-fourths of the distance did not change.

On arrival at Kobé I read in a daily paper that the "Unknown light of Japan" had, as was customary at this season of the year when the weather is very cold, stormy, and clear, been observed by fishermen in the Shimbara Gulf and Japanese waters. The article went on to say that these lights were referred to in native school-books, and attributed to electrical phenomena. On mentioning the matter, however, to the leading Europeans in Yokohama and Tokio, they appeared to have no knowledge of the matter.

Captain Castle, of H.M.S. Leander, informed me that, not long ago, the officers of his ship saw lights in the same locality which they thought at first were caused by a ship on fire. The course of the vessel was altered at once with a view of rendering assistance, but finding that the lights increased their altitude as he approached, he attributed them to some volcanic disturbance, and being pressed for time, resumed his course.

The background of high land seen on the first night dispels all idea of these extraordinary lights being due to a distant volcano. The uniformity of the bearing renders the theory of their being fires on the shore most improbable. I am inclined to the belief that they were something in the nature of St. Elmo's fires. It is probable that there are travellers among the readers of your interesting journal who have seen or heard of this phenomenon, and will be able to describe its origin and the atmospheric conditions necessary for its appearance.

Chas. J. Norcock, H.M.S. Caroline, Hongkong, April 10.

from Notes and Queries, 1891

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(page 378)

Let me narrate a circumstance of which I had not only ocular demonstration, but which was seen at the same time by another person in my company. On Friday evening, October 26, 1888, about 6 p.m., when it was getting dusk, and when driving from Woodbridge to Newbourne, on crossing an extensive heath about a mile from the latter place, a bright light went over the road and back again, and this on three several occasions. This my driver also saw on my calling his attention to it, so there could be no doubt on the point. Strange to say, the pony was quite quiet, and did not in the least appear frightened by the vivid glare. The heath was on a perfectly dry soil, party covered with furze, and one had always understood that will-o'-the-wisp was only seen in marshy places. This, whatever it was, had more the appearance of a meteor, and I had some thoughts of applying to a scientific friend in Ipswich for an explanation, but kept deferring it, and never did so at all.

from The Wonders of the World, 1856

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(page 307)

On the fourth of October, of the above year, 1783, two meteors were seen in England. The first, at three in the morning, on account of the early hour, was witnessed by but few spectators, who represented it as rising from the north to a small altitude, and then becoming stationary with a vibratory motion, and an illumination like daylight; it vanished in a few moments, leaving a train behind. This sort of tremulous appearance has been noticed in other meteors, as well as their continuing stationary for some time, either before they begin to shoot, or after their course is ended. The second of these meteors appeared at forty-three minutes past six in the evening, and was much smaller, and also of much shorter duration, than the one seen in August. It was first observed to the north, like a stream of fire, similar to that of the common shooting-stars, but large; and having proceeded some distance under this form, suddenly burst out into that intensely bright bluish light, peculiar to such meteors, which may be most aptly compared to the blue lights of India, or to some of the largest electrical sparks. The illumination was very great; and on that part of its course where it had been so bright, a dusky red streak or train was left, which remained visible about a minute, and was though by some gradually to change its form. Except this train, the meteor had not any tail, but was nearly of a round body, or, perhaps, somewhat elliptical. After moving not less than ten degrees in this bright state, it because suddenly extinct, without any appearance of bursting or explosion.

from The English Mechanic and World of Science, 1892

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(page 34)

The British journalist can scarcely be accused of being behindhand in his accounts and announcements of marvellous phenomena in the heaves; for, to give a single example, "the Star of Bethlehem" crops up as regularly in the newspapers as the sea-serpent. But if we may judge from the following extract (which I translate from the Stockholm paper l'Aftonblad of the 9th), he, in our popular slang, "isn't in it" with his Swedish confreres. "In the environs of Hochland," says the paragraph in the Stockholm journal, "there was seen between 9 and 10 o'clock at night, in the direction of the North, to the west of the Great Bear, and pretty high up in the sky, a large star, which seemed to be of the first magnitude, and which rendered itself conspicuous by its extraordinary movement. At first it advanced with great rapidity, and in a straight line, towards the East for an estimated distance of 125 yds. (!), appearing then to be oblong, and approximately 12 in. long by about a quarter of that wide, and to be of a fiery red colour. It then returned to its first position; subsequently rising slowly, then descending considerably below it, and finishing by recovering it. It moved principally in straight lines, with a very slight elliptical curvature, but incessantly changing colour. This agitation (or movement) continued for 10 hours, when it ceased. The phenomenon was observed by several people. The sole hypothesis admissable at present," the writer goes on to say, "in the study of these meteors, which are bolides of which the trajectories are often perturbed in their initial direction, is that it may happen that after having encountered atmospheric strata of greater and greater density, the bolides experience a kind of ricochet, which prevents their further approach to the earth, and sends them back towards the upper regions of the atmosphere—circumstances which may occasion changes in the form and curvature of the trajectories of bolides. We must, nevertheless, add that the symmetry of the movement in the present phenomenon is without precedent in the catalogue which treats of these phenomena." I should think so. An elliptical bolide of a fiery red, but continually changing colour, which oscillates like a pendulum and remains visible for 10 hours!!! is not likely to be included in any "catalogue which treats of these phenomena."

from The Edinburgh Journal of Science, 1826

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(Page 378)

Luminous Phenomenon observed between Paisley and Glasgow. On the morning of the 14th instant, about 6h 37'. I was gratified by the sight of a luminous globe or bolide, while going from Paisley to Glasgow. It was tranquilly stationary as if equipoised, and of a similar specific gravity with the plane it seemed to float upon. Its form was somewhat elliptical and translucent in consistency, faintly luminous. After a short while it discharged sparks, and this discharge was subsequently repeated, and by the impulse springing from the re-action of the atmosphere, the bolide moved from north to south, maintaining the horizontal plane, not in any section of the arc of a parabola. The star-like sparks were bright and silvery, and altogether expressive of having its dependence on an electro-magnetic principle. The night had been wet and tempestuous, and the entire day discovered a horizontal parallelism of the clouds in the distant sky; the clouds were chiefly cumulostrati.

from Journal of the Royal Geological Society of Ireland, 1864

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(page 9)

Another very singular phenomenon was witnessed at Dhurmsalla on the evening of the same day that the aerolite fell. This appears to have been a succession of igneous meteors, such as fire-balls, or falling and shooting-stars.

This singular sight did not attract the attention of most people. I quote the account (from the writer who describes it) verbatim—

“I think it was on the evening of the same day that that the meteor fell, that I observed lights in the air; they commenced to appear about 7 p.m. and lasted about three hours till 10. They appeared for about one minute, some for longer, then went out again; other lights appeared in the same place. Sometimes three or four lights appeared in the same place together, and one or two moved off, the others remaining stationary; they looked like fire-balloons, but appeared in places where it was impossible for there to have been any house, or any roads where people could have been; some were high up in the air, moving like fire-balloons, but the greater part of them were in the distance in the direction of the lower hills in front of my house, others were closer to the house, and between Sir Alexander Lawrence's and the barracks. I am sure, from some which I observed closely, that they were neither fire-balloons, lanterns, nor bonfires, or any other thing of that sort, but bona fide lights in the heavens. Though I made enquiries amongst the natives the next day, I have never been able to find out what they were, or the cause of their appearance.”

from Journal of Natural Philosophy, Chemistry and the Arts, 1809

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(page 162)

November, 1809. Account of some luminous Meteors seen during a Thunder Storm. In a letter from James Staveley, Esq.

Sir,

Retiring rather late to bed last night, and throwing up the window to admire the beauty of the lightning, I was struck with the appearance of the sky, the grandeur and singularity of which I never remember to have been equalled. The time was about half past one o'clock. Considering that facts of this kind are at all times acceptable to the meteorologist, and that this may perhaps serve to elucidate some of the mysteries of that science yet unfathomed, if you have no better account of the phenomenon, may I offer this for a place in your valuable Journal?

The whole surface of the heavens seemed covered with one unbroken mass of black pitchy cloud, in which the very vivid flashes of lightning, that almost instantaneously succeeded each other, showed no break; and from which, but from inferior regions, they did not seem to issue. Over, or rather (to speak more properly) below this apparent surface, were spread light and flocky clouds, broken into large fleeces, white and apparently luminous throughout. I looked round that I might find whence proceeded the light that illuminated them; for they seemed as summer clouds in a bright sun, and as the clouds have appeared today. I could perceive no light. Every other part of the hemisphere was totally dark.

Looking fixedly at them, I fancied, that they seemed full of little dazzling and dancing specks of light, that sometimes shone as stars peeping through a misty cloud. Some of these increased gradually, and as gradually died away. One in particular became more and more distinctly visible, and increased in size, till it reached the brilliancy and magnitude of Venus, as she shines in a clear evening; and yet, there seemed no body of the light. At first I thought it must be some star; and it was with difficulty, that I renounced the idea. But such it could not have been; for when these clouds had passed away, and when the intensity of the black masses above became diminished, when they seemed only concealed by a dark and thick haze, none of them became visible. To be certain that the motion, that, I fancied, I observed it to have, did not proceed from the motion of the cloud, and was not deceitfully produced to me, from the swimming and indistinctness of vision necessarily occasioned in my eyes by the quick and vivid flashes of lightning, that encircled the whole horizon, I brought the meteor to a bearing with the window frame, and by that means distinctly ascertained its movement, and, that it was with considerable rapidity. I observed it coast, if I may use the expression, and, having again become stationary, diminish from its full splendor till it disappeared. Its duration must have been of minutes.

After a short interval I had an opportunity of observing another of these meteors in a similar cloud, though at a considerable distance; and of which, though it behaved much as the former had done, I was not able so distinctly to mark the motion.

During this time, these, and during the space of half an hour at least, similar clouds, were full of these little luminous innumerable points, which, playing incessantly, gave them an appearance similar to that, which is exhibited in a clear sky by the galaxy.

I have already said, that, when these had passed away, and the pitchy clouds also, which moved in the same direction, though not so rapidly, I could discern no stars whatever, and I took no small pains to spy out any, as they might have furnished me with a solution to the phenomenon. There was no flash of lightning broke from these clouds, but they emitted much light of a pale phosphoric colour, and such seemed the kind of light, that formed the body of the meteors. These clouds were at a very considerable distance beneath the higher stratum, and at no great elevation in the atmosphere, and though, after the interval of an hour, some of the most vivid flashes proceeded from this point in the heavens, yet do I conceive no connection between them and the clouds; as the latter had clean passed away, in an easterly direction, or with a few points north. Another thing I must mention, that as they tended to a greater distance, their brilliancy gradually diminished.

Along with this account I have enclosed a sketch of the phenomena, wherein, though guilty of an anachronism, having in the same moment of time shown the two meteors, I may be pardoned, as I have tolerably preserved the relative bearings of distances, and, as nearly as in such a sketch I could, the respective forms of the masses of cloud. The course of the first I have marked by making it luminous throughout; and note, that its first appearance was to the eastward, which in this sketch being the left hand, the position will be best seen when the sketch is held in the position of observation, above the head. It is on a very proportionally small scale, as at least 35 degrees are included within it, and the spots noted for the meteors proportionally as large, as was the halo that seemed to surround them. I am afraid to have dilated too much; yet, not seeing where I can curtail the description, leave for you, Sir, to lop off any superfluous matter.

There was no rain at the time of observation.

I am, Sir,

Your humble servant,

J.S.

Hatton Garden,

11 Aug. 1809.

P.S. As these meteors increased in size, they seemed to descend, and had much of that semblance, which the phantasmagorial spectres have, as they seem to approach the spectator.

from The Quarterly Journal of Science and the Arts, 1818

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(page 133)

Luminous Meteor—On Sunday the 15th of February, at six o'clock in the evening, whilst a number of the inhabitants of the town of Agen, in France, were collected together to view the ascent of a baloon [sic], a luminous meteor similar to those called bolides appeared, and was observed by the whole of them.

The sky was serene, the moon dimmed by clouds, and the wind at south-east; a brilliant flash of lightning occurred, and a twisted luminous train was seen, which ascended obliquely, and appeared to lengthen from one end only. This phenomenon disappeared, and was succeeded by a contorted long white cloud, extending north and south.

In four or five seconds this cloud gathered together, and then slowly divided into two parts, one of which remained nearly stationary, whilst the other moved off towards the north. A dull rolling sound was then heard similar to the noise of a carriage. The time which elapsed between the appearance of the lightning and the thunder, or noise, was very nearly two minutes and thirty seconds.

The cloud appeared at an angle of sixty-five degrees nearly, and was observed for more than a quarter of an hour. It moved from east to west, as did the other clouds, but more rapidly.

from The Quarterly Journal of Science and the Arts, 1818

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(page 133)

Luminous Phenomenon—The following phenomenon was observed near Arberg, in the kingdom of Wirtemberg. Several long luminous rays, probably phosphoric, issued from the earth upwards, and after shedding brilliancy around them gradually grew paler and became extinct.

from Glasgow Mechanics' Magazine, 1826

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(page 255)

Luminous Meteor—On the 2d of January 1825, about 5 o'clock in the evening, M. Antonio Brucalassi, observed between S. Giovanni and Montevarchi, a singular electrical phenomenon. About an hundred paces off, and at the height of ten fathoms or less from the ground appeared, on a sudden, a luminous meteor of the form of a truncated cone. This meteor appeared to be formed by a globe of fire situated in its fore part, which was the narrower, and which, by its rapid motion, left behind a track of light, which gave it the appearance of a cone. This light became gradually less intense towards the base and seemed to be split into rays issuing from the opposite extremity. The whole of the surface was illuminated, an sent out brilliant sparks, like those of electricity, although in the effect shewn, they rather resembled the appearance of iron filings when thrown upon a flame. The whole length of the meteor appeared to be about two fathoms, and the diameter of its base half a fathom. It proceeded from East to West, rather inclining, from the horizontal position, towards the earth; it moved with great rapidity, in 5 seconds going over a space of about 350 paces;—and as it moved it shed a most brilliant light upon a considerable extent of land which it illuminated as in full day light. Its emanations were lost in the air; it did not produce any explosive or hissing noise, and it left no smell behind it; it occurred in a calm, cold night, during a clear sky, and a great number of shooting stars were observed before and after the appearance of this phenomenon.”

from Glasgow Mechanics' Magazine, 1826

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(page 255)

Luminous Phenomenon observed between Paisley and Glasgow—It gives us much pleasure to observe, in Dr. Brewster's journal, that Mr. Murray has been gratified by the sight of a luminous globe, while he was going from Paisley to Glasgow. It was of an elliptical form, and somewhat stationary in its situation; after some time, it discharged sparks and this was subsequently repeated; from the re-action of the earth, Mr. Murray says it moved from north to south, maintaining the direction of the horizontal plane. The sparks were star-like, bright, silvery, and void of any chromatic tint. This Meteor, which was interesting and beautiful, Mr. Murray thinks was wholly dependent on an Electro-Magnetic principle; the night had been wet and tempestuous, and the whole day had discovered the clouds of the distant sky of a horizontal parallelism. It is a pity Mr. Murray has not published the exact day on which this Meteor appeared, in case it should have escaped the notice of the philosophers of the west, who think the “14th instant” of a Quarterly Journal not so precise as they could wish.

from Medical Times, 1842

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(page 253)

Major Bonnycastle, in his Canadian Tour, gives an account of a very singular electrical phenomenon observed by him upon the ocean. He says: “About two in the morning the mate roused all the sleepers in their hammocks, by calling loudly for the master to come on deck, as he observed a most unusual appearance on the lee-bow. The weather had been cold, but there was a clear, starry firmament, when in a moment the heavens became overcast to the southward, and an instantaneous and intensely bright light, resembling a fiery aurora, shot out of the sea, and rendered everything minutely discernible, even to the masthead. The mate and his watch immediately put the helm down, calling up the whole crew, and awakened the captain; but before this was accomplished the light had spread more vividly than ever over the whole sea, and the waves, hitherto tranquil, became much agitated, while thick, dark clouds from the land seemed to threaten dreadful weather. The spectacle continued to increase in beauty; the whole sea, as far as could be seen, was at length one entire sheet of an awfully brilliant flame, above which shone along the base of the high, frowning, and dark land abreast of them, a long and magnificent line of fire. The fish, plentiful in these latitudes, and of a large size, seemed alarmed; long tortuous darting lines of light, in a contrary direction to the sea, showed immense numbers of large fish flying about as if they were lost. The wind, which had increased a little, had a peculiar hollow sound; and after a length of time passed in contemplating this splendid and extraordinary scene, day broke slowly, the sun rising very fiery and gloomily. To sail on a sea of fire,” the writer observes, “is the only similitude I can fancy to this really awful scene. I have frequently seen the waters of the ocean on fire, as it is vulgarly termed; but then only in small masses, and no more to be compared to what we there witnessed than a November day, when the sun passes murkily through the fog of England, is to the bright and glorious appearance of that luminary on a fine day in the tropics.”

from Nature, 1884

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(page 360)

The following account I have received from a lady at Brühl near Cologne, July 26:—"8.22. A large fireball of scarlet fire almost as large as a harvest moon just sailed along and upwards, at a varying but mostly very rapid rate, until, at a great height, it remained for some minutes almost or quite stationary; then after some uncertain movements rose again, and rising, became smaller, until it finally disappeared. Every one who saw it seemed petrified with amazement.” This is of interest from the long time that the ball was visible, and its being seen by several people.

from The Intellectual Observer, 1864

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(page 160)

Now and then, however, the meteor lasts for a minute. Much more remarkable cases are, however, recorded. Thus, on the 7th January, 1856, at 4:50 p.m., a fire-ball appeared in the sky in the South of England, being seen at various places between Wiltshire and the east of Kent. The sky was clear, and the fire-ball appeared to burst out from the sky as a brilliant globe of light. It remained visible everywhere for more than ten minutes before it finally disappeared. In Wiltshire it was seen for twenty minutes, at Brighton for fifteen minutes, at Sevenoaks for ten minutes, and at Blackheath for the same time. Its size was estimated at four times the diameter of Jupiter. In most places it suddenly appeared from the clear sky, but at Blackheath it emerged from, and was lost behind clouds. This very remarkable meteor is one of the best and most distinctly recorded of those which have been seen at great distances apart, and which, being seen for some time, could be clearly identified.

from Notes and Queries, 1875

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(page 306) Strange Lights in Wales — A gentleman writes from Pwllheli, a coast town in Carnarvonshire, to the Field newspaper of Feb. 20, as follows:

“Some few days ago we witnessed here what we have never seen before—certain lights, eight in number, extending over, I should say, a distance of 8 miles; all seemed to keep their own ground, although moving in horizontal, perpendicular, and zig-zag directions. Sometimes they were of a light blue colour, then like the bright light of a carriage lamp, then almost like an electric light, and going out altogether, in a few minutes would appear again dimly, and come up as before. One of my keepers, who is nearly 70 years of age, has not, nor has any one else in this vicinity, seen the same before. Can any one of your numerous readers inform me whether they are will-o’-the-wisps, or what? We have seen three at a time afterwards on four or five occasions.”

from Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 1855

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(page 89) On an Appearance seen in the Moon, by Robert Hart, Esq. (Letter to the Astronomer Royal.)

“On the night of the 27th December, 1854, between 6 and 7 p.m., the moon was very bright. I had brought my 10-inch reflector to bear upon the moon; on the shaded side of the disk I observed a white spot, where I have marked it on the sketch. As it was of the colour of the light of the moon, and not like starlight, I thought it part of the moon; but as it disappeared in less than a minute after I first observed it, I concluded it was a star eclipsed by the moon. I now turned my attention to the light part of the disk, and my eye was at once attracted by an appearance I had never seen before on the surface of the moon, although I have observed her often during these last forty years. She was 8d 4h old at the time, and just on the edge of the light, where I have marked on the sketch, there were two luminous spots, on on either side of a small ridge, which ridge was in the light, and of the same colour as of the moon; but these spots were of a yellow flame colour, while all the rest of the enlightened part was of a snowy white, and the mountain-tops that were coming into the light, and just on the shadow side of the spots, were the same colour as the moon. The lights of these spots were like the light of the setting sun reflected from a window a mile or two off. I observed it for five hours. I thought them rather less bright than as first seen, but very little less; so bright were they, when the instrument was the least thing out of focus, they showed rays around them as a star would do.

“It appeared to me, from the brightness of the light and the contrast of colour, to be two active volcanoes or two mouths of one in action.”

from Works, by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1902

2008-04-12T04:34:00.000-07:00

(page 259)

We had driven out through the Allerheiligen (All Saints) gate, and had soon left Hanau behind us, after which we reached the scenes which aroused my attention by their novelty, if, at this season of the year, they offered little that was pleasing. A continual rain had completely spoiled the roads, which, generally speaking, were not then in such good order as we find them now; and our journey was thus neither pleasant nor happy. Yet I was indebted to this damp weather for the sight of a natural phenomenon which must be exceedingly rare, for I have seen nothing like it since, nor have I heard of its having been observed by others.

It was this: namely, we were driving at night up a rising ground between Hanau and Gelhausen, and, although it was dark, we preferred walking to exposing ourselves to the danger and difficulty of that part of the road. All at once, in a ravine on the right-hand side of the way, I saw a sort of amphitheatre, wonderfully illuminated. In a funnel-shaped space there were innumerable little lights gleaming, ranged step-fashion over one another; and they shone so brilliantly that the eye was dazzled. But what still more confused the sight was, that they did not keep still, but jumped about here and there, as well as downwards from above as vice versa, and in every direction. The greater part of them, however, remained stationary, and beamed on. It was only with the greatest reluctance that I suffered myself to be called away from this spectacle, which I could have wished to examine more closely. The postilion, when questioned, said that he knew nothing about such a phenomenon, but that there was in the neighbourhood an old stone-quarry, the excavation of which was filled with water. Now, whether this was a pandemonium of will-o'-the-wisps, or a company of luminous creatures, I will not decide.

from Report of the 41st Meeting of the British Assn. for the Advancement of Science, 1871

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(page 31)

Extraordinary Meteor—The following account of an extraordinary meteor occurs in a letter I received from a brother who is a missionary stationed in Agra. He does not give the exact place where he was at the time, but it must have been very near to Agra. The letter is dated Agra, 24th November, 1870. A missionary from Allahabad was with him when he saw it. —Mills Hill, Chadderston, near Manchester. Robert Gryson.

Agra, Nov. 24, 1870—I recently saw a marvellous meteor. I was in camp, and had risen for an early march a few minutes before 3 a.m. on November 4th. I was standing under the shade of a cluster of trees, when a sudden flash of light fell around. Two or three camp fires were blazing near, and at first I thought it might be a sudden flare up from one of them; but on casting my eyes up towards the heavens, I saw a large oval light, stationary. It appeared to be composed of a large number of irregularly shaped, differently sized stars, yet so closely packed as to form one light, yet giving the whole a sort of dappled appearance. At first I was struck dumb with amazement—thought it must be some mental illusion, or that my eyes were playing me false. But as I gazed it remained steadily fixed. _______, of Allahabad, was with me. I roused him; he was soundly asleep, and some seconds passed in waking him up. In the interval it appeared to have been lengthened, nearly, though not quite, by a straight line, and as we gazed it assumed the shape of a large magnet, with the upper limb rather shorter than the other. It then gradually expanded, diminishing in brightness as it increased in size, assuming a wavy, serpentine form, though keeping much to a horseshoe shape, until it became so attenuated as to be no longer visible. It must have continued in sight five minutes. It was seen by all the servants; and one of them cried out, "Bhagwauka seela hae," by which he appeared to mean that in his opinion the Almighty was amusing Himself with fireworks; literally, "It is God's sport or amusement." (Nature, Jan. 12th, 1871)

from Proceedings of the British Meteorological Society, 1865

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(page 289)

Though the fiery shower was passed, there appeared at 3:47 a phenomenon much more startling than that. It appeared like a serpent, of symmetrical form, and of such brightness as to impress me with the idea of solidity: it was coiled up. The apparent diameter of the coil was about three times that of the moon. I called a witness, who pronounced it to be like a conger eel. A star of the fourth magnitude in Leo Minor appeared to be exactly in the centre of the coil, the position being right ascension 10h 23m, north declination 36°. For 2 minutes no change of position could be observed, although it was agitated by a tremulous motion. It then began to move, at first very slowly, gradually to uncoil itself and expand its proportions; its course was southward; its motion became accelerated, and simultaneously its size increased and brightness diminished. Eventually it assumed a parabolic form, the apex taking precedence, and finally vanished at 3h 55m, having been visible 8 minutes and traversed a space of about 15°. The point where this object appeared is 13° north, and slightly east of the point of apparent divergence of the meteors. It is worthy of remark that it passed through and disappeared near that place. It is much to be desired that this remarkable object may have been seen at distant places. The sky was very clear, and nearly cloudless throughout, a strong breeze blowing from the west.

from The London Magazine, 1784

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(page 123)

In Paper XI. Dr. Cooper, Arch-deacon of York, gives an account of the meteor on the 18th of August, 1783, which he saw. The letter, which is addressed to Sir Joseph Banks, is dated from Hartlepool, near Stockton. Dr. C. was on a journey to the sea-side. The weather was sultry, the atmosphere hazy, the night was dark and still. Neither the road, the hedges, nor even the horses heads were perceptible: sulphureous vapours seemed to surround him on every side, when a brilliant tremulous light appeared to the N.W. by N.

At first it seemed stationary, but soon burst from its position, and took its course to the S.E. by E. passing directly over their heads with a buzzing noise, at the height of sixty yards. Its tail seemed to be twenty-four or thirty feet in length. At last it divided into several glowing balls of fire. Two explosions were then heard. The light was the most vivid the Doctor had ever seen. The horses on which they rode shrunk with fear, and the utmost consternation appeared in the countenances of several people whom they met on the road.

from Report of the 22nd Meeting of the British Assn. for the Advancement of Science, 1852

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(page 181)

1830. June 25—(The following is added to an account of a most tremendous thunder-storm.) The storm passed about two miles E. of Gloucester at 10 p.m., and at some period between 10:20 and 10:40, Mr. ____, who had a complete view of the whole, perceived a strange meteor in the W. or W.S.W., where the sky was cloudy, precisely like the moon behind clouds, of the same colour, and nearly as large, so that he thought for a moment it had been the moon. He called several other people, who all saw it. It lasted about three minutes as near as he could judge, and gradually disappeared as if obscured by clouds, or retiring in a straight line backwards, for it was quite stationary. He stated also that he saw another thing of the same kind, very much smaller, on the same night.

from The Gentleman's Magazine, 1783

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(page 712)

Salisbury, Aug. 23. About nine last Monday evening an uncommon and beautiful meteor suddenly burst from the elements in the N.E. It remained about half a minute in one station, affording a tremulous light not unlike the moon emerging from a cloud; then proceeded in a very regular and swift horizontal motion through the East, where, dividing into several glowing balls of light, it disappeared.

from The Hundred Wonders of the World, 1821

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(page 415)

On the 9th of July, 1686, at half past one in the morning, a fire-ball with a tail was observed in 8 1/2 degrees of Aquarius, and 4 degrees north, which continued nearly stationary for seven or eight minutes, with a diameter nearly equal to half the moon's diameter. At first, its light was so great that the spectators could see to read by it; after which it gradually disappeared.

from The Hundred Wonders of the World, 1821

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(page 419)

On the 4th of October of the above year, 1783, two meteors were seen in England. The first, at three in the morning, on account of the early hour, was witnessed by but few spectators, who represented it as rising from the north to a small altitude, and then becoming stationary with a vibratory motion, and an illumination like day-light: it vanished in a few moments, leaving a train behind. This sort of tremulous appearance has been noticed in other meteors, as well as their continuing stationary for some time, either before they begin to shoot, or after their course is ended.

The second of these meteors appeared at forty-three minutes past six in the evening, and was much smaller, and also of much shorter duration, than the one seen in August. It was first observed to the north, like a stream of fire, similar to that of the common shooting stars, but large; and having proceeded some distance under this form, suddenly burst out into that intensely bright blueish light, peculiar to such meteors, which may be most aptly compared to the blue lights of India, or to some of the largest electrical sparks. The illumination was very great; and on that part of its course where it had been so bright, a dusky red streak or train was left, which remained visible about a minute, and was thought by some gradually to change its form. Except this train, the meteor had not any tail, but was nearly of a round body, or, perhaps, somewhat elliptical. After moving not less than ten degrees in this bright state, it became suddenly extinct, without any appearance of bursting or explosion.

from Thunder and Lightning, 1905

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(Page 73)

In some cases, fireballs have been seen to come down from the sky apparently, and then, after almost reaching but not actually touching the ground, to ascend again. Thus on a hot day in summer 1837, M. Hapoule, a landed proprietor in the department of the Moselle, standing in front of the entrance to his stables under the shelter of a porch during a storm, saw a fireball about the size of an orange moving in the direction of a dung-heap not far from him. But instead of going right into it, it stopped about a yard off, and changing its route, it went off at an angle, keeping the same level for some distance, when it suddenly seemed to change its mind again, and rose perpendicularly till it disappeared in the clouds.

These sudden changes, as we have seen, are strangely characteristic of the habits of fireballs. The Garde Champêtre of the village of Lalande de Libourne (Gironde) was traversing the country one evening about half-past ten, engaged in organizing a garde de surveillance, when he suddenly found himself surrounded by a bright and penetrating light. Astonished, he looked behind him, and saw a fireball, just broken loose from a cloud, descending quickly to the ground.

The light vanished presently, but he made his way towards where the fireball seemed to be falling. When he had gone about two hundred yards, he saw another brilliant light breaking out from the top of a tree and spreading itself into a sheaf of rays, every point of which seemed to emit electric sparks. At the end of a quarter of an hour the light became weaker, and then disappeared. The tree was afterwards cut down, and it was found that the lightning had gone down the centre to a distance of three yards, and had then passed down outside to the soil, leaving trace of a semi-circular route; and finally, after rising again on the opposite side of the tree to a height of four yards, tearing off two narrow strips of bark, had disappeared. At the foot of the tree a small hole, about an inch and a quarter in diameter, retained a certain degree of warmth for an hour and a half afterwards.

Fireballs often keep within the frontiers of cloud-land. They may be seen passing sometimes from one cloud to another in the high regions of the atmosphere.

On September 22, 1813, at seven in the evening, M. Louis Ordinaire saw a fireball leave a cloud at the zenith—the sky being very much lowering at the time—and go towards another. It was of a reddish-yellow and extremely brilliant, lighting up the ground with a bright radiance. He was able to follow its movements for at least a minute, and then saw it disappear into the second cloud. There was an explosion followed by a dull sound like the firing off of a cannon in the distance.

After a violent storm which broke out near Wakefield on March 1,1774, there remained only two clouds in the sky, just above the horizon. Balls of fire were observed gliding from the higher of the two into the lower, like falling stars.

In high mountainous districts—in the Alps, for instance—you may often look down from above upon a storm. It is fascinating thus to watch the grandiose spectacle of the elements at war. Here from the pen of Pere Lozeran du Fesch is a striking picture of such a scene—

"It was on the 2nd of September, 1716, about three o'clock in the afternoon. A traveller was making his way down towards Vic from the summit of Cantal, accompanied by a guide.

"The weather was calm and very warm, but down below, about the middle of the mountain, a vast sea of mist stretched out in wavelike clouds.

"These clouds were furrowed continually by lightning flashes, some going quite straight, some zigzag, some taking the shape of fireballs. When the two men came near this region of clouds, the mist grew so thick they could hardly see the bridles of their horses.

"The air became gradually more cold and the darkness more dense as they proceeded downwards. Now they were in the midst of the fireballs flying in every direction all round them, revolving as they went, reddish in colour, like saffron lit up.

"They were of all sizes—some quite small on their first appearance, seeming to grow immensely in volume in a few moments. Drops of rain fell when they passed. Up to this point the sight had been curious but not terrifying, but suddenly now, one of these fireballs, about two feet in diameter, burst open near the traveller and emitted streams of a bright and beautiful light in every direction, and there was a dull report followed by a tremendous crash. The two men were much shaken and the air all round them seemed polluted. After a minute or two, however, all trace of the explosion had been dissipated, and they proceeded on their way."

On January 6, 1850, near Merlan, about six in the afternoon, a fireball burst above the heads of two men, enveloping them in a bluish light, without hurting them or even damaging their clothes, but giving them a momentary thrill as from an electric battery. It left no traces of any kind, not even a smell.

Mr. G. M. Ryan records an instance which he witnessed at Karachi in Scinde. While in his drawing room one day with two friends who were taking refuge from a storm, he rose from his chair and went to the door to open it, the windows as well as the door being shut at the time. Returning, he saw in the air and between his friends, a ball of fire of about the size of a full moon. At the same time there was a terrible clap of thunder. Two of the spectators were slightly wounded; one felt a sharp pain on the left side of the face, the other, a sensation in one arm with a feeling as if his hair were burning. There was a strong smell of sulphur. In the next room there were two rifles in a case; one was intact but the other was broken, and there was a hole in the wall at the point where the muzzle leant against it, and there were two holes in the
same wall a story higher.

On Sunday, August 19, 1900, several people were assembled in a room in the château of the Baron de France at Maintenay (Pas-de-Calais), when there was a violent storm raging over the country.

Suddenly there appeared in the midst of the eleven people who were there, a globe of blue fire about the size of an infant's head, which quietly crossed the room, touching four people on its way. None of them were injured. An awful explosion was heard at the moment when the electric ball disappeared through an open door in front of the great staircase.

On August 3, 1809, a fireball struck the house of a Mr. David Sutton, not far from Neweastle-on-Tyne. Eight people were having tea in the drawing-room when a violent clap of thunder knocked down the chimney.

Immediately after they saw on the ground, at the door opposite the fireplace, the brilliant visitor which announced itself in the sonorous voice of Jupiter the thunderer. It remained discreetly at the entrance of the room, no doubt waiting for the sign to advance. No one making a move, it came into the middle of the room, and there burst with a crash, throwing out fiery grains like aeroliths. The spectacle must have been magnificent—but, we must acknowledge, rather disquieting.

On September 27, 1772, at Besançon, a voluminous fireball crossed over a corn-shop and the ward of a hospital full of nurses and children. This time again the lightning was merciful—it spared nurses and children, and went and drowned itself in the Doubs.

Nearly thirty years before, in July, 1744, it showed the same regard for an honest German peasant woman. She was occupied in the kitchen superintending the family meal, when, after a terrible clap of thunder, she saw a fireball the size of a fist come down the chimney, pass between her feet without hurting her, and continue on its course without burning or even upsetting the spinning-wheel and other objects on the floor. Much frightened, the young woman tried to escape; she threw herself towards the door and opened it, when the fireball at once followed her, played about her feet, went into the next room, which opened out-of-doors, crossed it, and through the door into the yard. It went round the yard, entered a barn by an open door, climbed the wall opposite, and reaching the edge of the roof, burst with such a terrific noise that the peasant woman fainted. The barn at once took fire and was reduced to cinders.

Towards the middle of the last century, March 3, 1835, the steeple of Crailsheim was set on fire by lightning. The guardian's daughter, aged twenty years, was at this moment in her room and had her back turned to the window, when her young brother saw a fireball enter by the window-sill and descend on to his sister's back, giving her a sudden shock all over her body. The young girl then saw at her feet a quantity of small flames, which went towards the kitchen, the door of which had been opened, and set fire to a pile of mossy wood. There was no further damage than this attempt at incendiarism, which was easily extinguished.

from Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society, 1847

2008-04-05T06:59:00.000-07:00

(page lxix)

Moozuffer, 25th January, 1849—I cannot permit this opportunity to pass by without describing to you, in the best way I am able, a most extraordinary phenomena which we all witnessed on the night of the 23rd instant. It would indeed require a far abler and more scientific pen than mine to do justice to it—however, I hope you will take the will for the deed, and pardon all imperfections.

At 6:30 p.m. observed a very remarkable milky appearance in the water, the color assuming the same tint as a shallow mud-bank or sand-bank. The sea, which had a few minutes before been turbulent and confused, suddenly became smooth and placid, and the air felt cold and chilly. In the space of an hour the whole verge of the horizon, as far as the eye could reach, was most brilliantly illuminated. The vessel shortly after entered a vast body of water of the most dazzling brightness, and of a highly phosphorescent nature; in fact it looked as if we were sailing over a boundless plain of snow, or a sea of quicksilver. The surface of the ocean for miles in extent was unbroken—not a wave or ripple disturbed it, and the waters seemed so dense and solid, that the Moozuffer actually appeared as if she was forcing her way through molten lead. That part of the surface which was broken by the stroke of our huge paddle-wheels, resembled small patches of thick milk or cream. The sky, and everything around us, was quite lighted up by it.

The weather was particularly fine, though the atmosphere was damp and moist: the wind was light from the N.W., stars over head clear and light, but those of a lesser altitude were rendered dim by the haze. The horizon nearly the whole time was dark, and ill-defined; a few thin cumuli, floating very low down, occasionally swept past; but no other peculiarity in the atmosphere could be perceived until about ten o’clock, when a singular light was seen in the heavens to the northward, as if day was dawning, or the full moon was either setting or just rising. It strongly resembled a faint Aurora Borealis, being of a roseate tinge near the horizon, and was a steady fixed light, but without those corruscations which are usually observed in the higher latitudes. It extended along the horizon in the form of a segment of a circle from N.W. to N.E., and the altitude of the centre of the arch was 15°. It continued visible until a few minutes after midnight, when it disappeared as suddenly as it appeared, and the sea about the same period lost also its luminous quality. The light in the heavens, and the lightness of the sea, were, however, again seen for about ten minutes at two a.m., when both became once more invisible. The horizon, except where the light appeared, was everywhere dark and indistinct, and could not be made out; the sky and sea were apparently blended together.

The phenomena was altogether as beautiful as it was extraordinary. I could have stood on the deck gazing at it the whole night, and should not have felt fatigued. There was something grand and sublime in such a scene as I have faintly endeavored to portray. No language of mine could ever do justice to it. We were upwards of six hours in passing through this vast body of luminous water, and during that time we ran a distance of upwards of forty miles.

... the light seen in the heavens I cannot account for, unless it was the low fleecy clouds which hung on the verge of the horizon that reflected back the brightness of the sea; but why the whole sky should not have assumed the same appearance, I cannot imagine. It continued to shine in one spot only, and disappeared at the same time the sea lost its brilliancy.

from Report of the Annual Meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, 1853

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(page 235)

I have the honor to transmit an account of a singular phenomenon witnessed by myself and my family on the morning of the 4th of September, 1850.

I was then residing at the Vicarage, South Mimms, Middlesex, in a situation peculiarly favourable for astronomical observation.

I had been engaged for several consecutive days in observing the planet Mercury during his approach to the sun; partly to test the accuracy of my power of observation by the calculations of the Nautical Almanack, but chiefly to remark how nearly I could trace the planet in his course to the sun, before he should be wholly lost in his rays.

For this purpose I used the most careful adjustments my instrument was capable of, and continued my observations without noticing anything peculiar.

When, however, on the morning of the 4th of September I was preparing my equatoreal before it was fixed on the planet, I observed, passing through the field of view, in a continuous stream, a great number of luminous bodies; and I cannot more correctly describe the whole appearance, than by employing the same language which I used when I communicated the circumstance to the Royal Astronomical Society, in the Monthly Notices of Dec. 13, 1850, and Dec. 12th, 1851.

When I first saw them I was filled with surprise, and endeavoured to account for the strange appearance by supposing that they were bodies floating in the atmosphere, such as the seeds of plants, as we are accustomed to witness them in the open country about this season; but nothing was visible to the naked eye.

The sky was perfectly cloudless; and so serene was the atmosphere, that there was not a breath of wind through the day, even so much as to cause any perceptible tremor of the instrument; and I subjected the luminous bodies to examination by all the eye-pieces and coloured glasses that were needful; but they bore every such examination just as the planets Mercury and Venus did, both of which were frequently looked at by me, for the purpose of comparison, during the day; so that it was impossible I could resist the conclusion (much as I was early disposed to hesitate) that they were real celestial bodies moving in an orbit of their own, and far removed beyond the limits of our atmosphere.

They continued passing, often in inconceivable numbers, from half past 9 A.M., when I first saw them, almost without intermission, till about half past 3 P.M., when they became fewer, passed at longer intervals, and then finally ceased.

The bodies were all perfectly round, with about the brightness of Venus, as seen in the same field of view with them; and their light was white, or with a slight tinge of blue; and they appeared self-luminous, as though they did not cross the sun's disc; yet when seen near him they did not change their shape, or diminish in brightness.

They passed with different velocities, some slowly, and others with great rapidity; and they were very various in size, some having a diameter, as nearly as I could estimate, about 2”, while others were approaching 20”.

I tried various powers upon them, and used both direct and diagonal eyepieces; but with every one I employed they showed the same appearance, being as sharply defined as the planet Jupiter, without haze or spot, or inequality of brightness.

I naturally anticipated some such appearance at night, but after half past 3 I saw nothing peculiar, though I waited till 11 P.M.; but have since been informed that at 5 past 11 (it is believed on the same night) a meteor of amazing brilliance and size, and passing in the same direction and about the same altitude, was observed by Mr. Bailan of Wrotham Park, in the immediate neighbourhood of South Mimms.

I repeated my observations the following morning, and then saw one such single body pass in the same direction as those of the preceding day.

They occupied a tolerably well-defined zone of about 18° in breadth; and, though with some exceptions, their direction was due east and west. Their motion was perfectly uniform, so far as I was able to follow them with the instrument at liberty; and they were observed continuously by myself and members of my family, accustomed to the use of instruments, both by day and night.

The telescope I employed on this occasion is one of 3 1/2 feet focal length, and 2 3/4 inches aperture, by Mr. Dollond, of faultless performance and mounted equatoreally by Mr. Jones of Charing Cross, the circles divided by Mr. Rothwell of London, and reading off to 5".

I understand that a similar phenomenon has been witnessed by Mr. Cooper of Markree Castle, County of Sligo, though I have not communicated with that gentleman on the subject; but I take the opportunity of subjoining a portion of the contents of a letter to me from Charles B. Chalmers, Esq., F.R.A.S., now residing at Jugon, Côtes du Nord, France.

He thus writes: “About the latter end of the year 1849, I witnessed a phenomenon similar to that which you saw in September 1850, in every respect, excepting that I thought some of the bodies were elongated, though certainly the majority were globular; and their brightness appeared to me about equal to that of Venus, as seen at the same time.

“I was then residing at Weston-Super-Mare, in Somersetshire; and the instrument with which I saw them was a 5-feet telescope, equatoreally mounted, in a fixed observatory.

“I was engaged similarly to yourself in observing the planet Mercury; about half past 10 A.M. I was at first inclined to believe it must be the seed of some plants of the thistle nature floating in the air, but from my position that could not have been the case.

“The wind on the day I observed the phenomenon was very slight; but such as it was it came from the sea. The bodies all appeared sharply defined, no feathery appearances that I could detect; and I did not observe any difference in their brightness during the time I observed them.”

from Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 1876

2008-04-03T18:02:00.000-07:00

(page 595; excerpt)

The Meteor of January 23, 1877—According to the Indianapolis Daily Journal, of January 25, the meteor "disappeared just as it seemed to touch the earth, apparently not more than one-fourth of a mile distant. It presented the appearance of a flexible band of beautifully polished silver, and as it pursued its downward course waved like a ribbon in the breeze. Exclamations of astonishment and admiration burst simultaneously from the lips of all who saw it."

from Treasures of Use and Beauty: An Epitome of the Choicest Gems of Wisdom, History, Reference and Recreation, 1883

2008-04-03T04:04:00.000-07:00

(page 77)

1780. May 19—Notable dark day in New England. A dense and mysterious darkness covered the land, continuing from twelve to fifteen hours, filling all hearts with wonder, and multitudes with fear and consternation—the superstitious regarding it as the "day of doom," and the learned and scientific wholly unprepared to account for the wonderful phenomenon. The darkness at midday was so dense that people were unable to read common print, or determine the time of day by clocks or watches, and at night, although at the full of the moon, the darkness was so impenetrably thick that traveling was impracticable without lights, and a sheet of white paper was equally invisible with the blackest velvet. The atmosphere seemed charged with a thick, oily, sulphurous vapor, and streams of water were covered with a thick scum, and paper dipped in it, and dried, appeared of a dark color, and felt as if it had been rubbed with oil.

from Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1875

2008-04-01T21:57:00.000-07:00

(page 156)

Read the following extract from the Report on the affairs of the settlement of Port Blair and the Nicobars for the month of May, 1874.

"On the 31st of the month, at about 5:30 p.m., an extraordinary phenomenon was observed. The sky at the time was quite clear and the weather fine. I was out sailing in my boat, when suddenly a luminous body darted from the heavens from north to south. When first observed, it was like an ordinary meteor with a long tail. In its progress, it seemed as it were to slide into two distinct meteors attached to each other by the tail of the first thus *-----*-----, and then, after a further rapid progress, it appeared to burst into eight parts, and disappeared from view.

"I have never witnessed so strange a spectacle before, and mention the occurrence here in the hope that it may have been observed in India, and that a more perfect account of it may be forthcoming from some scientific individual."

The President remarked that the phenomenon observed was very similar to a very bright meteor seen in the Panjab some time since; it was however, very remarkable that in the present instance no report had been heard. The meteor must have been extraordinarily bright to have been visible in the afternoon in the month of May.

from The Edinburgh Encyclopaedia, Vol. XIV, 1830

2008-04-01T21:38:00.000-07:00

(Page 124, excerpt)

The Abbate Soldani, Professor of Mathematics in the University of Siena, has published a more detailed account of the same phenomenon. He informs us, that an alarming cloud was seen in Tuscany, near Siena and Radacofam, proceeding from the north, about seven o'clock in the evening, discharging sparks like rockets, and throwing out smoke like a furnace, with explosions more resembling the discharge of cannon and musketry than thunder, and casting down ignited stones to the ground, while the lightning which issued from it was remarkably red, and less rapid than an ordinary flash. To persons in different situations, the cloud appeared to be of different shapes; and, though it remained suspended for a considerable time, its fire and smoke were visible in every direction. Its altitude, from a combination of circumstances, was judged to be much above the common region of the clouds. One of the stones, which was of an irregular figure, weighed five pounds and a half, was black on the outside, as if suffused with smoke, and seems, internally, to be composed of matter of the colour of ashes, and in which were perceived small specks of metal, as of gold and silver. Besides this, about nineteen others were shewn to Soldani and all of them characterized by a black and glazed outer surface, by their resistance to acids, and by a degree of hardness which permitted them not to be scratched with the point of a penknife.

Signore Montauli, who observed the cloud as he happened to be travelling, described it as appearing much above the elevation of ordinary clouds, as wrapt in smoke and flame, and as gradually becoming white, without being visibly affected by the sun's rays, which beamed full on its lower portions. In the heart of it he could discern, as it were, the basin of a fiery furnace, with a rotatory motion.

from The Gallery of Nature and Art; or, a Tour Through Creation and Science, 1821

2008-04-01T21:13:00.000-07:00

(page 347)

Thunder-clap, with an extraordinary fire-ball, bursting at sea. By Mr. Chalmers.

Nov. 4, 1749, in the latitude of 42° 48', longitude 9° 3', the Lizard then bore N. 41° 5' about the distance of 569 miles, as Mr. C. was taking an observation on the quarter-deck, about ten minutes before 12 o'clock, one of the quarter-masters desired he would look to windward, which he did, and observed a large ball of blue fire rolling on the surface of the water, at about three miles distance from them. It came down upon them so fast, that before they could raise the main tack, they observed the ball to rise almost perpendicular, and not above forty or fifty yards from the main chains: it went off with an explosion as if hundreds of cannon had been fire at once; and left so great a smell of brimstone, that the ship seemed to be nothing but sulphur. After the noise was over, which did not last longer than half a second, they found the main-topmast shattered into about a hundred pieces, and the mainmast rent quite down to the heel. There were some of the spikes, that nailed the fish of the mainmast, drawn with such force out of the mast, that they stuck in the main deck so fast, that the carpenter was obliged to take an iron crow to get them out: five men were knocked down, and one of them greatly burnt by the explosion. They thought that when the ball, which appeared to be the size of a large millstone, rose, it took the middle of the main-topmast, as the head of the mast above was not splintered. The ball came down from the N.E. and went to the S.W.

from The Quarterly Review, 1834

2008-03-30T19:46:00.001-07:00

(page 385, Burnes's Travels into Bokhara)

We cannot in the least account for the appearance of the following phenomenon, but as Mr. Burnes saw it himself, we have nothing further to do but to give it in his own words.

"Before crossing the Indus, we observed a singular phenomenon at the fork of the Indus and Cabool river, where an ignis fatuus shows itself every evening. Two, three, and even four bright lights are visible at a time, and continue to shine throughout the night, ranging within a few yards of each other. The natives could not account for them, and their continuance during the rainy season is the most inexplicable part of the phenomenon, in their estimation."

from Force and Nature. Attraction and Repulsion, 1869

2008-03-30T18:49:00.000-07:00

(page 460)

So remarkable a phenomenon of this class was witnessed by myself in South America, in May 1865, that I am induced to give it permanent record in this connexion, inasmuch as so important a fact is not only a contribution to knowledge, but may also excite more active inquiry into the nature and causes of such spectral lights.

At the time mentioned, I was engaged in a geological reconnaissance along the coast region of the province of Piura, Peru, accompanied by two American companions, and an Indian attendant. We halted one day at dark, about half way between the river Piura, or town of Sachura, and Point Aguja, within sound of the waves of Sachura Bay. The leaden sky and damp bleak wind common to that locality between sunset and sunrise were chilling us long before we made our beds on the drifting sand of that Sahara-like region.

Sleeping little, I observed for much of the night that the cloudy sky only broke sufficiently to permit occasional glimpses of the stars. Toward morning it was more densely overcast, and bleaker than ever. Tired of discomfort, I summoned my companions before daylight in order to get breakfast and prepare for an early start. We had barely risen, when one of them, an old resident of Paita, exclaimed, "Why, doctor, there is the British mail steamer bound south." I looked westward, over the Bay of Sachura; and there, sure enough, apparently a long way off, were two bright orange-coloured lights, each with a conspicuous train, and one just ahead of the other, resembling the flames or light from two smoke-stacks.

But, as I regarded them intently, I was struck with the rapidity and inequality of their motion, which seemed to increase and waver from moment to moment. They appeared, indeed, to be chasing each other. They were moving horizontally at almost the same level, only a few feet from the surface of the land or water, and with greater rapidity than it was possible for any steamer to move.

At first, supposing them far off at sea, I was surprised at the quickness of their motion and transient variations of relative distance; and soon became convinced that they issued from no steamship's funnels, but were luminous objects of some sort, one following or chasing the other, not many thousand yards, perhaps feet, away. I called the attention of my companions to these points; and they came to similar conclusions.

What were these lights? Our curiosity became intensely excited. They would vanish for a moment as the low dunes toward the bay intervened, and appear again moving swiftly southward, sometimes almost coming together, then separating, and never more than ten or fifteen feet apart, and each showing bright yellow luminous trains two or three feet long; both objects strongly brilliant, but not defined with clear outlines. In a word, they resembled large flaming torches without smoke in hot pursuit one after the other, just above the surface of the earth and sea. They were visible many minutes, and suddenly vanished, while yet in full blast, behind what I supposed to be a range of hillocks on the edge of the bay.

Of course I was on the qui vivo for the same or similar phenomena to reappear. We observed in all directions. Some minutes elapsed, when one of my companions detected and followed for a while a small bright light in the south-west. He traced it; but I failed to descry it, to his great surprise. I patiently watched, while my companions busied themselves in preparing for the journey. The grey of dawn was beginning to steal into the eastern night, and I beginning to despair, when to my great delight another luminous object appeared, approaching from the south-west and sailing toward the north, higher in the air than those before described ; and almost immediately there appeared another slowly following, but not violently chasing the first, as in the former phenomenon. These strange objects swept along at different heights, without trains, appearing like large irregularly-shaped bladders of light, sometimes near each other, then far apart, rising and falling as if moved by currents of air, or more like slowly sailing birds, and changing their motions in all directions. In aspect they were at first yellow and bright ; afterwards, as daylight advanced, growing paler and blueish white, like the fumes of phosphorus seen in the dark. They were more defined in form than the first, less intensely brilliant, yet apparently shapeless, and varying from six to fifteen inches in their various diameters. They were strange "spectral" lights without definite forms or proportions; at moments almost lost to sight, then reappearing again more brightly, and apparently having some relative connexion with each other, like that of gregarious birds. They were a long time visible, and finally were lost in the daylight. They appeared to float over both the shores and waters of the bay.

What were they ? I know not. The recollection of them is a marvel to me to this day.

from French Canada and the St. Lawrence, 1913

2008-03-30T17:29:00.000-07:00

(page 307, Traditions, Folk-Lore and Ballads)

He was on his way home at a late hour when, suddenly, "it seemed to him as if the Isle d'Orléans was on fire. He stared with all his might and saw at last that the flames were dancing up and down the shore as if all the will-o'-the-wisps, all the damned souls of Canada, were gathered there to hold the witches' sabbath. Then he saw a curious sight; you would have said they were a kind of men, a queer breed altogether. They had a head big as a peck measure topped off with a pointed cap a yard long; then they had arms, legs, feet and hands armed with long claws, but no body to speak of."

From The Observatory, 1883

2008-03-30T16:56:00.000-07:00

(page 12)

These Sun-spots have been attended with the most striking displays of aurora, the last one being rendered still more interesting by the unusual phenomenon of a rapidly drifting torpedo-shaped cloud of phosphorescent light which passed across the heavens from east to west in about two minutes.

from French Canada and the St. Lawrence, 1913

2008-03-30T06:49:00.000-07:00

(page 306)

Who has not heard of the phantom light
That over the moaning waves at night
Dances and drifts in endless play?
Close to the shore, then far away,
Fierce as the flame in sunset skies,
Cold as the winter light that lies
On the Baie des Chaleurs.

from The Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal, 1836

2008-03-30T06:34:00.000-07:00

(page 191)

Luminous Appearance at Sea off the Shetland Isles—A curious luminous appearance at sea is mentioned in the following abstract from a letter to Robert Stevenson, Esq. Engineer, by the Light-house Keeper on Sumburgh Head in Shetland: "Monday, September 19, 1836—Sumburgh Head Light-house—The herring-boats went out through the night—there came on a severe gale of wind from the north-east, which drove them from their nets, and scarcely any one of them got into their own harbours. Mr. Hay's fishermen lost 180 nets, Mr. Bruce of Whalsey lost 114 nets, and a great many of the poor men lost the whole of their nets. The fishermen also informed me, that upon the same night, there appeared to them a light which greatly annoyed them. It appeared like a furnace standing in the water, and the beams of the light stood to a great height. It became fainter on the approach of day, and at length vanished away by day-light. It continued for two nights. It stood so near some of the boats that the men thought of cutting from their lines to get out of its way."

from Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research, 1905-7

2008-03-29T19:53:00.000-07:00

(page 152)

From the Rev. E. W. E.

June 26, 1905.

Mrs. Jones of Egryn's last meeting at _____, being rather late on Wednesday, May 24th, it was therefore after midnight that Mrs. E. and myself retired upstairs to rest. After putting out the light in our bedroom I could not go to bed. Then looked out of the window, but could see nothing. Then I went to the back bedroom, where our two boys sleep; and whilst I was looking out of this window towards the Penrhys hill, my wife came behind and put her hand on my shoulder, then asked me if I were looking for something. I said yes, that I was looking for something strange, because I felt very strange. Mrs. E. had just pushed the curtain on one side when she exclaimed, "There's something!" I said, "Where?" When she told me the direction I then exclaimed, "Yes, really, there is the strange light." It appeared to us in the form of a column of fire about two feet wide and several feet high, quite distinct, and of the tint of a fiery vapour.

After looking at the column for a second or two, then some bright balls of fire appeared in the column near its base, then these brilliant balls would burst and disappear upwards. Then the column would disappear, but in a moment would appear again in the same form, in the very same spot, and then the balls would appear in the column, and the balls burst and disappear upwards in the same way. This we distinctly saw six times (6 times).

It was, as nearly as we could judge, about 12.45 on Thursday morn, May 25, and lasted in all about three minutes.

from Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research, 1905-7

2008-03-29T19:48:00.000-07:00

(page 151)

From Dr. E. J. M., of Tylorstown.

June 18th, 1905.

About 10 p.m. on Saturday night I was coming home with Mrs. M. when she drew my attention to a bright light which could be seen over Libanus (C.M.) Chapel, towards the side of the mountain. It appeared as a ball of fire about the size of a cheese plate; it was perfectly fixed.

As soon as I saw it I marked its position, in order to be sure that it could not be due to some one with a light on the road which passes over the mountain, but its position was far enough away from the road.

I then looked towards Stanley Town — which is on the same side of the mountain in another direction, and which is nearer to the place I was standing — in order to compare the lights from the gas lamps on the road. There was no comparison between the lights, as the gas lamps were not nearly so brilliant as this light, and the light I saw was of a more reddish colour.

It remained fixed in the same position for about three minutes, and then disappeared instantaneously. Mrs. Jones was in the chapel at the time holding a meeting. I may say that I was not thinking of the light at the time.

from Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research, 1905-7

2008-03-29T19:42:00.000-07:00

(page 149)

Mrs. M. writes as follows :

May 29, 1905.

My husband wants me to write of what I have seen at P____ and heard when with Mrs. Jones, Egryn, March 15th. After the evening service we had a little way to walk from the town down to West-End, where we were staying. We both were invited to have supper next door to where we were sleeping, so after supper we went up to a sitting-room on the third floor. It seems that they were having the lights at West-End since the Revival broke out at the commencement of the year above a little chapel of the Methodists, so they were very curious to see the lights this night, when Mrs. Jones was with them, so that they would be more satisfied. We had no lights in the room. There were two windows to the room: just the room to have proper sight of the light if it would come. Anyway, in a very little while we saw two balls of fire moving back and fro, but it was so very far we were not satisfied with that. We were about twelve to eighteen in the room. Eight were singing hymns, so as to pass the time in watching and waiting for the lights. In a little while we had a better view, and, nearer us, several globes of light, some very light colour, and others deep red. We were enjoying ourselves. I am well used to seeing that kind of light here.

My husband and I have witnessed the sight many a time here. When we saw the light ascending high in the air, like a cross, I felt nervous, but it descended again nearer us — a cross and two other crosses, one each side of the middle one. The two crosses came nearer us now and stood not far from us, and dozens of small balls of fire dancing back and fro behind the crosses, and we heard a voice singing.

I have heard the singing once after at H_____, but differently to that at P_____, like a well-trained choir, and saw the cross the same time on the sky. The two Misses G., _______, are witnesses of the cross in the sky and the singing.

from Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research, 1905-7

2008-03-29T19:34:00.000-07:00

(page 148)

From Mr. L. M., of H______. May 30, 1905.

With regard to the lights which appear in this neighbourhood, perhaps one instance of my experience will suffice. I have been an eye-witness of them on more than one occasion. I happened to be with Mr. Beriah Evans, Carnarvon, on that night, the report of which has been given to the world by Mr. Evans himself. I can testify to the truth of the report.

The night which I am going to relate you my experience was Saturday evening, March 25, 1905, when Mrs. Jones, the evangelist, of Egryn, was conducting a service in the Calvinistic Methodist Chapel at Llanfair, a place about a mile and half from Harlech on the main road between Harlech and Barmouth.

My wife and myself went down that night specially to see if the light accompanied Mrs. Jones from outside Egryn. We happened to reach Llanfair about 9.15 p.m. It was a rather dark and damp evening. In nearing the chapel, which can be seen from a distance, we saw balls of light, deep red, ascending from one side of the chapel, the side which is in a field. There was nothing in this field to cause this phenomenon — i.e. no houses, etc. After that we walked to and fro on the main road for nearly two hours without seeing any light except from a distance in the direction of Llanbedr. This time where lives the well-known Rev. C. E. The distance between us and the light which appeared this time was about a mile. Then about eleven o'clock, when the service which Mrs. Jones conducted was brought to a close, it appeared brilliant, ascending high into the sky from amongst the treestwo balls of light ascended from the same place and of similar appearance to those we saw first. In a few minutes afterwards Mrs. Jones was passing us home in her carriage, and in a few seconds after she passed, on the main road, and within a yard of us, there appeared a brilliant light twice, tinged with blue. In two or three seconds after this disappeared, on our right hand, within 150 or 200 yards, there appeared twice very huge balls of similar appearance as that which appeared on the road. It was so brilliant and powerful this time that we were dazed for a second or two. Then immediately there appeared a brilliant light ascending from the woods where the Rev. C. E. lives. It appeared twice this time. On the other side of the main road, close by, there appeared, ascending from a field high into the sky, three balls of light, deep red. Two of these appeared to split up, whilst the middle one remained unchanged. Then we left for home, having been watching these last phenomena for a quarter of an hour.

Perhaps I ought to say that I had an intense desire to see the light this night for a special purpose; in fact, I prayed for it, not as a mere curiosity, but for an higher object, which I need not mention. Some will ridicule this idea, but I have a great faith in prayer.

from Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research, 1905-7

2008-03-29T19:25:00.000-07:00

(page 106)

From Mr. J. J., of D________, Merionethshire. The original account, which I received in January, 1905, is in Welsh; I give here a translation of it:

In reference to the fire concerning which you wrote to me. There are several here who have seen it in varying forms — sometimes near Chapel Egryn, sometimes on the roof thereof, and sometimes some halt mile or more from the place. When I saw it, it was about half a mile from the chapel and about a mile from where I stood. That was about 5 o'clock in the evening. The first form in which it appeared to me was that of a pillar of clear fire quite perpendicular. It was about 2 feet wide and about 3 yards in height. Suddenly another small fire began by its side some 2 yards distant from the first pillar. It rapidly increased until it assumed the same measurement and form as the first. Then another small fire suddenly arose on the other side of the first pillar, and increased rapidly until it assumed the same size and form as the other two columns. So there were three pillars of the same size and form. And as I gazed upon them I saw two arms of fire extending upwards from the top of each of the pillars.

The three pillars and their arms assumed exactly the same shape and remained so for about a minute or two. As I looked towards the sky I saw smoke ascending from the pillars, and immediately they began to disappear. Their disappearance was equally swift with their growth. It was a gradual disappearance: the fire became small and went out.

I thought they were natural fire, but it was a very wonderful fire. I never saw fire the same as it in my life — three pillars or columns of the same measure and of exactly the same shape and equidistant from each other. I do not propose to offer any kind of explanation. I leave that to you.

from Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research, 1905-7

2008-03-29T08:26:00.000-07:00

(page 143)

The following accounts of previous appearances of lights at various places along the coast of Tremadoc Bay are taken from Bye-Gones (a series of notes on antiquarian subjects which appears weekly in the Border Counties Advertizer, Oswestry, and is reprinted in quarterly parts), the extracts having been kindly furnished me by the editor:

From "Bye-Gones," March, 1875 (p. 198).

Yoke House, Pwllheli, 2nd March, 1875. — The curious lights appeared again on Sunday night. We saw twelve at the same time; two were very bright, the one of a red, the other of a blue colour. They were inland, the same as before, but from what we could observe they did not confine themselves to marshy ground, although at first they seemed to rise from the ground where we knew there were swamps. It was a very dark and foggy night, and my brother, my son Percy, my keeper and I went out about a mile to see if we could get near them. When we had gone about half a mile we observed four or five behind us. We went to the farm adjoining, and called their attention to them. Mrs. Picton-Jones and two servants watched them for an hour and a half, and had, from their description, a better view than we had, as we were occasionally in hollows. On our way home from Bryntani farm we saw a bright light at Yoke House, which we all thought was a lamp put out to direct us home, the night being so dark and our course across country. The other servants by this time, having come home from church and chapel, were watching the curious antics of the lights.

I should mention that we had a lamp with us, but it was darkened, except when we came to banks or ditches. Those at Yoke House saw the same light, and thought it was our lamp, but were all mistaken, as, when we got within about 200 yards of our pond, the light turned into a deep blue colour and disappeared. In front of the other pool there are some sheds, and one light that had appeared before we started seemed to go in and out, round the corner, on to the cart horse stable, round its gable end, then on to the barn, exactly the same as if it were a human being, with the exception of rising to such a height that even 'Tall Agrippa' could not come up to it. Their movements and the distance which they spread were the same as described before. Our house is about three-quarters of a mile from the Cardigan Bay, and the promontory is about seven miles as the crow flies. Last night they did not appear, but we saw several flashes of lightning. — I am, sir, your obedient servant, G. T. Picton-Jones." (Cambrian News).

From "Bye-Gones," March, 1875 (p. 210).

"Having read the account by Mr. Picton-Jones of the strange lights seen by him near Pwllheli, I beg to say that I witnessed a very similar phenomenon on the marshy ground near Borth. Some five or six years ago, owing to an accident on the Cambrian Railway, I had to post from Machynlleth to the neighbourhood of Towyn, where I was then residing. It would then be about 12 o'clock p.m. when I came in sight of the low ground and sandy dunes between Borth and the Dovey, the night being perfectly clear and still and the stars shining, when, to my astonishment, I saw four or five lights moving apparently on the sand hills near the farm of Ynyslas. I called the post-boy's attention to them, and never did I see a man so paralysed with fright: I thought he would have fallen off the box, and the perspiration, as I could see by the light of the lamps, fairly ran down his face. He evidently considered them of supernatural origin, as he told me an incoherent story of a boat's crew of shipwrecked foreigners having been murdered when they came ashore there many years ago (upon further inquiry I found there was some tradition of the sort). However, there the lights were, moving about in a sort of aimless way until, as near as I can remember, we reached within a mile or two of Aberdovey.

They were white, and about the size and brilliancy of the lamps carried by railway guards and porters. There is yet another phenomenon of which no satisfactory explanation has ever yet been given. On the 24th of September, 1854 (I refer to my game book of that year), a friend was shooting with me in Herefordshire. The day was perfectly still, the sky cloudless, when sounds like discharges of heavy artillery came from the west, which, striking against a range of wooded hills running north and south under which we were shooting, made most wonderfully distinct echoes. These discharges, or whatever they were, continued for several hours at regular intervals of about two minutes. Since then similar sounds have been heard two or three times (judging from the letters to the papers), and principally by persons living in Cardiganshire, but their origin has never yet, so far as I can see, been discovered."

From "Bye-Gones," October, 1877 (p. 292).

"Now we have a statement from Towyn that within the last few weeks lights of various colours have frequently been seen moving over the estuary of the Dysynni river and out at sea. They are generally in a northern direction, but sometimes they hug the shore, and move at a very high velocity for miles towards Aberdovey, and suddenly disappear."

The following paragraph is taken from the Western Mail of March 13th, 1905:

"Mysterious lights were seen in Wales before this year of revival. Here is an old extract: 1694. Apr. 22. 'A fiery exhalation rising out of the sea opened itself in Montgomeryshire a furlong broad and many miles in length, burning all straw, hay, thatch, and grass, bat doing no harm to trees, timber, or any solid things, only firing
barns or thatched houses. It left such a taint on the grasse as to kill all the cattle that eate of it. I saw the attestations in the hands of the sufferers. It lasted many months.' From Memoirs of Evelyn (1819 edition). Also in the Powys-Land Papers for 1883."

Extract from Pennant's Tour in Wales, Vol. II., p. 372, ed. 1810:

"Winter of 1694. — A pestilential vapour resembling a weak blue flame arose during a fortnight or three weeks out of a sandy, marshy tract called Morfa Byden, and crossed over a channel of 8 miles to Harlech. It set fire on that side to 16 ricks of hay and 2 barns, one filled with hay, the other with corn. It infected the grass in such a manner that cattle, etc., died, yet men eat of it with impunity. It was easily dispelled: any great noise, sounding of horns, discharging of guns, at once repelled it. Moved only by night, and appeared at times, but less frequently; after this it disappeared."

from Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research, 1905-7

2008-03-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

(page 106)

In the same town on July 30th at midnight a Mrs. O., whom I have seen, called the attention of my friend, Mr. J. R. J., who lives next door to her, to a ball of fire or torch which she saw travelling over the hill side to the north of Ynysybwl, rather more than a mile, as the crow flies, from her house. Three relatives of Mrs. 0., with her and Mr. J. R. J., watched the light moving about in a zig-zag from the top of the hills to the valley below, across fields and hedges, for about 20 minutes. The night was dark; the light went out at intervals and reappeared. It does not appear possible that any person could have borne a powerful lamp over the area pointed out to me, or have moved from point to point so rapidly as the light travelled, the apparent rate being six miles an hour. There is no evidence discoverable of bodies of ignited gases having been seen in the locality previously, and one of the witnesses was not in the least affected by the Revival efforts of Mrs. Jones. There is no solution of this incident at present.

from Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research, 1905-7

2008-03-29T07:42:00.000-07:00

(page 104)

... I heard of the appearance of " lights " at Ynysybwl, a small colliery town a few miles north of Pontypridd, Glam., and on August 2nd, 1905, I visited the town to interview some of the percipients. Mrs. Jones of Egryn preached at Ynysybwl on July 4th, 5th and 6th, but there is no trustworthy evidence of lights being seen before July 23rd. On that evening several persons went to Ynysyboeth to hear Mrs. Jones once more and by all accounts they were very much affected by the service. On their return to Ynysybwl they held an open-air meeting, at about 10.30 p.m., in the open space known as Robert Town Square. The religious fervour was intense and the service lasted until 1 a.m. One correspondent (see 27a) reports that his attention was called, during the service, to a "ball of light about the size of the moon," with a slight mist over it. Then stars began to shoot out around it, the light rose higher and grew brighter but smaller.

Another at the same gathering describes the light as a "block of fire" rising from the mountain side and moving along for about 200 or 300 yards. It went upwards, a star "shot out to meet it, and they clapped together and formed into a ball of fire." The form changed into something like the helm of a ship. The appearance lasted about a quarter of an hour. This deponent went home to fetch his wife to see the light, but from his house he saw nothing, although the house faces the same mountain side. Returning to the square he again saw it. A third witness says that the light was a ball of fire, "glittering and sparkling," and it seemed to be "bubbling over." A Mrs. J. and her daughters saw the light at 12.30 a.m. as a ball of fire, white, silvery, vibrating, stationary. Mrs. J. also saw two streamers of grey mist emanating from the ball and in the space between them a number of stars. The daughter saw nothing of the stars, but remarks, as no one else does, that the form became oval instead of round. In conversation they told me also that the ball decreased in size. Another witness, whose account has not been written, described his vision to me as a ball of fire with 4 or 5 pillars of light on the left of the ball, the intervening space containing no stars. He was standing near the last-named witnesses. It will be sufficient here to point out that whilst all the witnesses saw a ball of fire, each saw something in connection therewith not mentioned by the others. All agree in thinking that the duration of the light was from 10 to 15 minutes, but whether "vision" minutes are of the same duration as those of solar time remains to be proved. There is no evidence that any one consulted a watch or clock to mark the time that really elapsed.

On July 26th, at a meeting of the Salvation Army, in the same square, Mr. D. D. tells me that he saw over a wood on the mountain side a black cloud from which emerged first a white light, then a yellow, and finally a brilliantly red triangle.

from Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research, 1905-7

2008-03-29T07:37:00.000-07:00

(page 100)

On December 22nd, 1904, at 5:18 p.m., another deponent saw, in company with two other persons, a large light "about half way from the earth to the sky, on the south side of Capel Egryn, and in the middle of it something like [a] bottle or black person, also some little lights scattering around the large light in many colours. Last of all the whole thing came to a large piece of fog, out of sight."

from Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research, 1905-7

2008-03-29T07:33:00.001-07:00

(page 100)

A young woman of some education wrote (February 4th, 1905): "I saw the light you refer to one night in the beginning of January [between 10 and 10:30 p.m.]. At first I saw two very bright lights, about half a mile away" [it was between Dyffryn and Llanbedr], "one a big white light, the other smaller and red in colour. The latter flashed backwards and forwards, and finally seemed to become merged in the other. Then all was darkness again. It did not appear in the same place again, but a few minutes after we saw another light which seemed to be a few yards above the ground. It now looked like one big flame, and all around it seemed like one big glare of light. It flamed up and went out alternately for about ten minutes, very much in the same way as some lighthouses."

from Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research, 1905-7

2008-03-29T07:24:00.001-07:00

(page 99)

Another correspondent says that only once did he see the light, on January 2nd, 1905. "It was hovering above a certain farmhouse, and it appeared to me as three lamps about three yards apart, in the shape of a Prince of Wales's feathers, very brilliant and dazzling, moving and jumping like a sea-wave under the influence of the sun on a very hot day. The light continued so for ten minutes. All my family saw it the same time. It was 10:40 p.m. at the time."

from Whirlwinds and Dust-Storms of India, 1860

2008-03-29T07:07:00.000-07:00

(page 65)

Eccentric Movement of a Star.

Three officers of the Bengal Artillery relate as follows — One evening, during the last week in April, an hour and half after sunset, the atmosphere being perfectly clear and without clouds, and no moon shining, a little haze only, low in the horizon, three of us, Lieuts. Machell, Turnbull and myself, saw a star in the west move and undergo sundry eccentric motions.

When first noticed, it was at an elevation of about 12° above the horizon, and its direction from us was about W. 10° S.

We imagined it must be merely an optical illusion, but each of us then looked at it from a fixed position, and brought it on a line with some fixed object.

M. reclined his head against a wall, and brought it in a line with a string held vertically, as in laying a mortar. I also adopted a plan, and brought the Star in a line with the two
posts of my bed, and we each remarked that the Star moved a good deal to the left of us, that is, in a Southerly direction, though not in a direct line, South.

It sometimes dropped down some distance and went off in a zig-zag direction, then rose again, and at times remained stationary. It also varied much in brilliancy and in colour, sometimes becoming quite bright, at other times scarcely perceptible. When it approached the horizon, we generally lost sight of it altogether, which may possibly be accounted for by its getting obscured in the haze. The Star once or twice moved to the right, but during the half hour we continued to observe it, it had moved considerably to the left of our position, or to the South, over a space perhaps of 8° or more. It described no regular motion, and went off by fits and starts, and varied from its original position in the heavens considerably, as I tested by forming a triangle with it and two other fixed stars.

Its velocity too was different at different times.

My decided opinion is that it was not a meteor, but one of the fixed stars, though I confess I have not been able to identify it with any one of them since that night.

from A Year In Europe, 1824

2008-03-29T06:57:00.000-07:00

(page 365, chapter: Voyage to New York)

About two o'clock today, a meteor was seen by the captain and a number of the passengers, though the sun was shining brightly. It appeared at an elevation of about 45°, and passed rapidly toward the horizon, in an oblique direction. It was transparent, much resembling a globe of glass, with a short neck or train.

from Executive Documents of the House of Representatives, 1877

2008-03-29T06:29:00.000-07:00

(page 86, Report of the Chief Signal-Officer)

November 17, 1876—At 4:24 p.m. I was startled by two flashes of light, which dimmed, to a great degree, the flame of an argand burner. I immediately ran to the window to look for fire, but seeing none, I rushed out of doors, and looking around I saw in the WNW., i.e., 23° N. of W., an irregular streak of fire perpendicular to the earth. Below this a second, and a third below this.

The first streak at an altitude of 28°, about 2°.5 long and 12' wide, then a space of 3° long and about the same width as the upper. A third was like the second or middle one, but was shorter and much brighter. All had the peculiar bright white light of the sun, not yellowish like the moon.

I immediately ran to tell Mr. Newman, who lives in the next house. He was hunting his hat to run to tell me that he had seen it fall. He describes it as descending slowly in a zig-zag manner, as indicated by its path, and that it seemed to swell and shrink in size while falling, and that the moon is about the size of the ball, and that the outlines of the meteor were not round but irregular.

We watched the light from 4:24 p.m. to 5 p.m., at which time the upper line of light had faded out of sight. The middle one had moved westward (nearly northward) 10°, and was now inclined to the horizon.

The third or lower was also inclined to the horizon and moving to the westward also. The middle one had then the exact shape of the hull of a large vessel, as plainly distinguishable as well-defined cirri streaks in day-time.

The lower faded out at 5:35 p.m. The middle one or hull-shaped lasted until 5:46 p.m., or a total length of time of one hour and twenty-two minutes.

This meteor was seen by three white men, including myself, and many natives, who were much frightened by the appearance.

from Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 1884

2008-03-29T06:16:00.000-07:00

(page 408)

A Peculiar Variety of Meteors. By W. F. Denning.

On the morning of April 20, at 1h 36m A.M., while watching the progress of the Lyrids I saw a remarkable meteor, projected apparently on the stars _ and _ of Serpens, as it rose upwards with great rapidity in the south. The meteor was about the third magnitude, but the singularity about it was its marvellous velocity and seeming nearness. It appeared to be in the air, a few yards distant, and I believe its path, extending (as it instantaneously impressed me) over some 16° on the background of the sky, must have been traversed in less than the twentieth part of a second. Of course there is a great difficulty in estimating such short intervals, but I feel confident the duration was even more transient than that assigned.

Now and then I have observed similar meteors before. They immediately strike one by their close proximity and enormous velocity. They are mere gleams of pale white light, which have little analogy to ordinary shooting stars, and suggest an electric origin, though I do not know whether the marvellous quickness with which they flash upon the eye is not to be held responsible for the sensation of nearness. They are somewhat rare, and one may watch through several whole nights without a single
example, but, as far as my memory serves, I must have witnessed some scores of these meteoric flashes. I never register the paths; they are so rapid as to make but a vague impression on the retina, and the direction is necessarily much involved in doubt. As to the meteor of April 20, it ascended in Serpens from the western boundaries of Scorpio, and probably diverged from a radiant near the bow of Sagittarius. It was the only one I saw of the kind alluded to, or which could have belonged to a radiant so low in the S.E. amongst eighty-one meteors recorded during the nights of April 18, 19, and 20, 1885.

I have consulted several catalogues for notices of abnormal meteors such as the one described, but in most cases there is an absence of individual notes, and I have failed to gather much evidence of the kind required. But a most excellent instance, and I think the only one, is referred to in Col. Tupman's catalogue of nearly two thousand shooting stars observed by him while cruising in the Mediterranean during the years 1869-71. The particulars are:—

1870, January 9, 14h 59m; mag. 3; path from 169° + 2o° to 157°—10° ; length 3i°; duration 0.1 second. "An instantaneous flash; seemed to be in the air, quite near. Very curious." It will be seen that Col. Tupman's description is very similar to my own. Though his meteor had a path of no less than 31°, he estimated the duration as only the tenth of a second. On the whole I incline to the belief that meteors of this abnormal class give the idea of great nearness as the result of their astonishing speed, and that they will be invariably found directed from radiants close to the Earth's apex. Their appearance, however, is such as to vividly impress the observer as to their special character. It therefore seems desirable to mention the circumstances, so that workers in this department may record such further instances as they may notice, notwithstanding the uncertainty attached to the path directions of such very transient phenomena. It is just possible they may indicate a form of meteoric display essentially different to that commonly understood.

from The Trouvelot Astronomical Drawings Manual, 1882

2008-03-29T05:34:00.000-07:00

(Page 116)

In the years 1866, 1867 and 1868, there were also extraordinary meteoric displays on the night of November I3th. It was on the last mentioned date that I had the opportunity to observe the remarkable shower of shooting-stars of which I have attempted to represent all the characteristic points in Plate XII. My observations were begun a little after midnight, and continued without interruption till sun-rise. Over three thousand meteors were observed during this interval of time in the part of the sky visible from a northern window of my house. The maximum fall occurred between four and five o'clock, when they appeared at a mean rate of 15 in a minute.

In general, the falling stars were quite large, many being superior to Jupiter in brightness and apparent size, while a few even surpassed Venus, and were so brilliant that opaque objects cast a strong shadow during their flight. A great many left behind them a luminous train, which remained visible for more or less time after the nucleus had vanished. In general, these meteors appeared to move either in straight or slightly curved orbits; but quite a number among them exhibited very extraordinary motions, and followed very complicated paths, some of which were quite incomprehensible.

While some moved either in wavy or zig-zag lines, strongly accentuated, others, after moving for a time in a straight line, gradually changed their course, curving upward or downward, thus moving in a new direction. Several among them, which were apparently moving in a straight line with great rapidity, suddenly altered their course, starting at an abrupt angle in another direction, with no apparent slackening in their motion. One of them, which was a very conspicuous object, was moving slowly in a straight course, when of a sudden it made a sharp turn and continued to travel in a straight line, at an acute angle with the first, retreating, and almost going back towards the regions from which it originally came. As nearly all the meteors which exhibited these extraordinary motions left the trace of their passage in the sky by a luminous trail, it was easily ascertained that these appearances were not deceptive. On one occasion I noticed that the change of direction in the orbit corresponded with the brightening up of the meteor thus disturbed in its progress.

Among these meteors, some traveled very slowly, and a few seemed to advance as if by jerks, but in general they moved very rapidly. One of the meteors thus appearing to move by jerks left a luminous trail, upon which the various jerks seemed to be left impressed by a succession of bright and faint spaces along the train. Some of the largest meteors appeared to rotate upon an axis as they advanced, and most of these revolving meteors, as also a great number of the others, seemed to explode just before they disappeared, sending bright fiery sparks of different colors in all directions, although no sound was at any time heard. The largest and most brilliant meteor observed on that night appeared at 5h. 30m., a little before sunrise. It was very bright, and appeared considerably larger than Venus, having quite a distinct disk. This meteor moved very slowly, leaving behind a large phosphorescent trail, which seemed to issue from the inside of the nucleus as it advanced. For a moment the train increased in size and brightness close to the nucleus, which then appeared as an empty transparent sphere, sprinkled all over with minute fiery sparks ; the nucleus then suddenly burst out into luminous particles, which immediately vanished, only the luminous trail of considerable dimensions being left.

Many of the trails thus left by the meteors retained their luminosity for several minutes, and sometimes for over a quarter of an hour. These trails slowly changed their form and position; but it is perhaps remarkable that almost all those which I observed on that night assumed the same general form—that of an open, irregular ring, or horse-shoe, somewhat resembling the letter C. This ring form was subsequently transformed into an irregular, roundish cumulus-like cloud. The trail left by a very large meteor, which I observed on the evening of September 5th, 1880, also exhibited the same general character of transformation.

from Elementary Meteorology, 1893

2008-03-28T13:19:00.000-07:00

(page 176)

The following report of an appearance of globular lightning in the Glendowan Mountains, in the County Donegal, Ireland, by Mr. M. Fitzgerald, is very remarkable:

"I noticed a globe of fire in the air floating leisurely along. After passing the crown of the ridge, where I first noticed it, it descended gradually into the valley, keeping all the way about the same distance from the surface of the land, until it reached a stream about 300 yards from where I stood. It then struck the land, and re-appeared in about a minute, drifted along the surface for about 200 yards, and again disappeared in the boggy soil, re-appearing about twenty perches further down the stream; again it moved along the surface, and again sank, this time into the bank of the stream, which it flew across, and finally lodged in the opposite bank, leaving a hole in the peat bank, where it buried itself.

"I at once examined its course, and found a hole about twenty feet square, where it first touched the land, with the pure peat turned out on the lea as if it had been cut out with a huge knife. This was only one minute's work, and, as well as I could judge, it did not occupy fully that time. It next made a trench about twenty perches in length, and four feet deep, afterwards ploughing up the surface about one foot deep, and again tearing away the bank of the stream about five perches in length and five feet deep, and then, hurling the immense mass into the bed of the stream, it flew into the opposite peaty brink. From its first appearance till it buried itself could not have been more than twenty minutes, during which it travelled leisurely, as if floating, with an undulatory motion through the air and land, over one mile. It appeared at first to be a bright red globular ball of fire, about two feet in diameter, but its bulk became rapidly less, particularly after each dip in the soil, so that it appeared not more than three inches' diameter when it finally vanished."

from Elementary Meteorology, 1893

2008-03-28T13:14:00.000-07:00

(page 176)

Dr. Tripe stated to the Meteorological Society that, "On July 11, 1874, he was watching the progress of the most fearful storm he ever witnessed of hail, wind and lightning, and was looking due south, when he saw a large ball of fire rise apparently about a mile distant from behind some low houses. The ball at first rose slowly, but accelerated its pace as it ascended, so as gradually to acquire a very rapid motion. When it had risen about 45°, it started off at an acute angle towards the west, with such great rapidity as to produce the appearance of a flash of forked lightning. It made three zigzags before it entered the dark cloud."

from Dwight's American Magazine, 1845

2008-03-28T12:50:00.000-07:00

(page 619)

The Jersey Times says that a globe of fire, apparently of the dimensions of a good-sized balloon, was observed to move about from position to position, making its appearance now in one place, then in another. It might be seen at one moment blazing with all the lustre of the sun as it sets in the autumnal sky, in another shining with a full, clear and burnished light irradiating the whole aerial vault. Sometimes stationary. It would all of a sudden change its position, and locate itself upon a spot at a considerable distance. It remained for nearly an hour, when, in a second, becoming detached from the spot on which it was fixed, it flew with a tremendous velocity through the sky, and took refuge behind a dark and murky cloud.

from Among the Isles of Shoals, 1873

2008-03-28T12:24:00.000-07:00

(page 137)

And here I am reminded of a story told by some gentlemen visiting Appledore sixteen or eighteen years ago. They started from Portsmouth for the Shoals in a whaleboat, one evening in summer, with a native Star-Islander, Richard Eandall by name, to manage the boat. They had sailed about half the distance, when they were surprised at seeing a large ball of fire, like a rising moon, rolling toward them over the sea from the south. They watched it eagerly as it bore down upon them, and, veering off, went east of them at some little distance, and then passed astern, and there, of course, they expected to lose sight of it; but while they were marvelling and speculating, it altered its course, and suddenly began to near them, coming back upon its track against the wind and steadily following in their wake. This was too much for the native Shoaler. He took off his jacket and turned it inside out to exorcise the fiend, and lo, the apparition most certainly disappeared! We heard the excited account of the strange gentlemen and witnessed the holy horror of the boatman on the occasion; but no one could imagine what had set the globe of fire rolling across the sea. Some one suggested that it might be an exhalation, a phosphorescent light, from the decaying body of some dead fish; but in that case it must have been taken in tow by some living finny creature, else how could it have sailed straight "into the teeth of the wind"? It was never satisfactorily accounted for, and must remain a mystery.

from The Philosophy of Storms, 1841

2008-03-28T12:10:00.000-07:00

(page 412)

At half past two on the morning of the 7th, Mr. Auber observed several globes of fire moving upon the sea, at various distances from the shore, whilst others remained stationary. One of them, from its position, appeared to be on the top of the Montaneta of Realejo, and caused him to suppose that that extinct volcano was going to threaten the valley of Orotava with an eruption; but he was soon undeceived, by observing that the globe moved about on the surface of the water like the others, and at some distance from the spot where he first thought it was situated. These luminous globes appeared to move towards the south west, and follow the direction of the waves. The light which they spread in the atmosphere, extended more than 45° high; and although he was three miles off, it was often sufficiently strong to enable him to read rather small print; but no detonation was heard. The number of globes increased from half past two o'clock till four, when they began to diminish. Mr. Auber, at one period of his observations, counted fourteen moving about at one time, but the glare of light which he perceived on his right, where the surrounding houses bounded his view, caused him to suppose their number to be much more considerable. Their duration was from one minute, to five or six, but seldom longer; and their apparent diameter was about the half of that of the moon at her full, when she reaches the zenith. When they had all disappeared, the darkness was extreme, and he could not see the neighboring houses; but a quarter of an hour afterwards, the reappearance of the same globes, or the formation of new ones, allowed him to see the island of Palma, though nearly sixty miles distant. The rain fell with equal force whilst these globes were appearing on the sea and after their disappearance. It was mentioned, that
a globe of fire had fallen at the foot of the mountain of Tygaygn, which bounds the valley of Orotava to the west, and that it had made a deep hole in the earth; search was made respecting the truth of this assertion, but it did not lead to any positive result. I was likewise informed, that similar globes of fire were seen traversing the Llano de Caspar, the spot which I have mentioned as bearing such evident marks of the effects of the water. My informant, who was a small farmer living near Tygayga, and almost on a level with the Llano de Caspar, likewise added, "that all the heaths appeared to be on fire; and, at the same time, I saw a column of water several fathoms wide, move across the top of the valley."

from Electrical Engineer, 1890

2008-03-28T11:53:00.000-07:00

(page 143)

The following remarkable occurrence is reported from the central electric lighting station at Pontevedra in Spain, a report of which has been communicated by Sen. E. Cabellero, manager of this station, to the Academy of Madrid. On January 2nd, at 9:15 in the evening, with a clear and serene sky, a globe of fire, of the size of an orange, was all at once observed to fall upon the electrical conductors which radiate through the town; it was impossible to say how it fell or whence it came. Along this path it progressed with a relatively slow motion to the central station, destroyed the distributing apparatus, and raising the armature of a circuit-breaker, it struck the moving dynamo. Under the eyes of the engineer and the terrified workmen, it rebounded twice from the dynamo to the conductors and from the conductors to the dynamo, then fell, and burst with a loud noise into a multitude of fragment without producing any accident, or leaving the slightest trace of its mysterious nature. During its evolutions the lights wavered in the town, which would have been plunged into complete darkness if the coolness of the electricians had not allowed them to put everything in order again in a few seconds after the vanishing of the meteor. Several persons had seen the ball of fire before it penetrated the station.

from The London Magazine, 1783

2008-03-28T11:25:00.000-07:00

(page 493, excerpts)

Another gentleman, who was on the road from Stamford a few miles from the habitation of the last mentioned one, saw the meteor rise from the horizon, about N.W. by N. or perhaps N.N.W. and pass to the east of his zenith, moving pretty quickly towards the S.E. by S. or S.E. He lost sight of it by its going behind a cloud, as the former gentleman, did. To this latter gentleman it appeared as if there were three balls in a line, about two feet asunder, and following one another in the same track. Some little time after the meteor had disappeared, he heard a noise, as of thunder, beween the E. and S.E.

This remarkable circumstance of the meteor appearing like three distinct balls, is confirmed by a gentleman who saw it near Upper Clapton; and who has obliged me with a drawing of it, representing the meteor as it appeared to him.

Mr. Amyss, master of the White-Horse inn, about five miles from St. Edmunds-Bury, in the road to Newmarket, was looking out the window that fronts the north-west, and saw a great light in the horizon, seemingly over Cavenham, a village on the borders of the fens, and which, as I find by Kirby's map of Suffolk, bears about N.W. by N. or perhaps a little more westerly of the White-Horse inn. It kept proceeding slowly on towards Mr. Amyss' house; and when it was within about a quarter of a mile of it shed innumerablel stars, each of which appeared to have a tail. It passed directly over his house; and, as the observer thought, but just clear of the chimneys. He ran to a back window, and saw it keep on its course towards Great Saxham, the seat of Hutchinson Muire, Esq. and soon lost sight of it beyond the trees and rising grounds which confine his horizon that way. About a minute after he lost sight of the meteor, he heard a loud noise, as if something very heavy had fallen down in a room over his head. He then looked at his watch, and found it wanted 20 minutes to 10 o'clock. He judged that he saw the meteor for three minutes; but in this he might be easily deceived, and I believe he was. He says the light was of a bluish cast, and that the length of the meteor was about three rods; which is 16 or 17 yards.

***

I have also an extract of a letter from a gentleman, a lieutenant on one of his Majesty's ships of war, which was then cruising off the north of Ireland, who relates that he saw the same meteor moving along the north-east quarter, nearly parallel to the horizon, and at no great height above it; but he adds something singular enough, namely, that a little time afterwards he saw it moving back again, the contrary way to that which it came.

from The Cyclopaedia, or Universal Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and Literature, 1819

2008-03-28T09:42:00.000-07:00

We ought probably to rank with meteoric stones the ignited bodies, or fire-balls, which are not only distinguished from them by their substance not being metallic. Like meteoric stones, they generally fall in the warmest months, and in calm weather; they burn in the same manner, and traverse their path with the same velocity; their explosions are nearly similiar, and that of 1772 had a rotation round its centre. These ignited globes have a roundish form and gelatinous consistence. A globe of fire which fell in the East Indies, in 1218, left, after a dreadful explosion, a round large heap of gelatine, of tolerable consistence. A similar mass, but grey and spungy, was found at Coblentz, after the explosion of a ball of fire.

from Plutarch's Lives, 1859

2008-03-28T09:37:00.000-07:00

(page 311)

... he relates, that for seventy-five days together, before that stone fell, there was seen in the heavens a large body of fire, like an inflamed cloud, not fixed to one place, but carried this way and that with a broken and irregular motion; and that by its violent agitation, several fiery fragments were forced from it, which were impelled in various directions, and darted with the celerity and brightness of so many falling stars. After this body was fallen in the Chersonesus, and the inhabitants, recovered from their terror, assembled to see it, they could find no inflammable matter, or the least sign of fire, but a real stone, which, though large, was nothing to the size of that fiery globe they had seen in the sky, but appeared only as a bit crumbled from it.

from Elements of Meteorology, 1869

2008-03-28T09:31:00.000-07:00

(page 145)

In the midst of a storm in Scotland, two globes of fire, connected together like chained cannon-shot, were seen by a Mr. Lumsden, passing through the sky revolving one about the other, and striking at last upon the summit of a hill.

from Elements of Meteorology, 1869

2008-03-28T09:29:00.001-07:00

(page 145)

On the fourth of November, 1749, in 42° 48' N. Lat., 2° W. Long., the crew of the ship Montague beheld, a little before noon, and beneath an unclouded sky, a globe of bluish fire, like a millstone, rolling rapidly upon the sea. At a short distance from the vessel, it rose perpendicularly from the water, and struck the masts with an explosion louder than the discharge of a hundred cannon. Five sailors were thrown senseless upon the deck, one of whom was severely injured.

from Tales of the Castle: or, Stories of Instruction and Delight, 1785

2008-03-28T09:05:00.000-07:00

(page 253)

The globe of fire which was the subject of the Memoire of M. le Roy, was observed the 17th of July, 1771, about half past ten in the evening. There suddenly appeared in the north-west a fire like to a great falling star, which augmenting as it approached, soon took the form of a globe, that afterwards had a tail, which entrained all after it. This globe having traversed a part of the heavens, became slower in its motion, and took the form of Batavian Tears, when it shed a most powerful light: its head appeared enveloped in sparks of fire, and its tail edged with red contained all the colours of the rainbow. At length it burst, shedding a vast number of luminous particles like the brilliance in fire-works.

The 12th of November, 1761, M. le Baron des Adretz, one league from Ville Franche, in Beaujolois, saw a bright globe of fire, which seemed swiftly falling and increasing in size as it fell. A train of fire marked its route; after it had traversed nearly an eighth of the horizon, it seemed as large as an exceedingly large sun, cut horizontally in half. It turned up-side down, and out of it came a prodigious quantity of flaming sparks, like the largest of those seen in fire-works. In the town of Beaune, this meteor gave a light equal to that of noon-day.

The 3d of November, 1771, at half past nine in the evening, a very extraordinary meteor was seen at Sarlat. The Heavens became so light, that they thought day again was going to break. A most luminous globe of fire appeared, from which came large sparks, like artificial stars, and the circle by which it was surrounded, was formed of differently-coloured rays. When this enormous globe was about six fathoms high, two species of volcano came from it, which took the form of two large rainbows, one of which lost itself towards the North, and the other towards the South.

from History of the Earth, and Animated Nature, 1854

2008-03-28T08:54:00.000-07:00

(page 117)

We have the description of a very extraordinary one given us by Montanari, that serves to show to what great heights in our atmosphere these vapours are found to ascend. In the year 1676, a great globe of fire was seen at Bononia, in Italy, about three quarters of an hour after sun-set. It passed westward with a most rapid course, at the rate of not less than a hundred and sixty miles in a minute, which is much swifter than the force of a cannon-ball, and at last stood over the Adriatic Sea. In its course it crossed over all Italy; and by computation it could not have been less than thirty-eight miles above the surface of the earth. In the whole line of its course, wherever it approached, the inhabitants below could distinctly hear it, with a hissing noise resembling that of a firework. Having passed away to sea towards Corsica, it was heard at last to go off with a violent explosion, much louder than that of a cannon; and immediately after another noise was heard, like the rattling of a heavy cart upon a stony pavement—which was probably nothing more than an echo of the former sound. Its magnitude when at Bononia appeared to be twice as long as the moon one way, and as broad the other; so that, considering its height, it could not have been less than a mile long and half a mile broad. From the height at which this was seen, and there being no volcano in that quarter of the world from whence it came, it is more than probably that this terrible globe was kindled on some part of the contrary side of the globe, in those regions of vapours which we have been just describing; and thus, rising above the air, and passing in a course opposite to that of the earth's motion, in this manner it acquired its amazing rapidity.

from History of the Earth, and Animated Nature, 1854

2008-03-28T08:48:00.000-07:00

(page 117)

About nine at night, a globe of fire appeared to rise from the side of the mountain Pichinca, and so large, that it spread a light over all the part of the city facing that mountain. The house in which I lodged looking that way, I was surprised with an extraordinary light darting through the crevices of the window-shutters. On this appearance, and the bustle of the people in the street, I hastened to the window, and came time enough to see it in the middle of its career, which continued from west to south till I lost sight of it, being intercepted by a mountain which lay between. It was round, and its apparent diameter was about a foot. I observed it to rise from the sides of Pichinca; althought, to judge from its course, it was behind that mountain where this congeries of inflammable material was kindled. In the first half of its visible course it emitted a prodigious effulgence, then it began gradually to grow dim; so that, upon its disappearing behind the intervening mountain, its light was very faint.

from Popular Lectures on Science, 1846

2008-03-28T07:28:00.000-07:00

(from table on page 540)

April 14-15, 1718—Three globes of fire three and a half feet in diameter. They destroyed a church.

March, 1720—A globe of fire struck the earth and rebounded. After the rebound, struck the dome of a tower and set fire to it.

1770—Three globes of fire issued from low clouds, and suddenly disappeared without any explosion.

1772—A globe of fire oscillated for a long time in the air over the village, on which it fell vertically. It destroyed the houses on which it fell.

from The Family Magazine, 1834

2008-03-28T04:03:00.000-07:00

(page 271)

About four o'clock in the morning a large meteoric body, resembling a globe of fire, exploded in the zenith of the heavens, and poured a continuous stream of flaming particles on the sky beneath. The increasing scintillations from this luminous globular body were showered down like drops of falling rain, illuminating the whole visible horizon, and scattering rich rays of light on each airy path as they fell. After this meteoric shower of fiery rain had for some time descended, a luminous serpentine figure was formed in the sky, which, on its explosion, produced a shower of fire equally brilliant and incessant. The inflammable particles then apparently cohering in one ignited mass, rolled up in a ball to the zenith; and from this lofty elevation burst, and shot out streams of electric fire from its luminous orb, which continued to fall until the hour of six in the morning, when the dawning day put an end to their glory and their flight.

from The Eclectic Magazine, 1873

2008-03-28T03:36:00.000-07:00

(page 592)

But on one occasion a very remarkable phenomenon, only (but very readily) explicable in this way, was witnessed by three practised observers—Admiral Smyth, Professor Pearson, and Sir. T. Maclear—at three different stations. Admiral Smyth thus describes what he saw:

"On Thursday, June 26, 1828, the evening being extremely fine, I was watching the swecond satellite of Jupiter as it gradually approached to transit Jupiter's disk. It appeared in contact at about half-past ten, and for some minutes remained on the edge of the disk, presenting an appearance not unlike that of the lunar mountains coming into view during the moon's first quarter, until it finally disappeared on the body of the planet. At least twelve or thirteen minutes must have elapsed, when, accidentally turning to Jupiter again, to my astonishment I perceived the same satellite outside the disk! It remained distinctly visible for at least four minutes, and then suddenly vanished!"

For our own part, we can conceive of no possible explanation of this remarkable phenomenon, unless it be admitted that the change was in the apparent outline of Jupiter. Of course, to suppose that even a cloud-layer rose or fell, in a few minutes, several thousand miles (about 8,000, if the stated times be correct), is as inadmissable as to suppose the solid crust of a globe to undergo so vast a change of level ...

from The Rebellion Record, a Diary of American Events, 1864

2008-03-28T03:24:00.000-07:00

(page 99)

Remarkable Phenomenon—A writer in the Staunton Spectator, dating at Lewisburgh, Greenbrier County, Virginia, September fifteenth, writes to that paper a description of a remarkable atmospheric phenomenon witnessed in that town. It was seen by our pickets, a few miles from the town. The same scene has been described in several respectable papers, the editors of which all vouch for the reliability of their informants. The writer says:

"A remarkable phenomenon was witnessed, a few miles west of this place, at the house of Mrs. Pearcy, on the first day of this month, at about three o'clock p.m., by Mr. Moses Dwyer, her neighbor, who happened to be seated in her porch at the time, as well as by others at or near the house.

"The weather was quite hot and dry; not a cloud could be seen; no wind even ruffled the foliage on the surrounding trees. All things being propitious, the grand panorama began to move. Just over and through the tops of the trees, on the adjacent hills on the South, immense numbers of rolls, resembling cotton or smoke, apparently the size and shape of doors, seemed to be passing rapidly through the air, yet in beautiful order and regularity. The rolls seemed to be tinged on the edge with light green, so as to resemble a border or deep fringe. There were apparently thousands of them, and were, perhaps, an hour in getting by. After these had passed over and out of sight, the scene was changed from the air above to the earth beneath, and became more intensely interesting to the spectators, who were witnessing the panorama from different stand-points.

"In the deep valley beneath, thousands upon thousands of (apparently) human beings (men) came in view, travelling in the same direction as the rolls, marching in good order, some thirty or forty in depth, moving rapidly, 'double-quick,' and commenced ascending the sides of the almost insurmountable hills opposite, and had the stoop peculiar to men when they ascend a steep mountain. There seemed to be a great variety in the size of the men; some were very large, whilst others were quite small. Their arms, legs, and heads, could be distinctly seen in motion. They seemed to observe strict military discipline, and there were no stragglers to be seen.

"There was uniformity of dress—loose white blouses or shirts, with white pants, wool hats, and were without guns, swords, or any thing that indicates 'men of war.' On they came, through the valley and over the steep hill, crossing the road, and finally passing out of sight, in a direction due north from those who were looking on.

"The gentleman who witnessed this is a man with whom you were once acquainted, Mr. Editor, and as truthful a man as we have in this county, and as little to be carried away by 'fanciful speculations' as any man living. Four others (respectable ladies) and a servant-girl witnessed this phenomenon.

W.

"P.S.—On the fourteenth instant, the same scene, almost identical, was seen by eight or ten of our pickets at Bunger's Mill, and by many of the citizens in that neighborhood; this is about four miles east of Pearcy's. It was about an hour passing."

—Richmond Dispatch, October 2.

from Narrative of an Expedition to The Polar Sea, 1820-1823

2008-03-27T19:28:00.001-07:00

(page 102)

In this day's journey we saw an unusual phenomenon: in the N.E. horizon there appeared an insulated dark-grey cloud, from which white beams streamed to the zenith and across it to the opposite horizon, resembling the beams of the Aurora, but whether luminous or not we could not tell, on account of the daylight. The phenomenon lasted about half an hour. One of our Cossacks, who had been before on the Polar Sea, maintained that the cloud was occasioned by vapour rising from a sudden crack in the ice. On the same evening there was an Aurora extending from N.E. to N.W.

from The Practical Astronomer, 1856

2008-03-27T19:06:00.000-07:00

(page 335)

I cannot here omit to mention a very unusual phenomenon that I observed about ten years ago in my darkened room. The window looked toward the west, and the spire of Chichester Cathedral was before it at the distance of 50 or 60 yards. I used very often to divert myself by observing the pleasant manner in which the sun passed behind the spire, and was eclipsed by it for some time; for the image of the sun and of the spire were very large, being made by a lens of 12 feet focal distance; and once, as I observed the occultation of the sun behind the spire, just as the disk disappeared, I saw several small, bright, round bodies or balls running towards the sun from the dark part of the room, even to the distance of 20 inches. I observed their motion was a little irregular, but rectilinear, and seemed accelerated as they approached the Sun. These luminous globules appeared also on the other side of the spire, and preceded the sun, running out into the dark room, sometimes more, sometimes less, together, in the same manner as they followed the sun at its occultation. They appeared to be, in general, one-twentieth of an inch in diameter, and therefore must be very large, luminous globes in some part of the heavens, whose light was extinguished by that of the sun, so that they appeared not in open daylight; but whether of the meteor kind, or what sort of bodies they might be, I could not conjecture."

Professor Hansteen mentions that, when employed in measuring the zenith distances of the polar star, he observed a somewhat similar phenomenon, which he describes as "a luminous body which passed over the field of the universal telescope; that its motion was neither perfectly equal nor rectilinear, but resembled very much the unequal and somewhat serpentine motion of an ascending rocket;" and he concluded that it must have been " a meteor" or "shooting star" descending from the higher regions of the atmosphere.

from The Edinburgh Journal of Science, 1826

2008-03-27T14:35:00.000-07:00

(Page 222)

ART. IV.—Account of an Earthquake at Sea, felt in the Mediterranean, on the 29th November 1810, in his Majesty's frigate Salsette. In a letter from Captain Beaufort R.N. F.R.S. to Dr. Brewster.

Sir,

As it appears from a passage in your last Journal, that you are desirous of putting on record notices of earthquakes that have been felt at sea, the following account of one which I witnessed in the Mediterranean is at your service.

On the 29th of November 1810, at 7 A. M., his Majesty's frigate Salsette being about nine leagues S.W. by W. (true) from the island of Cerigo, and ten leagues south from Cape Matapan, the sky suddenly assumed a remarkably black and threatening appearance, which, however, spent itself before eight o'clock in the heavy rain. The wind had changed during the shower from E.S.E. to N.W., where it continued the rest of the day, and very faint, with the exception of one gust, which will be again mentioned.

At 11 a.m., solar time, while tranquilly standing to the southward, the ship was felt to quiver violently from stem to stern—the masts, yards, and rigging partaking of the general tremor, and even the guns being strongly affected. The agitation, which commenced with considerable force, seemed rather to increase for about two-thirds of its duration, and then gradually subsided till it became insensible. According to the general opinion, it lasted between two and three minutes; but, when allowance is made for the surprise occasioned by such an unusual phenomenon, a minute and a half will probably be the safer estimate. The sensation it produced will be accurately recognised by any person who has been launched in a boat over a rough beach of gravel; indeed, the resemblance was so alarmingly manifest, that the leads were instantly thrown overboard; but no bottom was found with seventy fathoms of line, and I have since sounded nearly in the same spot with 500 fathoms without reaching the ground. No peculiar smell was detected in the air, nor was there any ebullition in the sea, nor tremor on its surface, nor change of colour; yet the water alongside had something of a fretful unnatural appearance, not easy to describe—the little waves suddenly rising and dropping as if their motion was arrested by some unseen impulse acting in a direction contrary to their course. It did not appear that any change had taken place in either the barometer or thermometer; but circumstances unfortunately prevented their being examined for ten or twelve minutes.

Many persons afterwards asserted that this singular scene was accompanied by a hollow indistinct noise; but nothing of the kind was heard by the officers, who with me had been attentive observers of all that passed. In about five minutes after it had ceased, we were assailed by a very sharp squall, accompanied by large hail, and by repeated flashes of forked lightning, with thunder, at the distance of a few seconds of time. The squall was transient, the musky appearance of the sky quickly vanished, and the afternoon was peculiarly serene and clear. We afterwards ascertained that, on the same day, earthquakes had taken place both in Candia and in the Morea; and as the ship was nearly in a line connecting the extremities of those countries, it was probably the same great convulsion which had extended throughout that space. The only accounts, however, that could be obtained were too loose to identify the shocks, much less to discover in which direction they had been propagated.

It is remarkable that from two officers of the English garrison at Cerigo, who came on board the following morning, we learned that no earthquake had been felt in that island, though it forms such a connecting link between the above places, and though that which we had experienced must have been of very considerable violence, to be transmitted through a mass of water of at least 500 fathoms in depth. Slight shocks, I imagine, are seldom communicated, even through shallow water; for it has twice happened to me in Smyrna to have been wakened at night by smart vibrations of the bed, when nothing was felt on board, though the ship was at anchor only one-third of a mile from the house in which I slept, and though officers and sentinels were upon deck, by all of whom such an occurrence could not have been unobserved.

Though very unlikely to have been connected with the earthquake which was felt on board the Salsette, it may not be uninteresting to mention that, on the preceding evening, between 9 and 10 o'clock, several meteors, of different degrees of brilliancy, were seen; and that one of them, which emitted a long train of sparks, passed so near the ship that I heard the whizzing sound of its flight through the air, and, immediately after its disappearance, the fall of a ponderous body into the water.

I am, &c. F. B.