BRILLIANT SIGHT IN THE STRAIT

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 622, 27 September 1909, Page 6

BRILLIANT SIGHT IN THE STRAIT

'■'; THE AUEOn A'AUSTOAtIS. ''':;., Concerning a magnificent. Aurora Australia seen from a steamerih'.Cbolt .■'Strait; Mr. S. Whitta; Thornton • furnjshes ' .'J-'ilE ilojnNioN with the ioHowing : vory interesting narrative >~ 1 was the fortunate witness early on' Sunday morning 01' a. glorious' exhibition of tho Aurora Austraiis/and"asel■ understand,'that anything like a.brilliant display, of: these lights is uncommon in tnesi) .latitudes,. I thought 601110 of your readers might oara ,to -know, of. it, I Was travelling bn.'tuo' Wcslport Coal Compafiy'B ts.s,'.Regains, from Wcstport'to Wellington,' ■We. left We'stpoi't. at'' noon an Saturday,, and had a bad/passage up' to. Capo Farewell,, running into the..teeth of a north-east gale,, TIVp wind and sea moderated-' considerably • after rounding ;tho Capp. ; At <1.15- a.m,' I went..oil dcok. Wo wore then about, tweaty, riiilcs'east of. Stephen's--Island, ami the whole of the eastern and southern sky was lit lip with mptiy , magnificent streamers of light, rising from thi horizon to the, sjenith..''Boiwcyon caoh of these ,-broad streamers, whioh- appeared >'ta cohtaju all'the colours of the spectrum; the sky'wastho deepest and, richest crimson\vhich 1 hart eVer teen,, even' in- a tropical sunset., The, lights were quivering alid constantly changing hue, whilo ,th« -blood-red ,skj' :in between streamers. .remained approximately*, the' sairi-e\ /I'his lasted until 4.85 a.m..'■ when: tho lights-be. camo fainter and faintcri and then dieapneared about five minutes The :rod gradually becarao duller, until; it,was only-.a -red hue-iti the sky, and/it died away about -1,45 a,ni,. The pfhricr on the • l'H watch' afterwards told jna that the lights first appeared: about 1,30 aim.; and, with ;■• 'certain irregularities," -b-Ma'nia-stronger and stronger until they reached the height ef, their; glory ;at tho end' of\ Ufa 1Watch, ■ ":." " '■ V. '■ ■•'■'' .-.:'• ■ , ,': '.

,The captain .of ths Rogulus Informed mo •that Jio had never,seen such a wonderful ei*. hibition of the Aurora Australia in his life' and that any brilliant 1 exhihiljon of the lights. u'as, uncommon in those latitudes. I ■ wish I had a-pen .or a.brlish topibture tho indescrib- * able beauty nnd magnificence of the scene,' 'I can only say that I havb never,seen or dreamed of anything so, grand and nwe-inspirimv To N my. mind it easily eclipsed tho best tropical sUnsot I bavo.seaUi . ■ " .. ' ' The s.s. Hiinitangi, I think,.was a tow miles astern of us,,and must havosceii.it also. !I aiu suro.that if tho finest artist Hvinif were to depict the scene on canvas and show it in New. Zealand as a scene taken in Cool: Strait, everyone think that ho had been draw- ; iug on ilia imagination and liot portraying' an actual Eicne. :" : , .:.', ■ .- ~■.;,,,...■ 'I shell bo'interested to hoar if it wns obserrW in Wellington.or at -the Wnnganui Observatory. - ■~-■■ ..."