CURIOUS PHENOMENON

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 23 July 1929, Page 6

CURIOUS PHENOMENON

OBSERVED NEAR FAREWELL I SPIT lu reference to the article published oil. 17th July under the heading of "farewell Spit ICxplosion," giving par. tteulars of a curious phenomenon that was seen a good many years ago there, Mr If. !'. VVashbourn, of Port Nelson, who has spent 77 years in the district, writes to say that perhaps the particulars of a somewhat similar one that he witnessed about 25 years ago may he of interest. Ho says': "Wo were living on a hill at Parapara, about 40 feet above sea level and so had a good opportunity of seeing it. It was early in August and was a cold, damp, and rather dismal kind of evening, with big black torn looking clouds from the west. My brother mid 1 had discussed whether a boat lying off Puponga was a schooner or ketch, ami the sight of her masts would tell us which of two boats it was. He had the glass on her and 1 was looking on,\when suddenly he said: "What the world is that?" as a bright light .appeared between us and the boat, which was about 10 to 12 miles front us. The light was bright and would have been brilliant if it had been quite dark, and is not easy to describe. It was fanliko in shape or somewhat like a quarter of a circle with the point on the water. It was not just a quick flash like lightning but remained at least several seconds, and we could see the boat as clearly as if lying at a wharf. There was no noise and the water was not disturbed, and we could see the. light shining on the ripples very plainly. Shortly afterwards while we were watching it occurred again, at a guess distance of half a mile in the direction of the Farewell lighthouse, and it occurred again twice at about the same distance apart and in the same direction. We waited a short time, and as it did not occur again were just going in when it occurred again about abreast of where the third one had appeared, only a good deal nearer to us. This time it .appeared three times in the same direction and about the same distance between each and parallel to the former ones, making seven in all. I tried to find out if the men in the boat. had seen it, but as it was a dismal evening they had turned in. As to the cause wo set it down to a freak of electricity, and I think so still. It is probable that what they saw and reported a's occurring off Cape Farewell was similar to what we saw off Puponga and possibly, during the same spell of electrical display. The later report off Cape Farewell of the disturbance of the water as if "boiling" and the "column of smoke" passing the lighthouse reads like a water-spout, of which I once saw six in the neighbourhood, all going at the same time. I found they usually occurred after heavy northerly weather when the wind gets round to the west.