Both Land and Sea.

Otago Witness, Issue 2362, 1 June 1899, Page 61

Both Land and Sea.

There are peculiar mountain peaks both on the land and in the middle of the ocean. The most peculiar land peak is the high Peak of Teneriffe, with its remarkable / shadow, which it casts not only on the surrounding land and water, but on the air itself. Under favourable conditions this peak oasts its gigantic shadow on the air just before the sun sinks below the horizon. To an observer on tho peak's summit the shadow appears on the eastern horizon, and mounts higher and higher in the air as the sun goes down.

The shadow has the appearance of a monster mountain, and at the moment when it is at its maximum is at least 10 miles in height. The shadow does not suddenly disappear, but is eclipsed by another shadow, of curved form, which slowly rises and gradually blots it out, the curved shadow being that of the earth itself. Photographs of the various phases of this remarkable phenomenon were recently secured.

A sea peak exists almost at the very centre of the Atlantic Ocean, about half way between Africa and South America. This marine mountain is so high that, in spite of the immense depth of the sea in its neighbourhood, it thrusts its peak 70ft above the waves and forms a labyrinth of islets, the whole about half a mile in circumference, and known as St. Paul's Rocks.

So sleep is the mountain that within one mile from these rocks a 500-fathom line, with which boundiugs were attempted by Rosb, failed to reach the bottom.