CURIOUS PHENOMENON

Southland Times, Issue 20834, 24 July 1929, Page 11

CURIOUS PHENOMENON

“FAREWELL SPIT EXPLOSION.” AN EXPLANATION. (Per United Press Association.) Nelson, July 23. In reference to an article published under the heading of “Farewell Spit Explosion” giving particulars of a curious phenomenon that was seen a good many years ago there, Mr H. P. Wasnbourn, of Port Nelson, who has spent 77 years in the district says that perhaps particulars of a somewhat similar one he witnessed about 25 years ago will be of interest. He states:—“We 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. A bright light appeared between us and a boat about 10 to 12 miles from us. The light was bright and would have been brilliant if it had been quite dark and is not easy to describe. It was fanlike in shape or somewhat like' a quarter of a circle with a point of water. It was not just a quick flash like lightning, but femained at least several seconds and we could see the boat as clearly as if it was lying at the 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, a distance of half a mile in the direction of the Farewell Spit 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 men in the boat had seen it, but as it was a dismal evening, they had turned in. As to the cause, we set it down to a freak of electricity and I think so still. It is probable that what they saw and reported as dccurring off Cape Farewell was similar to what we saw off Puponga and possibly during the same spell of electrical disnlay. The later report from Cape Farewell of disturbances of the water as if boiling, and the column of smoke passing the lighthouse, reads like a watersprout 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.