ELECTRICAL PHENOMENA

Taranaki Daily News, 24 July 1929, Page 11

ELECTRICAL PHENOMENA

FAREWELL SPIT EXPLOSION SIMILAR. OCCURRENCE RELATED. CURIOUS LIGHT EFFECTS SEEN. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Nelson, Last Night. In reference to an article published under the heading of “Farewell Spit Explosion” giving particulars of a curious phenomena that was seen there a good many years ago, Mr. H. P. Washbourn, of Port Nelson, who han spent 77 years in the district, gives particulars of a somewhat similar one he witnessed about 25 years ago. “We were living on the hill at Parapara.” said Mr. Washbourn, “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 tomlooking 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, but is not easy to describe. It'was fanlike 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 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 distance of half a mile in the direction of 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 bad 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 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 disturbances of the water as if boiling, and of the column of smoke seen passing the lighthouse reads like a waterspout, of which I once saw six in that neighbourhood all going at the same time. I found they usually occurred after heavy northerly weather when the wind gets round to the west.”