A WONDERFUL PICTURE. (From the San Francisco Chronicle.)

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVIII, Issue 5, 30 May 1890, Page 5

A WONDERFUL PICTURE. (From the San Francisco Chronicle.)

During the last 16 years Protessor Hichard D. Willoughby has baen a character in Alaska well known among whi'es and natives He is favourably known from Fon Tongas to Mount St. Elias He lived a third of a century along the coast, and his knowledge of Alaska fo.ms an arctic encyclopedia. He left civilisation so long ago that he does not remember ever having seen a locomotive or a train of cars. He is a man of robust stature, ani about 60 years of age. As a miner he has no equal in the territory. He has exposed more locations of mineral wealth than any other three men. Among other things upon which he employs his spare moments is photography. While pursuing this scientific amusement, Profesior Willoughby fre« quently discovers remarkable mirages, and after four years of labour, amid dangers, privation, and suffering, he accomplished for the civilised world a feat in photography heretofore considered problematical. It was oh the longest day in June, 1888, that Willoughby's camera took within its grasp the reproduction of a city remote and, at first glance, thought to be within tha recesses of another world. This remarkable photograph was taken at 9 o'cljck at night in Glacier Bay. The mirage city was named by Professor Willoughby the Sileat City. The first two cupies were sent to the Government officials at Washington, D.C., the second was placed in the hand 9of the purser of the Alaskan steamer, and the third copy was sent to the Chronicle. It is ten inches in length by eight inches ia width. The view, somewhat indistinct, is apparently taken from a public park or garden on a hill. In the foreground is a gravelled walk, a stone fence, a rustic seat, and a little chili at play. Beyond the Btone wall are roofs of houses, with clump 3of tree's at the sides. In the distance are the half-completed towers of a cithedral and several tall public buildings, while far away, enveloped in what appears to be a cloud-like atmosphere, are tall smoke-stacka and towers of churches. The style of architecture is decidedly modern, the roofs are like those of England or the British provinces. The chimneys are made of tiles. Taken as a whole, it is a remarkable photograph. A hundred people or more saw the mirage picture yesterday. Some regarded the thing as a fraud, while others believed It th 9 genuine photographic result of a mirage. Mirages, as a general rule, represent scenes in the immediate vicinity, not over a few hundred miles away at the best. At first the city of Victoria was suggested, but an old resident of that city denied the likeness. Victoria is fully 900 miles from G aoier Bay, whjre tha alleged photograph was made. A score of persons ventured an opinion as to the location of The Silent City However, no one could be found who recoznised the scene. At Tabor's and other photographic establishments it was thought the picture was that of a city in France or Germany. A dozen persons agreed that it resembled Montreal or Quebec, possibly Halifax The agents of the Cinaiun Pacins were divided in opinion as to Halifax Montreal. In the latter city there i 9 a cathedral building resembling the one in the photograph. As a final result of yesterday's investigation Montreal appears to hi the most likely City represented in the picture of The Silent City. ..