CHAPTER XXI 



Knowledge, Dec. 28, 1883: 



SEEING so many meteorological phenomena in your excellent 

 paper, Knowledge, I am tempted to ask for an explanation of 

 the following, which I saw when on board the British India Com- 

 pany's steamer Patna, while on a voyage up the Persian Gulf. In 

 May, 1880, on a dark night, about 11:30 p. m., there suddenly 

 appeared on each side of the ship an enormous luminous wheel, 

 whirling around, the spokes of which seemed to brush the ship along. 

 The spokes would be 200 or 300 yards long, and resembled the 

 birch rods of the dames' schools. Each wheel contained about six- 

 teen spokes, and, although the wheels must have been some 500 or 

 600 yards in diameter, the spokes could be distinctly seen all the 

 way round. The phosphorescent gleam seemed to glide along flat 

 on the surface of the sea, no light being visible in the air above the 

 water. The appearance of the spokes could be almost exactly repre- 

 sented by standing in a boat and flashing a bull's eye lantern hori- 

 zontally along the surface of the water, round and round. I may 

 mention that the phenomenon was also seen by Captain Avern, of 

 the Patna, and Mr. Manning, third officer. 



"Lee Fore Brace. 



"P. S. The wheels advanced along with the ship for about twenty 

 minutes. L. F. B." 



Knowledge, Jan. u, 1884: 



Letter from "A. Me. D.": 



That "Lee Fore Brace," "who sees 'so many meteorological phe- 

 nomena in your excellent paper/ should have signed himself 'The 

 Modern Ezekiel,' for his vision of wheels is quite as wonderful as 

 the prophet's." The writer then takes up the measurements that 

 were given, and calculates a velocity at the circumference of a 

 wheel, of about 166 yards per second, apparently considering that 

 especially incredible. He then says: "From the nom de plume he 

 assumes, it might be inferred that your correspondent is in the 

 habit of 'sailing close to the wind/ " He asks permission to suggest 

 an explanation of his own. It is that before 11:30 p. m. there had 



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