'Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society, from September 1850 to June 1852. Edited by the Secretary. Volume X.' [‎141] (274/458)

z e from Nd.
ft7 liich inlialfaii| }K
»wmg furiously, J
^ very peculiar som(
eriog previously S,S
nds bearing easteilj
lands, distant frooiB
with much lightnii
THE ZEBAYER ERUPTIONS*
l
nr t —I consider myself called upon to prove that it was not an ocular delusion.
T oted down, at the time, all the circumstances relating to this sudden outbreak
/saddle Island, and I can do nothing better than give you the substance of my
° tps from which you will at once see that your explanation does not tally with
f/e facts of the case :— 4 14th August 1846, off Sobayer Islands, lat 15° 7'long.
490 12 ' on tbe voyage to Suez. The whole forenoon has been calm and excessively
Itrv ^ SIiies overcasfc ; P ar ticularly dark and threatening towards the N. W.
Thermometer 95°. Sighted the Peninsular and Orient steamer bound for Aden :
he passed about four miles to the west of us as we were closing in with the group
S f islands. Soon after she passed a violent squall from the N. W. burst upou us.*
waS accompanied by a drenching shower of rain, heavy peals of thunder,
an d vivid flashes of lightning. Ship going about eight knots during the forenoon—
reduced to three knots when the squall came on ; temperature brought down to
80 degrees. Passed along the western side of the Sobayer group of islands.
When opposite to Saddle Island (one of the Sobayer group,) and only about three
miles distant from it, observed a column of smoke issuing from the summit of one
0 f its cones. The squall was then at its height. The column gradually increased
• s j ze) w hile, at the same time, distinct jets of smoke issued, as if from numerous
small apertures round the outer margin of the cone. Before the squall burst, the
summit of the island was perfectly clear. After passing the island, and while it
continued in sight, we observed the smoke. This sudden change affected almost
every one on board, less or more, with a feeling of languor and depression
of spirits : several individuals, and 1 myself was one of them, complained of great
uneasiness and sickness at stomach.* This is the substance of my note, and
it clearly shows that your mode of explaining away is without any foundation in
fact, for both steamers passed along the same side of the Zebayers, and when we
first observed the smoke issuing from Saddle Island, which was then due east of
us the Bengal steamer was well down nearly due south of us, while the wind
blew very fresh from the N. Wesfc.
Suez, 6 th November 1850.’ , J. G. N.**
P. Lovell,
teamer Hidoiki
ES.
* This furnishes one more illustration to the hundreds we possess of the intimate connection
betwixt earthquake, volcanic, and meteorological phenomena so well adverted to by Captain
Baird Smith. During the Cleopatra’s hurricane of the 19th April, 1847, and again at the
period of the land squall on the 6th April, 1848, the magnetic instruments at Bombay con
tinued in a state of great disturbance for upwards of two days.
The following note of the loss of polarity bythe peedle during a whirlwind is given in a
letter in the Bowibay Times^ May 30, 1846 :—
“ There is a class of magnetic local perturbations apparently confined to these seas, one of
which was experienced by the Queen on her late voyage from Aden, which we do not remember
to have seen noticed by magneticians. When about three hundred miles from Bombay the
people on board the steamer observed the atmosphere get suddenly clouded all around with
that strange lurid appearance which indicates the approach of a burst of rain or hurricane.
By and bye appeared overhead those strange and turbulent vapours commonly attendant on
a whirlwind or waterspout,—and a light whirlwind accordingly made its appearance. At this
time the magnetic virtue of the compass appeared to vanish : the needle lost its polarity, and
traversed equally in all directions. A state of matters so surprising was c>f short endurance :
the sky cleared without a tempest, and all went well again. It is we think about two years
since an accident of this sort was met in with by the H. C. schooner Mahi on her way from
the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. . She was surrounded by beautiful groups of whirlwinds and waterspouts
ranging about her in all directions, when suddenly the needle lost its polarity and continued
for sometime useless for the purposes of steering. We are unable to lay our hands on tna
account of the circumstance published at the time, but remember perfectly of occurrence.
To these we may add many others. Dr Baddeby has clearly established the fact that our
lesser whirlwinds at all events are either due to direct electrical agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. , or, at all evenfcs g
are characterised by the most striking electrical exhibitions. £