An Ethereal Display Over the Pacific Northwest

To the editor: In The Dalles (Or.) Chinook of the 4th instant appeared the following: 'The heavens displayed a wonderfully grand scene which was witnessed by the people of The Dalles last evening, for about half an hour before sunset. The sun formed the central figure, around which radiated two large circles... Shortly after sunset, and before the shades of night had fairly settled over the earth, a large meteor appeared and exploded... seemingly short of Mount Adams.' At the hour mentioned, I was on a railway train between Sprague and Pasco, in this state, and my attention was attracted by the unusual appearance of the western sky. When the sun was about 8 degrees above the line of the sensible horizon a luminous spot appeared at the same elevation and, say, 25 degrees to the northward, almost as bright as the sun itself, and remained stationary and constant in form for the space of perhaps five minutes. Then a brilliant spire, resembling the brightest lines of the aurora borealis, issued from it and shot up toward the zenith to the height of about 15 degrees, and lingered a few seconds, when the whole splendid scene began to fade away and in half a minute disappeared entirely.