A Dust Storm at Sea

Abstract

A FEW days ago, while returning to Tokio from the southern part of Japan, I joined the s.s. Yokohama Maru, which, whilst crossing from Shanghai to Nagasaki had passed through a curious dust storm. Small quantities of the dust were yet to be seen in sheltered corners of the vessel. The commander, Captain R. Swain, who gave me a specimen of the material, told me that on April 2, when about 95 miles west by south of Nagasaki (long. 128° E., lat. 32° 20′ N.), at about 6 p.m. the sun appeared quite yellow. The atmosphere was moist, and rendered everything upon the deck of the ship quite damp. The precipitated moisture was yellowish, and as it dried it left an extremely fine powder. For two days previously the wind had been blowing west-south-west, or from China. Nothing was felt in the eyes, and if the ship had not been covered with yellow powder, the phenomenon would have been regarded as an ordinary but peculiarly coloured fog.