Lit Post 2

Methane Hydrate: also known as burning ice, could be an explanation for the Palatine Light Phenomenon

"BURNING OF THE PALATINE: A PET SUPERSTITION AMONG BLOCK ISLANDERS. THE EERIE BLAZE APPEARS TO A PHILADELPHIAN--SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION OF THE PHENOMENON." New York Times (1857-1922), Aug 15, 1885, pp. 3. ProQuest, https://login.proxy.libraries.rutgers.edu/login?url= ?url=https://www-proquest-com.proxy.libraries.rutgers.edu/historical-newspapers/burning-palatine/docview/94357435/se-2?accountid=13626.

This article is a primary source for the Palatine Light Phenomena which reoccurred during the 19th century. The author reviews the description of what witnesses saw as well as the many legends of why the light appears. At the end of the article, the author also gives a brief explanation of the natural phenomena that cold cause the light to happen. 

This article did not specify a certain author however, it was written under the New York Times, which is a reputable news reporting source. 

Some key terms in this article were: ghostly visit and pathos

"The dark story of the Palatine combines poetry, fiction, and pathos." (Par. 3)

"The phenomenon is accounted for scientifically as being caused by a gas which rises from the bottom of the sea through the water, and which, during certain peculiar conditions of atmosphere before a storm, becomes ignited." (Par. 7)

"Block islanders generally believe that the golden spectre is brought by the spirit of a cremated woman, as a perpetual reminder of a flendish act committed by their forefathers in the burning of the Palatine." (Par. 2)

This source helps me answer my research question because it describes why the Block islanders associate the light with the burning Palatine. Since it describes a few reasons/legends of the Palatine ship, it offers an explanation as to how the islanders think about the effects of the event that happened in their ancestral past.