The Sun.
London, England, 1863-09-11 00:00:00

WATERSPOUT IN THE MORAY FIRTH.

Monday's storm (says the Banffshire Journal)
was accompanied in this immediate neighbourhood
by one of those splendid but not less terrific pheno-
mena rarely witnessed in these latitudes, namely,
a waterspout. This terrible phenomenon was seen
in the Bay of Banff about 4 o'clock in the after -
noon, and presented a very magnificent and impos-
ing spectacle to those who had an opportunity of
witnessing it in all its furious grandeur. In noting
its progress, the phenomenon, as first it presented
itself to the eye of the beholders, would more pro-
perly bo described as a whirlwind than a water •
spout. In the former shape it had its rise, in the
latter it had its fall. The wind was from the north
west, and strangely enough, though it blew a
perfect hurricane inshore, the sea was calm as a
lake. In the offing away to the right, in the as
yet unruffled portion of the bay, was a little boat,
trom Macdoff, with three men on board, quietly, to
all appearance, fishing for mackerel. Away to the
left, or to the windward, fitful squalls were sweep.
ing round the little promontory at Blackpots towards
the breakwater at the harbour, eddying about in
the intermediate bay, throwing up a wave here and
there, and lashing it into foam. In this way the
curious inshore hurricane continued with less or
more violence for nearly an hour, and the coast-
guardsmen were watching the squalls with consi-
derable anxiety, fearing lest at any moment they
should extend its playground a little further to
sea, and mayhap upset the mackerel boat. While
they were thus eagerly watching the peculiar
conduct of the warring elements, their atten-
tion was suddenly arrested by an object of a
still more peculiar nature away further to
windward. A violent whirlwind, scattering the
waves in its course, came sweeping along almost in
a direct line to the point of view, gathering up its
strength as it came. As the whirlwind approached,
it seemed to pause for a moment off the station, as
if to concentrate all its energies in a last effort. At
that moment the water, gathered up by the whirl-
wind somewhat in the form of a cone, and lifted
higher and higher in the air, was borne straight up-
wards to the height of more than 50 feet above the
surface. Pursuing its easterly course, the huge ap-
parition swept forward for a considerable distance,
till, just a little to the north-east of the breakwater,
it burst. As if caught on " the wings of the wind,"
the huge mass was borne aloft for some distance,
and then precipitated with great violence into the
4, vasty deep," whence it came. The effect of the
phenomenon is described by those who witnessed it
as something very grand and imposing, if not abso.
lutely terrible ; lore had the fury of the whirlwind
expanded itself in a lees convenient place, the con-
sequences might have been dire havoc indeed. Such
a sight has not been witnessed in these quarters for
many a day.

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