The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1828-04-23
FOR THE MASSACHUSETTS SPY.
VVATER-SPOUTS


| have often wondered that mankind should
have gone on from generation to generation, in
GeiGring that water-spouts assembled to the
clouds, instead of descending from the clouds to
the ocean or earth Every appearance i'll the
whole operation, from beginning to the end
proves beyond doubt, that the water descends
from the clouds to the sea, or to the earth, il
the cloud happens to be over the land How
AIN opinion so completely at variance with the
well known laws of gravity could ever have
been admitted by the scientific part of mankind
is quite unaccountable. 1t is agreed by all who
have seen water-spouts, that a small cloud first
appears, that the cloud increases rapidly in size
and density, then begins to descend at the cen.
tire of the cloud, and finally shows the form Of
an inverted cone, or funnel, with the small END
down. The water of the ocean, which sur.
rounds the spout, is also REPRESENTED as being
in great agitation, such as boiling and the as
cension OF spray to considerable height. Now
this is precisely the shape and appearance that
might be expected, by the discharge of col
umn of water from cloud into the sea.
When the caloric, which prevents the parti
Giles of vapor from uniting, is attracted by &
colder strata of atmosphere, or if any other
cause, which might prevent their union, be re
moved, the particles of vapor will then be at
tracted towards each other and suddenly form
cloud. This cloud will become more ant
more dense, and as the PARTICLES or drops of rair
become heavier than the atmosphere, they viii
descend, and while descending, will continue
their attraction towards the centre of the col
unln; and thus, by the time they have reached
the surface of the ocean, they will have formed
a solid mass of water. This aqueous shaft hay.
ing descended from a great height, its weight
and velocity (Which are equal to power) would
To int tbn
dous force, and cause all the agitation and ele-
walton of the surrounding waters, which have
! so often been observed by people at sea-
The same appearance, as above described,
can be produced upon small scale, by pouring
water into water but let those who are not sat-
isfed with this, take peep at the falls of Mag
ara, where they may see a tolerable representa-
ton of water-spout.
There can be no attractive power in a cloud
that would be sufficient to raise column of
water several thousand feet in height, for if we
could suppose u perfect vacuum TO be produced
between the cloud and ocean, the water would,
in that case, only rise thirty-two feet, which is
equal to the weight Of the atmosphere. Water
| spouts rarely happen, except in or near the
tropical regions, where the evaporation is great,
and the atmosphere saturated with aqueous va
por. They may, however, occasionally descend
on mountains, which are situated in colder eli
mates, because the tops of mountains often
come in contact, or nearly so, with the clouds,
and attract u great quantity of vapor around
them.
Even the philosophical Franklin appears to
have acquiesced in the common belief concern
Ing water-spouts, and attempted to account for
the elevation of the water, by means Of whrl-
winds That whrlwinds sometimes act with
great force, is readily admitted, but their power
IS exerted horizontally and not perpendicularly
Trees are sometimes twisted off by whirlwinds
but who ever heard of their being carried into