The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1831-1858, 1831-12-28
NHIRLWINDs AND WATERspOUTs

~ 0"i'u SPot, VHTticlnd IS produced,
'r. Franklin gives IN account of the fo,ma-
on and progress of one of these meteors.
Inch he witnessed in MARYLAND. while
raVeiling with his son. SIN valley be-
NV us" says he, "we saw a small whirl-
ilnd, which began in the road and which
rev attention by the dust that if raised
MI contained. 1t appeared like suonr-
'af, heightened at the point, which oscend-
Il to us along the hill, increasing IN s;ye
) 1t advanced. When it passed near ms
smaller end, which was next the ground
id net appear bigger than Il common har.
Ell; but 1t grew so large towards the sum.
ut, that at the height of forty or fify feet
seemed to be twenty or thirty feet in di-
'meter. The rest of the company stopped
look at it; but. az M cui,Usuy wa!
tronper thpn tt~elrs, | followed il cIoscIv
observed that on its passage, il lick
~ up, II may use the expression. all rho
'ust winch was beneath its lower end AZ
II is popular opinion that shot fired at a
waterspout will make it burst, endeayored
to break this small whirlwind by striking j,
repeated blows with my whip, but TO no
purpose. In short time it quilted the
road, and entered the wood, where it every
moment became larger and stronger, car
rying away. instead of dust, the drv leaves
with which the ground was thicklv strew
ed, and making great noise between those
leaves and the branches of trees, hendlug
and turning large trees rirrulariy with ~.
tOnishing force. Though the progressive
motion of the whirlwind was not so fms, but
that man on foot might easily keep I'D
with it, yet Its circular motion was aston
ishly rapid. The leaves with which it was
then filled enabled me to see distinctly that
the current Of air that drove them assembled
from below to above in spiral line, and
when | looked at the trunks and bodies of
great trees which the whirlwind had en-
veloped as 1t passed on, and which had left
it entire, was no longer astonisbed that
my whip could produce no effect on it.
followed it nearly three quarters of mile.
till some dead branches of trees. hroken
by the whirlwind, flying in the air, and fall
ing around me, made me apprehcnsiye of
danger. | therefore stopped, and content
ed r'vs"'t Tlth watching the head of it dur.
ing lis progress, The leaves which it bore
with 1t rendering it visible RI q great height
above the trees. The major part of these
leaves, escaping freely from the upper and
widest part of the whirlwinh. were lispers-
ed by the wind; hut they were at such an
elevation in the air that they did not seem
larger than flies. My son followed the
whlrlwind through the wood, on quitting
which it crossed an old tobacco plantation,
where finding neither leaves nor dust to
carry away, the lower part of it became
nearly invisible, and at length it entirely
disappeared above this field" This me-
teor moved in a direction almost opposite to
the prevailing wind, and not in a straight
line and it's velocity was not uniform, as it
seemed occasionally &c be stationary for a
few seconds, and then to rush forward with
increased speed.
1t is not always, however, that whirI-
winds are thus harmless. They are
often combined with electrical phenomena,
in which case they scatter destruction over
a considerable extent of country. France,
particularly in the south, has often suffered
from their violence. In August, 1923, one
of them, of great magnitude, ravaged the
neighhorhood of Anet, in the department
of the Eure and Loire. 1t extended from
the clouds to the ground, and was formed
Of thick and blackish vapor, in the midst
of which, flames frequently appeared in va
ward, it rooted up and broke or 500 trees
within the space of IA league, and then fell
impetuously on the village of Marchefroy.
Half the houses of the village were destroy
ed in ali instant; the walls were Frustrated
on all sides, and the roofs were torn off,
and carried to the distance of half league,
by the iresistabe impulse of the aerial
torrent. At the same time the meteor dis
charged shower of halstoncs, several
inches in diameter, which broke to pieces
heavily laden wagons, and destroyed every
vestige of the harvest. A still more terrific
visitation of this kind was experienced in
August, 1896, in the department of the
Aude. About noon the clouds began to
gather in the west, violent wind arose.
and black and thick cloud appeared sus-
pended over spot called the Red Field.
On the side Of Fombraise, the clouds were
seen to rush against each other and to de-
scend very low, as if they we're attracted
by the earth. The thunder echoed from
all parts dead rolling sound was heard ::
and all the domestic animals fed to shelter
All at once a frlghtful cracking was heard
in the west; the air. violently agitated, was
drawn with extreme rapidly towards the
opaque cloud which covered the Red Field.
The moment of their junction was marked
by loud explosion, and the appearance of
column Of fife, which, sweeping along
the field, rooted mp every thing in It's course.
A young man, who was unfortunate enough
to he in the path of the meteor, was whirl-
ed into the air, and fractured his skull by
falling on rock. Fourteen sheep were
also snatched up, and fell suffocated. The
column of fire and air then proceeded to
the castle of Laconette, threw down the
west wall of the park, made two excava-
tons, removed enormous rocks, rooted up
the largest ttse5, and penetrated into the
castle in two places, where it committed
the most terrible devastation. After hav-
my TINS lavaged a considerable extent of
country q, finally disappeared, leaving the
ground eapsy furrowetf, aud the air strong
ly mpre Mated with sulphureouS odor.
The same effect that is produced by two
contt nding currents of air takes place in
another element, and CULTS or whirlpools are
no other than the eddies OF the water form
ed Ivy the action of two or more opposite
currents. The greatest known gulf is that
of the Norway sea, called Maaistrocm, OF
Moskostroem, which is affirmed TO he up
wards of twenty Leagues in circuit. 1t alb
sorhs for six hours all that is near it, water,
ships, &C., and afterwards returns them in
the same space oftime as it drew them in.
A WGterSpout is no other than whirl-
wind at sea. The vacuum which is caused
by the meeting currents causes the water
TO rise up in the form of a cylinder, or rath.
er of an inverted cone. In the travels of
M. Thevenot there is very minute and cir
rnmsinntinl account Of The formation of q