The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1869-06-03
WATER SPOUT ON LONG ISLAND SOUND

WA En- ofOU YIN LON0 ISLANU oOONU
The following account is given of one of
these curious phenomena. rarely seen in
northern attitudes, II happened'on the Goth
Early in the evening, IS the steamer Martin
was coasting up the Sound, an immense wa
tcrSpout was discovered. Some fishermen,
who first observed the phenomenon, said that
after hard shower they noticed an immense
dense cloud forming in the heavens While
they We're wondering at its rapid formation,
and momcntarily awaiting a further deluge
of RAIN a conical pillar or huge light fun
mel descended from the cloud The apex of
the cloud was downward. At first it appar-
entity consisted Of Il dense yapor A similar
cone arose from the bosom of the Sound and
the two being united during a vivid flash of
lightning When this junction was formed,
the water seemed to run up the funnel like
flames OF fire cnwrapping 4 church steeple.
| The spinning column Of water danced over
the waves like a huge giant in a waltz. In
III course it sucked up a row-boat, sending it
| >pilaly several hundred feet in the air, carry
| mo it over a boat-house, and dropping il on
| the beach just outside the harbor it struck a
! brig, completely dismasting ii in the short
space Of three seconds. It's power Of suction
| was enormous, and it is estimated that overhaul
a million gallons of water We're drawn into
the clouds during its existence. Nearing
the beach it was seen by q boy who said that
he heard 4 terrible roaring, and on turning
about saw twenty steamboat pipes rolled into
one and mile long twistdig toward the shore
| The boy ran for life, and the spout ran upon
the shore apparently in pursuit of him. Strik-
ing the beach fronting the castle, the vast pill
lar of water broke and the shore for an eighth
of a mile was deluged by its flood.
IMPORTANT DECISION. The opinion of
Judge Fox Of the L. S. District Court in the
ease of libel promoted by the owners of brig
| Maria White, to recover from the respondents
| Mo>srs Checseman & Marshall the balance OF
freight money for the transportation of Il car
| 20 OF ice from Gardiner to New Orleans, is of
Importance to commercial circles. The car
90 was 260 tons and the freight money $1,000
Upon the arrival at New Orleans, the agent OF
the respondents would not pay the freight
money, nor any part of it, alleging that he
| had received no bill of ladmg or instructions
and had no funds though he was willing to
receive the cargo and unload it. After some
delay the agent abandoned all claims to the
cargo, and the captain, under legal advice,
sold it at public sale which was properly ad-
veriised and well attended. The cargo had
wasted 40 per cent. and the net amount real
lied was but SGGi 50. Judge Fox after care
fully reviewing the case and citing high all-
thorities, decided that the neglect and aban-
donmcnt of their property by the respondents
placed the master in a hazardous situation
with so perishable acargo and believing that
he acted honestly, and, as he believed, for the
best interests OF all parties, and that he was
obliged from the necessity of the case to act
a. he had, ordered a decree to be entered lol
balance Of freight moneys, 335.lS.
Nothing in this decision Of course iustifieS
the sale of a cargo or any portion thereof, by
a master merely to pay his lien on its freight,
unless it may be perishable, OF might other
wise be lost or destroyed. portland Argus
: A deplorable affair has occurred in Brook
lvn, n Y the more so that the chief actor il
it, heretofore believed to be the soul ofhonor
,, was victim of the recent railroad disaster OF
Long Island. Only Il little more than one
month ago Mr., William c. Rushmore. the late
President of the Atlantic Bank, died fearful
death. Motives of delicacy prompted the di
rectors to postpone the immediate appoint
ment of another president, so Mr.. George S
Pufer was called upon to act pro tem As
e Mr.. Putter advanced step by step in his eX-
animation of books and papers, he became
satisfied that grave errors had been commit
!, ted somewhere. Instead of showing the
banks capital, $500, 900, to be secure, he dis
covered deficiency of some S250,0O0 in its
securities, while a surplus of about 100000
more, that was supposed to be in its strong
vaults, was not on hand. A more thorongl
investigation by the directors only verified
the statement Of Mr.. Puffer, and now realiz
ing the brink to which they had been brought
i they set to work to find where the leak ha(
been. 1t was too easily traced to transactions
of their late President, whosit was discover
>. ed, had made large advances to a contractor
on securities that the directors had declared
to be insufficient. Again, they found the de-
ceased to have speculated largely in real es-
t but the deeds placed in the bank to secure t.
| as would seem from a label on the package
which is so indorsed