, 1873-01-25
BREAKING A WATERSPOuT.

sary to keep this thing up all winter."
BREAKING A WA1ERsP0uT..
An Almost Miraculous Escape--A
| -O1car.Ilc cudcd Sailors Expedlenx In
] tho Absence of a Gun.
/ Tho Rhine, sailing yeasel OF 1905 tons
which has just arrived at New York from Lon
| don, encountered an immense rEaterspout about
] 1900 miles out John Richardson, ono Of the
seamen, describes the phenomenon thus:
| =" About the time that you ask me, boss, the
ship Rhine was running along at the rate of four
knots an hour, which was pretty good speed for
such an old tub, now, 7 tell you: think heard
the first mato say that We were in latitude ~ de-
grees when he took the at 12 o'clock that day.
We had been out Of q heavy gallo only twelve
hours, and the sea wes running pretty high. At
Gbout 2 o'clock in the afternoon something
seemed to happen, the like Of which never saw
| before. Tho sea seemed to so down suddenly,
! as though something had been thrown On top Of
| it and had tiattened it out MI over. Then tho
| wind vent down. and VIC stood stock still. We
looked anxiously for another squall. But there
| we're no siGns Of it in the eky or around tie
| edges Of the horizon. At 8 O'clock we couldn't
see ripple on'the water; it was just as smooth
as the smootLcst glass ! ever cav. The sails
| hung perfectly motionless and the atmosphere
would like to take full breath, but that If he
tried ho couldn't. As we hadn't anything to do.
and had been worked very hard for forty-eiSht
esseea aqoa ~G The .d mS 9
away tho nasty feeling that We all had, "a feeling
OF something rough somewhere around that MAS
only waiting for good chance to make trouble
for us:-began telling jokes md spinning yarns
to onc another. Somehow or other, though no.
body seemed to be interested by anybody's
ynrn, and no one laughed at joke. I felt just
es bad as tho rest guess, Tor couldn't see any
fun in anything either. Then we didn't say any
fnr L..
fallen asleep. for was wakened up suddenly. by
hearing tho Captains big bass voice,-he had
voice like bull, air,-ainging out, All hands on
very quick, for you see Tn o1d-and hastened
aft to the mainmast. The other fellows were
there ahoad of me, and when I got up to them
they all turned of in different direction like
,nadmen. I noticed that tho faces Of most Of
them were as white az chalk, and that the Captain
WAS az red as blood. His face always got that
way wien he WAS excited in L gale. didn't
know what WIS tho matter and as looked
around me at tho confusion, the cause for which
couldn't soc, 1elt my heart do what it hadn't
done for seventy years-beat against my RIBS
I saw the second mate and asked him what was
tho matter. He answered me by telling ne to
so to tho main brace Or ho wonld pitch
mo mo overheard. I went there pretty 9nick
because felt that something terrible was 60
ing to happen, and that even lry weight might
save the ship When got to the rope fellow
standing near mo said, Pull old man don't
You see the water-spont?"
followed the direction Of his eyes, and there,
sure enough, not more than half mile from us,
was the biggest watcr-spout that had ever seen
in all my life. It towered above the ship ut
least 900 feet, and seemed to be the breadth Of
half the ocean. It WAS coming toward us like
Btearn-engine, aud the water for hundreds OF
yards ahead OF it was boiling like water in o
kettle. We brsced the yards around, put the.
Al r~A
way of the terrible destruction that was
rushing upon US. There wasn't q breath Of wind
stirring, and there we lay right in the path Of
save ourselves from the death that ne felt sure
must come in q TOW moments
There were about seventy steerage passengers
with us, the most OF whom were women and
children, and the way they. screamed and went
on WAS enough to take the heart out OF my man.
One old woman caught me round the legn and
begged Of mo for Gods sako to save her, while
every one was rushing around trying to find
some shield from the approaching crash. The
Captain swore and went On. terribly because nc
couldn't move an inch, mud seemed to bo going
out Of his mind for cav him deliberately knock
man down who WAS standing near him. Some
Of the men ran down the forecastle ladder TINT |
they might not see themselves die.
. What have been telling you now ali occurred |
in moment, hut the waterspout had come, |
much nearer to US, and wo could hear the fear |
ful hiss and splash OF the water it came |
wlirlng on. Just then heard young gentle
man in the cabin ask the Captain whether be had /
qua On board Tho Captain said 4" No." and /
the young mans face turned as white rs euow, |
and SOW him shake all over..- He put his hand
to bis head and staggered toward the main
fallen down ''tween" decks, when suddenly,
there WIS q cry from above that sounded ike
tho roar Of a madman. It was heard above the !
loud roar Of tue surgiing winter, and every eye
1t came from "ahipmate" that We called
'Jack." He was a smart fellow on his feet
and was regular monkey among the ropes
when he got aloft in q storm.
Thore he was with heavy block Of wood in
his hands that he held above his head, and was
shouting for us to "stand from under!" He
wss on the main-yard-arm, tho yard that carries
the1' storm sail, you know. We au ran for
gavo tho block swing and sent it down on
deck as quick as dash. It struck q piece Of
sheet iron that waa near the main hatch, and
made terrific report that sounded like 8 can
nonfs. We kept our eyes on hun, for he seemed
about to fall, but he caught hold Of the "port
bowlines" and regained his balance. Just then
the chip careened over on her beam ends
lurched back again, and then stood steady as
before. Nearly every one WAS thrown down,
and some Of the passengers were badly hurt.
As soon az We got upon our feet re saw no more
Of the water-spout, but IN it's stead the whole |
sea WAS just as white as though it was composed
Of soap Euds.
he felt that it WAS over, aud that the noble
|" Jack " had saved us by his cool-he2dedness
but it was some time before we could recover
from the paralysis that seemed to hare stricken
Is all.
When re did recover, we felt Is only men can
EEL who have been snatched from the jaws Of .
leath. Work seemed pleasure after that, for
t reminded US that we had life in us.
There were on board. counting the oficers,
rev, and all, about $50 persons, and il that
pout had struck US it would have sent us, ship |
nd all, to the bottom OF the sea, and no one
ou1d have known what sunk us. Ever sincs ,
hat day have been convinced that the City Of
Boston was lost in this manner.
suppose tho water that was in the air would | :