The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1874-08-27
A Carolina Water Spout-A Singular Phe-
n0menOn at Langley Mill Pond.


The Augusta Chronicle and Sentinel gives
the following account of the water spout at
Langley, S. c., on Wednesday afternoon
A dense cloud was first seen approaching the
pond, being apparently considerable distance
up. Nothing particular was thought of it, the
citizens of Langley being at the time occupied
il trying to keep cool-a hard thing to do with
the thermometer at one hundred degrees in
the shade. But presently q startling circum-
stance occurred. The cloud had halted over
the pond and established connection with the
latter. A genuine water spout had in fact been
evolved and an immense quantity of water
was rushing skyward through the liquid con-
ductor When first seen, the water spout was
near the dam, and travelled slowly across the
pond until it reached the railroad trestle work,
a distance of mile and quarter from its
starting point, when it disappeared, and the
cloud moved majestically off, carrying with it
thousands Of gallons of water which had been
drawn from the pond. The latter covering an
area of six hundred acres was, in fact, lowered
fully two inches. The huge column which
joined the upper region to the eSpanse of va
ter below resembled a cone in form, and rota-
ted horizontally with exceeding rapidity The
marvellous speed with which the column
turned impressed the behoder Immediately
with the idea that it was associated with a
whirlwnd. This was most probably the case,
as a tremendous wind passed over Augusta
from the direction OF Langley some hours
afterwards The heavens were brilliant with
incessant flashes of lightning after the spout
described above had disappeared There was
no rushing noise connected with it, as is the
case in some instances. The water underneath
the clouds just before the spout formed was in
ctota of orIto NJ
grily and perceptible bulge was seen. AS
the cloud halted, sort of funnel protruded
from it and dropped slowly down, becoming
larger as it heightened, the broader portion or
base being at the surface of the cloud. When
it reached point about one-fourth the distance
between the cloud and the pond, the bulge on
the surface of the latter rose to meet it, and
the two at length joined, when the water from
the pond commenced ascending into the cloud,
which moved slowly towards the trestle work.
The waves in the waterfall leaping and tend
ing towards the spout-and the spout itself
continued the vertical motion referred to above.
The outside of the watery funnel was dark and
not we'll defined, while the centre was much
lighter being rather of blush cast This
would seem to indicate that the column was
partly hollow, the dark portions representing
the sides There can be no doubt but that the
immense quantity of water which was trans
ferred from the pond to the cloud was literally
sucked up. The spout finally disappeared, as
if it had been drawn bodily up into the cloud,
while the latter quietly moved off to parts un-
known. Not drop of rain fell during the
occurrence or afterwards. The formation and
subsequent motions of the spout are described
as having made up spectacle grand in the
extreme. Nothing Of the kind was ever before
IL, 1j,o. RI Of q
phenomenon was the fact that the cloud, so
burdcned with water moved off without dis
pensng any of it in the form of rain i'll the
neighborhood.
The following interesting statement was fur
nished by gentleman who requested Mr.. Wm
Philips, civil engineer, to make the calcula-
ton:
Area of mill pond, 600 acres depth of water
diminished, two inches by water spout which
prevailed for about ten minutes. The superb
cial area of one acre is 43, $50 square feet; the
decimal for the depth of two inches is O.l666
of foot; hence, 43, ,56Ox0 16-6966.60 cubic
feet is the quantity taken from one acre; and
then 69G660x600 gives us 4,lSl ,760 cubic feet
as the whole quantity taken from the mill
pond. The cube root of this last is about l6l
feet, so Il cube of that size would nearly meas
ure the quantity Of water taken off. This
quantity would make q column ten feet in di-
ameter, So, 243 feet high-rather more than ten
miles. At 624 pounds to a cubic foot, the
above 4,lS1,760 cubic feet would weigh 26l,-
100000 pounds.
How He PROVED TIT is the custom in