Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1880-08-19
A CAPE COD WATERFRONT.
A Remarkable VisItatiOn-Ifs Gu
riOus Course and Damag-
ing Work on Land.
Boston Advsrtiser.l

Boston Advertiserl
Further particulars Of the hailstorm
and waterspout on Cape Cod on Thurs
day show it to have been the most re-
markable visitation of the kind in this
part Of the country since the terrible
besom of destruction which passed
over Cambridge thirty years ago. An
eye witness describes the progress of
the waterspout, which seemed to form
over the waters of Buzzard's bay. back
Of the Monument Beach islands.
Taking a southerly course, it struck
the land at the mouth of the Pocasset
river, near the scene Of the Freeman
tragedy year ago. A large dory
upon the beach was picked up as if iJ
had been a wisp of hay and carried
into the air to the height of fifty feet.
1t hung suspended for moment.
spinning around like top in mid air,
and then dropped to the ground,
being dashed to pieces by the fall.
The water spout thence took ser
pentine course in asOutherly direction
uprooting vegetation, aud even plow.
ing into the ground as it moved along.
On the land of Captain Beckerman it
encountered substantial stone wal,
and so tremendous was its power that
for thirty feet the heavy stones were
scattered in all directions. AS it APP
preached the village at Pocasset the
extraordinary visitor passed through
pasture owned by Phinear Gibbs, in
which there was a COW grazing. The
animal was greatly alarmed, and at
tempted to fee, but the water was too
quick for her; and, playfully picking
her up, whirled her around just
above the ground as a kitten would
chase her TAIL above the floor.
The animal's astonishment and
terror were expressed in series
Of terrific bellows, but the water-spout
soon dropped her, almost unharmed,
and kept on its course toward the vii
lage. 1t was at this point that it ap-
! peared to the spectators in its most
wonderful and terrible form. From
a mere point upon the ground it rose
to the clouds in a long conical line,
| which twisted about in a great variety
of serrentine coutOrtions, ending in a
! pc fectly white field against the black
| background of the heaviest cloud ever
seen in that region. 1t seemed to Sc
lect its course with special view to
avoid the houses of the village and
twisted in and out among them with
out touching building. just before
touching the center of the village il
suddenly burst, and was gone in the
I twinkling of an eye. Not breath Of
wind accompanied the whole storm.
Hail fell in unprecedented quanti
ties, covering the ground to the depth
OF three inches in many places at 20,
! hasset Narows. The stones were
most of them the size of the old
fashioned musket ball. They were
| all perfect spheres and as hard a,
flint. Great alarm was, Of course, fell
among the summer visitors and other.
at the village, and the escape of some
was truly wonderful Had a house
been struck by the waterspout, il
would have been torn to kindline
wood in an instant Several citizens
resorted to the sailors expedient o.
firing guns, an atmospheric shock
being sufficient to burst the water.
spout, and the disappearance may
have been due to that cause. The
damage to the crops is great, every
green thing being stripped to the
) ground by the hail, The hail storm
upon the waves presented wonderful
sight. The large stones, falling faster
than rain drops in thunder shower
caused the spray to fly into the air tC
the height of eighteen inches. The
water being calm, the effect was that
of myriads Of icicles standing verti
cally above the surface.