Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-06-23
IN A MATER-spnrr

| If Il whirlwind forms over the sea its ef.
feet is not only to collect the water from
/ the clouds above, but to suck up the water
/ from the sea below, and so an immense
column of water is formed. Ships have
been caught by water spoutsand DESTROYED
! Yet IN such an encounter Il ship NAV es.
cape total destruction, as in the case of the
Nasatch, 900 tons burthen, belonging to
Boston, which, laden with sugar. wa.
homeward bound from the Philippine is.
lands. As the ship neared the Straits Of
Macassar, between Borneo and the island
! Of Celebes the weather was very hot. The
SKY was clear and cloudless. There wa.
hardly breath of wind, and except fol-
/ the long, regular swell rolling in from the
Pacific, the sea was quite calm.
! Such was the state of affairs at O'Clock
! In the morning. At $50 o'clock the sky
air, and water were as before-hot, breath.
less and glittering; but to windward .
heavy bank Of black clouds was rapidly
I coming up above the horizon. Bright
flashes Of lightning appeared at quick in.
tervals, accompanied by long, rumblino
! peals of thunder.
! The lower surfaces of the thick black
! clouds were observed to be torn into ragged
fragments, and these were spun and blown
about by the restless force of the whirl-
! wind, whilst in the center of the mass rose
! up an immense water-spout. Near the
base of the spout the sea was dashed into
boiling fury, and rose and fell in short
irregular waves, whose white crests were
( whipped off by the wind, and carried away
TO leeward like smoke
I The W ,,-o- id
and was bearing down on the Wasatch
with terrific speed. Already its roaring
could be distinctly heard on board. All
hands were instantly sent aloft to get in
the top-gailant sails; and as much canvas
was got off the ship as the three or four
minutes permitted, and then the hands
were called down on deck.
In the meantime a gun was got ready
with the intention of firing at the spout.
/ The first shot missed it altogether. The
second shot went directly through the
column Of water, but apparently had no
effect on it. There was no time for a
/ third shot, as the vessel was already stag
gering under the violence of the wind.
As the water-spout came nearer and
nearer the noise and uproar became ire
mendous the lightning became more vivid
and the thunder deafening, and the fury
of the wind increased until the ship Law
over nearly on her beam ends. The masts
bent like coach-whips, then snapped and
went over the side, one after the other.
with terrific crash.
IN an instant more the water-spout was
On board. There was the most frightful
roar one mighty rush of water, the crash
ing OF spars, the swapping Of ropes and
! rending of timbers, and the cries and
, shricks of men. In less than half minute
1t was all over, and the water-spout had
passed.
Five minutes before the Wasatch had
been a fine, smart-lool1ing three-masted
ship; now all her three masts were gone
close TO the deck, the mainmast having
torn great piece out of the deck as it
went over the side, the bowsprit was
twisted off close to the stem, the deck
: house was gone, both bulwarks were car
/ RED away from forward as far aft as the
dead eyes of the mizzen shrouds, all the
boats were stove in or carried away, and
out OF crew Of twenty-five hands only
eleven men were left.
The Captain and chief officer were gone,
and the cook and steward had disap-
peared, galley and all. The Captains
little boy was jammed in corner of the
companion-way, and his little body was so
broken and crushed as to be scarcely
recognizable.
The hold was full of water, washing about
among the sugar bags, while at every roll
OF the ship quantities of sugar and water
poured over the side.
BY this time, however, the sun was
shining brightly, the sea had entirely gone
down, and there was scarcely a breath of
wind. The pumps were at once manned,
and iurymast rugged up; but it soon after
began to blow, the sea became rough, and
1t was apparent that the Wasatch would
go down, when, fortunately, vessel hove
In sight, and took off the survivors and
landed them in Java ontK8 Ca,nnnninn.