The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-03-07
WATERSpOUTS.


received rel alive to waterspouts sighted by
masters of vessels during January in the
western portion of the North Atlantic that
advantage is taken of this opportunity to
refer to them at greater length than can be
done on the pilot chart itself, where, how
ever, their positions are plotted graphically
by means Of an easily recognized symbol.
Although the reports now at hand for these
two months were received from incoming
vessels only, yet they are very character
istc, and indicate fairly well the regions
where these phenomena are of most frequent
occurrence.
Before quoting the reports themselves it
may be well to refer briefly to what is
known regarding the character and forma-
ton OF waterspOutS, which are simply
special cases of whirlwinds and tornadoes,
as these are special cases of cyclones but on
much smaller scale. The general princi-
pies underlying all these phenomena may
be stated as follows: A LAYER of warm,
moist air ut the surface of the ocean hap
pens to have above it a layer of cooler,
drier air. This condition of things is one of
unstable equilibrium, and sooner or later
the warm, light air at the surface rises
through the cooler and heavier air above.
This process sometimes takes place gradu-
| ally over large areas, but at other times 1T
Is more local, and there seems to be
formed in the upper layer a break
or opening through which the air of the
lower layer begins to drain upwards, as
through a funnel Under favorable condi-
tious-that is, when the differences of tenn
perature and moisture and the supply of
warm moist air at the surface are great
this action becomes very intense, and this
intensity is still further increased by the
tact that as the air rises its moisture is con-
densed, the latent heat thus liberated add
ing to the energy of the rising column of
air. Now as this surface air rushes in and
escapes upward through the opening thus
formed in the upper layer, it
takes up a rotary or whiriing mo-
ton, the velocity of which increases
toward the center or axis Of the funnel, and
a suction or partial vacuum is created, as
indicated by the low reading of tho barome-
ter at the center of a cyclone or whirlwind.
In the case of great cyclone or hurricane,
the direction of rotation is determined by
the revolution of the earth about its axis,
and the well-known law of storms is founded
on the fact that this rotation is, in the
Northern hemisphere, invariably against,
and in the Southern, with the hands of a
watch, as you look at a watch laid down
with the face up. In the case of tornadoes
and waterspouts this direction of rotation is
not SO uniform, although the same law
holds good in most cases.
WHEN A WHIRLwIND is THUS FORMED
over the, Ocean water is often drawn up
the center of the whirl some distance owing
to the suction created, and at the same time
the moisture in the air is condensed as it
rises, SO that the name ''waterspout" is very
applicable; indeed, sometimes a spout will
burst over a vessel and flood her decks with
water as a cloud-burst does a mountain side
When the spout is forming, its upper por-
ton is often visible first, seeming to grow
dOwnwards from the clouds; by observing
| carefully with a telescope, however, 1T will be
| seen that the motion in the column itself is
| upwards, although the moisture in the air
which is rising is condensed lower and lower
down, thus rendering the whirl visible lower
| down continually and making it appear to
be actually descending.
| SEVERAL A LITTLE FURTHER EASTWARD.
On Jan. IL Capt. Hess, American steam
| ship Philadelphia, saw four waterspouts in
| latitude 49, Al north, longitude 72 81 west.
| On Jan. 10 Capt Lawson, Brit sh steamship
Lizzie English, reports several a little
| farther to the eastward latitude 49, Al
north, longitude II 40 vest. And from
| the Dutch steamship Edam, Capt Van Der
Zee, detailed report has been received
| from Third Officer De Boerde, of large
| spout sighted at a. m, Jan. 81, latitude Al
/ 80 north, longitude go IS west, In the
| last case the spout is described as being
| small and straight at the base, increasing in
size toward the top where it mingled with
| the clouds. Ascending currents could be
plainly SEEN There was strong westerly
| gale at the time, with occasional hail and
snow; temperature of the air o. Centigrade,
water IL; direction of rotation of the
| whirl, with the hands of watch.
Another very complete report has been
received from Capt. Dexter, of the Ameri-
can steamship City of Para, who saw sew
eral large spouts ON Jan. %, latitude 81 AZ
| north, longitude "A SO west. The wind
was strong from the northeast and the sky
| overcast with light Scud, but the sea was
comparatively smooth. Three huge spouts
were seen at once, and six in the course of
| half an hour. The water seemed to be drawn
| up from the sea, mounting in spiral columns
| of tremendous thickness, with a loud roar
| ing sound Some of the columns were verti-
| cal, some inclined at a considerable angle,
all of them increased in size at the top and
| blended with the clouds. A fine rain or
mist filled the air and continued for some
time The wind soon changed to the east.
PERHAPS THE MOST INTERESTING CASES
of all, however, are those which were re-
| ported Jan. 26, 81 and %, for the reason
that they were clearly associated with a
| low barometer area of considerable energy,
which moved across the great lakes on Jan.
| 25, and was central off Nantucket on Jan.
26. 1t has been clearly shown by the United
| States Signal Service that when tornadoes
occur on land they take place almost inva-
| riably in the Southern quadrants of an
area of low barometer 1t might therefore
be expected that at sea whirlwinds and
| waterspouts would sometimes be found as
ISOLATED in a similar way with a cyclone
storm. The following reports seem to
| leave no doubt that such is the case The
| area of low barometer which was central
| over the great lakes Jan. %, barometer
297 gathered increased energy when it
reached the Atlantic, and off Nantucket the
following day the barometer read 30 2, and
in the Gulf Of Newfoundland ON the eth
and 2Sth it read as low as 266 The cold
dry northwesterly winds in the western
quadrants of this cyclone and the warm
moist air flowing into the eastern quadrants
mingled to the southwark of the Storm cen
ter and gave rise to the conditions most
favorable TO the development of tornadoes
on land and waterspouts at sea. Accord
ingly, Capt Haskell, British bark Shetland,
reports that on the Goth, in latitude 39' "a
north longitude ~ IS west "a little TO the
southwark of the storm center), he saw a
large tpout; the following day latitude
so ID north, longitude 70' "A westl he saw
several more and on the 2sth stillmore. Capt.
Garvin, British steamship Oriuoco, reports
that on the 9th, when entering the Gulf
stream from the north, in about latitude
37' 20 north, longitude 70' 40 west, tho sea
was covered with thick vapor from to u