The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1892-06-15
1T REALLY RAINEp.
An Experience In the tropics.

It was in Cuba, and was in rail-
way car, journeying from Matanzas to
Havana. 1t was springtime, and the
beginning of the rainy season was at
hand. The people were looking for
ward to the first rain as-1 was going
to say, as we do to the first snow; but
that does not parallel their expecta-
ton, for they know that when it once
begins to rain there is an end to their
liberty.
The first intimation that had Of the
likelihood that something was going to
happen, came from my seeing dense
jet-black cloud over against the south
ern horizon. All around me lay
peaceful and prosperous scene. Beside
the track were some hut-like negro
cabins, with black women seated in the
doorways, and funny little half-naked
piccaninnies playing in the dirt.
But the black cloud grew bigger and
| blacker. 1t was advancing toward US
with very great, and evident, speed;
and presently saw that it was all
| fretted with bolts of lightning, toothed
with white darts of fire. Never before
or since did l see such dreadful dis
play of the electrical force. The bolts
were so close together that it seemed
1 as IL Iu6y 1AuSb OO6b1OJ OfOAJ
| thing in the pathway of the cloud.
When the black and terrible mass in
| the sky came still nearer, il seemed no
longer toothed or fringed. but it spat
the lightning with vicious force
straight down upon the forest beneath
it.
Next came sucking, roaring sound
of wind, the sky grew black, and with
the last glimmer of daylight, before it
vanished into night, saw the giant
palm-trees throw up their huge fam
like arms like mortal creatures that
were hurt and panic-stricken. Then
the storm burst over the train, and
through it's din heard the crashing of
the falling branches that had
been snapped off and thrown to the
earth.
In another minute the worst of the
darkness was over, and in the hah-hght
| that remained l saw such rain as
} never had dreamed could fall from the
} sky. 1t did not appear to fall in drops,
} or in "ropes," as once heard an Eng
lishman say of a severe downpour Of
: rain, but it descended in vast thick
: sheets, layer upon layer. You could
see one thickness tumbling after the
r other as so many great plates of glass
= might be thrown down. 1t grew lighter
, still, and saw that the beautiful palms
: were wrecked, and were still writhinE
r in their misery, tossing up their broae
/ hands and thick arms, many of which
: were broken and disjointed, while
others had been snapped off.
!? At the feet of the palms there was NJ
longer any ground. The surface of thu
Y earth had become lake. The wate
b stood high in the doorways of the negr,
cabins. The litter of palm-branche
o f1oated about on the rain-pelted water
g l remember waiting to see the trai
demolished by the lightning, but it wa
/; not, nor could see that the fiery bolt
u had harmed anything around US
it Another minute passed, perhaps no
f. more than five minutes had passe'
IS since the shower began,-and the day
light came back grandly, disclosing tn
e great flood everywhere.
B. A Cuban, sitting on the other side {
q the car from me, passed me b
IT cigarette box; and as he did so he sal
in labored effort to be polite in
u foreign tongue: a tink it will rail-
Le Wat you t'ink?"-JuLiGH Ralph, IN s
t, | Nicholas.