Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1895-05-25
A MARITIME FREAK.
NARROW ESCAPES FROM WATER
SPOUTS IN MEXICO.


Had With These Twisting Terrors-A
Congregation of Them, Each of Which
Was Nearly 1000 Feet In Height.
The narrowest escape ever had was
from a congregation of waterspouts. L
was making a trip to some of the small
islands in the gulf of Mexico, about 90
miles from Cuba, spot famous for lis
waterspouts, and in the summer months
there were few days that one or more
were not seen. Generally a long, atten-
uated black cloud would appear, from
which would drop a pendulous cloud.
Lower it would descend, resembling the
lower portion Of balloon, and when
about half way to the water a CORE
spending figure would be seen rising to
meet it. Finally the two would join,
and the column, from 400 to 1000 feet
high, more or less, would move away
before the wind, bending before it like
q gigantic bow-a thing Of terror,
frightful object Of the sea.
had been visiting an island about
ten miles from our camp and was III a
heavy sailboat--too heavy to manipu-
late by oars readily. When half way
home, on the edge of the channel, the
wind died completely away, and [ no.
ticed all about us number of strange
black clouds.
Watching them closely and comment
ing upon them to my man, suddenly
saw the ominous dropping Of a pointed
index finger not q sixteenth of Il mile
away. AS mentioned it my companion
pointed behind me to another, and IN
less than five minutes five of these dread
objects dropped from the clouds about
Us.
There was not breath Of air, and
there was an ominous silence Even the
ever present gulls seemed TO have de-
serted the place We got out the oars
and endeavored to pull, but the boat
was too heavy, and we We're compelled
to await developments.
The cloud tips slowly dropped, and
all about Us mysterious columns rose mp
to meet them, until in few minutes
we were surrounded by these huge pill
lars, so that in one direction the hcav-
ems appeared to be supported upon
these watery columns. a more remark
able sight cannot be imagined, and
when they began to move we gave our
selves up for lost, as two appeared TO be
bearing down upon us.
A. ,,onS 1,,c1- xt-p,,1 Ia I,oyn II they
seemed to bring breeze, and we were
able to get under way, and, fortunately,
escaped. The two giants came careering
down upon uS-a spectacle to democrat
ize the stout hearted. One passed not 200
feet away, rushing on with a noise
like that of steam engine. I could dis
tinctly see the terrific twisting and
whirling motion Of the water. and for L
large area about it there was what ap-
peared to be a heavy rain.
The spoutS began to move as soon as
they We're complete, and very soon as
sumed the bend or bow shape that char
acterizes them, and went sailing away.
These giants We're so tall that could
not venture to estimate their height.
Ny companion said mile high, and
they certainly looked it; but they were
under ZOO feet.
My nearest approach to waterspon5
occurred later, and dissipated some CT
the theories had concerning them. One
was that q spout was broken when
touched or interfered with in any way,
yet saw this water giant cross an is
land.
7 was lying in the sands near our
camp one day when a lofty spout came
into view from the south. 1t was head
ing directly for us, but we felt perfectly
safe, as there was large reef and long
canal key between us. On came the col
umn, passing the reef in safety, grand
spectacle, and every one in the island
was seen watching it as it moved rap
idly up the lagoon, its upper portions
apparently lost in the clouds. Il it had
continued it would have passed between
the two islands, and so reached the open
sea, but for some reason its course WAS
changed, and in few moments it struck
the island at an angle. We fully expect
ed to see the whole mass drop, but IL
kept blowing up the sand, and soon
struck a good sized schooner that had
been hauled on the beach, whirling it
about end for end like feather Then,
TO our CONSERVATION, the spout headed
for our island and with great bow or
curve rushed on.
The distance from island to island
was good rifleshot, and there was not
much time to debate, as the spout was
now half way across. Seeing that itwas
veering off and would probably not
reach us, ran out on to a sea wall and
watched it. 1t gradually drifted TO the
south, and in few moments struck our
shoal with a roar like that of locomo-
tive.
AS I looked up the top seemed great
canopy of water lost in the black clouds,
down from which poured great drops
which soon drenched me through. The
center Of the great curve could not see
at all for some singular reason. while
the lower end or portion, now but 100
yards away, was rushing by me, a mag
nifcent column of water, boiling and
kissing like some living thing. I liter
ally raced with it for the length Of the
wall, 600 or 800 feet, and had all I
could do to keep pace with it.
The water of the shoal was but few
feet deep, and I found later that it cut a
deep trench III it as it went along, the
coral sand and mud looking as though
a dredger had been at work. How long
q spout can travel over the land do
not know, but not long. The bay over
which this one passed was not over 300
feet at that place The spout passed us
beating US in the race, and soon disap
peared among the dark clouds on the
horizon AS common as We're these phe
uomena i'll this region, 1 never heard Of