The morning call., 1895-03-03

were few days thats0Le or r1ore were not
seen. Generally long, attenuated black
cloud would appear from which would
drop pendulous cloud. Lower it would
descend, resembling the lower portion
of balloon, and when about half way
to the water corresponding 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 gigantic how-a thing of terror,
frightful object on the sea.
had been visiting an island about ten
miles from our camp and was in a heavy
sailboat-too heavy to manipulate by oars
readily. When half way home, on the
edge OF the channel the wind died away
completely, and l noticed all about US a
number OF strange black clouds.
Watching them closely and commenting
upon them to my man, / suddenly saw the
ominous dropping of a pointed index finger
| not sixteenth OF a mile away AS | men
toned it my companion pointed behind
me to another, and in less than five min
utes five of these dread objects dropped
from the clouds about US.
There was not a breath of air and there
was an ominous silence. Even the ever
present gulls seemed to have deserted the
place. We got out the oars and endeavored
to pull, but the boat was too heavy and we
were compelled to await developments
The cloud tips slowly. dropped and all
about US mysterious columns rose UP to
meet them, until in a few minutes we were
surrounded by these huge pillars SO that
in one direction the heavens appeared to
be supported upon these watery columns.
A more remarkable sight cannot be i'm
agined, and when they began to move we
gave ourselves up for lost, as two appeared
to be bearing down upon us.
AS good luck would have it they seemed
To hTir1r h,on IL.
under way and fortunately escaped The
two giants came careering down upon US
a spectacle to demoralize the most stout
hearted One passed not two hundred feet
away, rushing on with noise like that of
steam engine. | could distinctly see the
terrific twisting and whirling motion of
the water, and for large area about it
there was what appeared to be heavy
rain.
The spouts began to move as soon as
they were complete, gpd very soon as
sumed the bend or bow shape that charac-
terizes them and went sailing away. These
giants were so tall that would not venture
to estimate their height. My companion
said mile high, and they certainly looked
1t; but they were under 1000 feet.
My nearest approach to waterspout
occurred later and dissipated some of the
theories [ had concerning them. One was
that spout was broken when touched or
interfered with in any way, yet l saw this
water giant cross an island.
l was lying in the sands near our camp
one day when lofty spout came into view
from the south. 1t was headed directly
for us, but we felt perfectly safe, as there
was a large reef and long canal kew be-
tween us. On came the column. passing
the reef in safety; a grand spectacle, and
every one on the island was seen watching
it as it moved rapidly up the lagoon, its
norton onnarpntlu ir ~
clouds. If it had continued it would have
passed between two islands and so reached
was changed, and in few moments struck
the island at an angle. We fully expected
to see the whole mass drop, but it kept
plowing 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 conster-
nation, the spout headed for our island,
and with great bow or curve, rushed on.
The distance from island to island was a
good rifle shot, and there was not much
time to debate as the spout was now half
way across. Seeing that it was veering off
and would probably not reach us, | ran
out on to a seawall and watched it. 1t
gradually drifted to the south and in few
moments struck our shoal with roar like
that of a locomotive.
l cannot adequately describe the sight.
As L looked up the top seemed a 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 not loo feet away, was