Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1895-07-09
A MARITIME FREAK.
MARROW ESCAPES FROM WATER
sPoUTs m MEXICO.


miles from Cuba, a spot famous for its
watcrspouts, and in the summer months
there were few days that one OF more
were not seen. Generally a long, atten-
uated 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 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, moro or less, would move away
before the wind, bonding before it like
gigantic bow--a thing Of terror, q
frightful object Of tho sea
had been visiting an island about
ten miles from our camp and was in q
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 1 no
ticcd all about us a number Of strange
black clouds.
Watching them closely and comment
ing upon them to my man, / suddenly
saw the ominous dropping Of n pointed
index finger not a sixteenth Of a 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 wero compelled
to await developments.
The cloud tips slowly dropped, and
all about rs mysterious columns rose up
to meet them, until in a few minutes
we were surrounded by these hugo pill
lars, so that in one direction tho heav-
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 mp for lost, as two appeared to be
bearing down upon us.
As good luck would have it, they
seemed to bring breeze, and we were
able to got under way, and, fortunately,
escaped. The two giants came careering
down upon us--a spectacle to demoral-
ize tho stout hearted. Ono passed not 200
feet away, rushing ON with a noise
like that of steam engine. / could dis
tinctly see the terrific twisting and
whirling motion Of the water, and for a
large area about il there was what ap-
peared to be heavy rain.
The spouts began to move as soon as
they were complete, aud very soon as-
sumed the bend or bow shape that char
acterizes them, aud went sailing away.
These giants were so tall that could
not venture to estimate their height.
My companion said mile high, and
they certainly looked It; but they were
under /, 900 feet.
My nearest approach to a waterspout
occurred later, and dissipated some Of
the theories had concerning them. One
was that spout was broken when
touched on interfered with In any way,
yet saw this water giant cross an is
land.
/ was lying in tho sands near our
camp one day when a lofty spout came
into view from the south. II was head
ing directly for MS, but we felt perfectly
safe, rs thore was large reef and long
canal key between us On came the col
umn, passing tho reef in safety, grand
spectacle, aud 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. If II 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 a few moments It struck
tho island at an angle. We fully expect
ed to see tho 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 a feather. Then,
TO our condemnation, the spout headed
for our island, and with great bow or
GU We rushed ON.
The distance from island to island
was good riheshot, and there was not
much time to debate, as the spout was
now half way across. Seeing That II was
NNNAAAH DA ttAA M1uAA FtobtAUAJ Mut
reach ms, ran ont on to a sea wall and
watched IT, Il gradually drifted to the
south, and in a few moments struck our
shoal with a roar like that Of locomo-
tive.
AS looked up tho top seemed a great
canopy Of water lost In the black clouds,
down from which poured great drops
which soon dronched me through. The
center Of the great curve could not soc
at all for some singular reason, while
tho lower end or portion, now but 100
yards away, was rushing by me. a mag
nifloent column Of water. boiling and
kissing like some living thing. liter
ally raced with Il for tho length Of tho
wall. 900 or 800 feot, sind had all /
could do to keep pace with it
Tho water Of the shoel was but few
feet deep. and found later that Il cut a
deep trench ia Il as IL went along, the
coral sand and mud looking as though
a dredRer had been az work How long
a spout can travel over the land do
not know, but not long. The bay over
whioh thiS one passed was not over 800
feet at that place. The spout passed ua,
beating ua Ia the race. and soon disap-
peared among the dnrk clouds on the
horizon. As common as were these phe-
nomena In this region, never heard 81
q casualty, though from the above Il
viii bo seen that narrow opoapes wor1