Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1895-09-03
A MARITIME FREAK.
MARROW ESCAPES FROM WATER
sPoUTs M MEXICO.

A Traveller Relates Two Experiences He
und WIN These Twisting Terrors-A
Congregation Of Them. Each o. which
Wac Nearly 1000 Feet In Height.
The narrowcst escape I ever had wa
from q congregation Of w%atcrspouts i
was making a trip TO some Of the small
islands in tho gulf Of Mexico, about 90
miles from Cuba, n spot famous for its
w~atorspouts, and in the summer months
there were few days that one or more
were not seen. Generally a long, alton
mated black cloud would appear, from
which would drop a pendulous cloud
Lower Il would descend, resembling tho
lower portion Of a balloon. and when
about half way to the water q corro-
spending figure would DO seen rising 60
meet il. Finally tho two would Join,
and the column. from 400 to 1000 feet
high, more or less, would move away
before the wind, bending before II like
a gigantic bow-a thing Of terror, a
frightful object Of the sea
I had been visiting an island about
ten miles from our camp and was in a
heavy sailboat-too heavy to manipu-
late by oars readily. When half way
home, ON the edge Of tho 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 q sixteenth Of n mile
away. As l mentioned it my companion
pointed behind Inc to another, and in
less than five minutes FIVE Of these dread
objects dropped from the clouds about
MS.
There was not a breath Of air, and
there was an ominous silence. Even the
eve present gulls seemed 70 have de-
serted the place. We got ont tho oars
and endeavorod 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 We're surrounded by these huge pill
lars, so that in one direction tho heav-
ems appeared to be supported upon
these watery columns. A more remark
able sight cannot DO imagined, and
when they began to move we gavo our
selves up for lost, as two appeared to be
bearing down upon us.
As good luck would have It, they
seemed to bring a breeze, and we were
able to got 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 a steam engine. 1 could dis
timothy see the terrific twisting and
whirling motion of the water, and for a
large area abont it there was what ap-
peared TO BIO a heavy rain.
The spouts began to move as o as
they were complete, and very soon as
sumed the bend on bow shape that char
acterizes them, and went sailing away.
These giants were so tall that 1 could
not venture to estimate their height.
My companion said a mile high, and
they certainly looked it; but they were
under 1000 feet.
My nearest approach to o waterspuuS
occurred later, and dissipated some Of
the theories had concerning them. One
was that a spout was broken when
touched or interfered with in any wax.
yet / saw this water giant cross an IL
land
/ was lying In the SENDS near our
camp Ono day when a lofty spout came.
into view from tho south. 1t was hoad-
ing directly for us, but we felt perfectly
safe, as there was a large reef and long
canal key between us. On came tho col
umn, passing the reef in safety, a grand
spectacle, and every ono in the island
was seen watching it rs it moved rap
idly up the lagoon, its upper portions
apparently lost in the clouds. If it had
continued 1t 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
the island at an angle. We fully expect
ed to SEQ the whole mass drop, but 70
kept blowing up the sand, and soon
struck "A good sized schooner hat had
been haRled on the beach, whirling it
about end for end like a feather. Then,
to our conformation, the spout headed
for island, and with a great bow on
curvo rushed IN.
The distance from island to island
was a good riieshot, and there was not
much time to debate, as the spout was
now half way across. Seeing that it was
veering of and would probably not
reach us, / ran ont ON to q sea wall and
watched it. 1t gradually drifted to the
south, and in a few moments struck our
shoal with a roar like that Of q locomo.
tive.
As l looked up tho topseemed a great
canopy Of water lost IN the black clouds,
down from which poured great drops
which soon drenched mo through. The
confer Of the great curve I 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
nilcent column of water, boiling and
kissing like some living thing, l liter
ally raced with il for the length Of tho
wall, 600 on 500 feet, and had all /
could do to keep pace with H.
Tho water Of tho shoal was but a few
feet deep, and / found later that it cut a
deep trench in 1t as It went along, the
coral sand and mud looking as though
a dredger had been at work How long
a spout can travel over tho land / do
not know, but not long. The bay over
which this n passed was not over 800
feet at that place. The spout passed us,
beating Us In tho race, and o disap-
peared among the dark clouds ON the
horizon. AS common as were these phe-
nomena in this region, / never heard Of
a casualty though from the above il