Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1897-03-13
THE FIELD OF ADVENTURE.
THRILLING INCIDENTS AND OAR
ING DEEDS ON LAND AND SEA.
Shot Waterspout to Save the Ship
Pathetic Story of the War-Kit
Carson's ValOr.

-Fathetic story OF the War-k1t
Carson's Valor.
"HE American ship W. F. Bah
cook recently arrived in San
Francisco from New York.
The Babcock had an eventrul
trip around the Horn. She was in
storms. and hurricanes and beset by
waterspouts. The sea serpent was
sighted, and on one occasion the yes.
sci was on her beam ends.
When talking about the voyage
Captain Graham remarked: "We were
in latitude 25. 55 north, longitude 81
west, when we encountered severe
electric storm. The wind blew so
hard that we had to reduce the ship to
three lower topsails and foresail The
thunder came in succession OF peals,
and it seemed as though all the artil-
lery of the heavens was at work.
Flash after flash Of lightning played
around the Babcock and made the
scene as light as day. The rain came
down in torrents" concluded the cap.
tain, in q matter.of-fact way, 'alto.
gether making one of the most dis.
agreeable nights I have ever expert.
enced."
For two weeks all went well, and
then the big clipper had another ex.
perience. In latitude 9.16 north,
longitude 20. 43 west. she was chased
by two waterspouts. Says Captain
Graham: "They made up right astern
and were rapidly approaching the
ship.
"They extended from the water to
the clouds, the largest one apparently
being about fifty feet in circum-
ference. l ut once ordered all sail
taken In, because if one of the spouts
struck US with sails set then the masts
would have gone by the board; and
even If the spout had struck us and we
had had all sail iurled think the ship
would have been dismasted.
''rhe largest one came quite near to
us, when a roaring sound could be
heard. Just then I remembered to
have heard that the concussion caused
by a rifle shot would break the column
OF water. ordered rifle brought
from the armory, and two shots were
fired into the advancing column OF
water in quick succession. Suddenly
it began to tremble at the base, and
finally disappeared. Whether it was
the reports of the rife that caused il
to break or whether it was from natu
raj causes do not know. do know.
however, that the Babcock had very
narrow escape. The smaller water.
spout took different direction, and
went away to the leeward of the yes
sell"
One day later the Babcock encoun.
tered the sea serpent. It was in
latitude 8 degrees 02 minutes north,
longitude 2S degrees 40 minutes west,
and the vessel was somewhere in the
vicinity of the mouth of the River
Amazon. ut was about 8 a. M, "
said Captain Graham. "when we
passed close to a large sea serpent. 1t
was apparently asleep. 1t was of o
dirty green color, mixed with spots of
black. 1t was partially coiled and, as
near as could Judge, was from thirty
to forty feet long and about two feet
in circumference. 1t had long, fiat
head. and, outside of its size, and
length, looked like IN ordinary land
snake. It may have been washed out
of one of the rivers on the Atlantic
coast of South America, but that I
cannot vouch for. All that I know is
that my wife is willing to swear on a
stack of Bibles that she saw the orig.
inal sea SERPENT"