The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1897-11-13
TERROR ON THE DEEP
IT COMES SURE ENOUGH WHEN A
WATERSPOUT IS SEEN.

cu Twenty OF Them at one time
When One Strikes the Ship.
"Cyclones, hurricanes and icebergs
have sent many good ship to her
doom, and will send many more-but
there's something to be dreaded worse. ="
So spoke veteran sea captain, from
whom l was trying to draw out some
thing interesting on the subject Of
storms.
'I can't imagine what it is" I said
though had my guess.
"Well, it's q waterspout; and the
mariner may thank God they are not
to be met with every week. I know men
who have sailed for thirty years with
out sighting one, but it has happened
that they have come my way pretty
often. 1 saw one on my first voyage
as cabin boy, and it wasn't over four
weeks ago that one came mighty nigh
doing the business for this old bark
Man and boy, I've followed the sea Tor
over forty years, and the peril most to
be feared is the one you are almost
helpless to guard against. You want
to hear some stories? After I've told
the mate about getting up that new
topsail III spin you few"
Ten minutes later we were readyan
he began:
Everybody knows that a water
spout is formed by n whirlwind pass
ing along the surface of the water.
On land it would suck up dust and
grass and paper, and perhaps rip the
roof Off house or barn. There are
little waterspouts and big ones, &C
cording to the strength Of the wind.
I've counted twenty little ones play
ing around at once, and no great fear
need be felt Of them. It's the big
ones-the old chaps holding water
enough to float ship over stone
wall-that make your hair curl when
they come sweeping down your way.
In the China Sea, thirty years ago, as
the clipper ship Champion was sailing
along one day in q moderate breeze, I
was sent aloft on some job about
the fore-topmast. I was working
away whenI happened to look into the
---ss1fslfttt. SIGHT. s:aasnEd. : beheld curious
ship, which was headed tie leo other " WHY Y
was patch Of what looked to be
black water.
''lhis patch was perhaps q quarter
Of mile square, and it stood out on
the green-white sea in strange con.
trast. Tt began to boil as I looked,
and then the waters in that particular
spot seemed to be racing round and
round. A minute later the centre of
the patch began to rise, and the next
thing was waterspout. The water
was sucked up as by pump, and
when thousands and thousands of bar
rels had been lifted the spout began
to travel. The stem of it was about
as big as ships mast, but it writhed
and twisted about like serpent. The
spout did not come near us, but we
were shaking with fear for quarter
Of an hour"
Suppose that big waterspout
should strike ship-what them" I
asked.
II can give you plain answer to
that" replied Captain Griggs. ''In
1878 / made voyage from Liverpool
to the Cape of Good Hope in the brig
Steadfast. We had left st. Helena
about 400 miles to the north of us,
when one morning there came dead
calm. About two miles to the south
Of us lay a Russian merchantman-a
big fellow, with crew of at least
thirty men. Up to noon there wasn't
air enough to flare candle. Then
came cats paws from every point of
the compass, and after while small
waterspout formed near the brig and
travelled away to the east. We took
alarm at that and got ready.
1T had just gone four bells q
o'clock when the man who had been
sent aloft an hour before hailed the
deck in great excitement, and then
came sliding down a backstay. A
waterspout, which had formed to the
south Of us, was coming down toward
the two ships. 1t was an ugly sight.
1t had drawn up so much water that
its top was black cloud mile in cir
cumference, and as it came along the
sea under it was boiling and leaping as
If dozen great whales were at play.
The Russian had gun aboard, aud
opened fire with solid shot, hoping
to hit the stem or break it by concus-
sion. They tell me that has been
done, but I beg to doubt it.
che fired three shots while the
spout was dancing about in an uncer-
tain way; then q current of wind sent
it fairly down upon him. We could
hear the sailors shouting and see them
running about, but all the ships on
salt water could not prevent what hap
pened. Every one of us had his eyes
on the spout when it struck the ship.
There was a smash and crash, and a
moment later only a few floating frag-
ments remained of the big craft. Tens