The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-30
WATER sPoUTS OFF TYBEE.
WHIRLING COLUMNS OF WATER
FROM THE CLOUDS TO THE SEA.

The Spectacle About Three Miles on
the Beach-CrOwds of People
watched the Phenomenon From
the IsIand-The Tug "CynthIa" Lay
within $50 Feet of the First spout
But Escaped Damage-How WATER
SpOuts Are Formed.
Tybeeites witnessed an unusual sight
yesterday A line of water spouts formed
about three miles off the beach and for a
few minutes, while it lasted, the islanders
were afforded a spectacle that may not
be seen again in many years.
The phenomenon occurred about
o'clock The sky northeast Of the beach
was overcast with an ugly, inky black
cloud, between which and the horison was
broad line that appeared ike Furnished
silver. Suddenly there began to form
near the center of the cloud, an object.
funnel shaped and filmy In
appearance. It gradually extended
and reached down towards the sea,
becoming larger and denser. After few
months it looked like two immense cones,
one dipped in the cloud and the other in
verted near the sea, the two cones con-
nected by long pipe.
Soon after the formation there appeared
to be a current Of water passing through
the center of the pipe-like connection be-
tween the two cones. The water spout
lasted about fifteen minutes and was fol-
lowed by three others of like size and du-
ration.
Capt. Haines of the tug Cynthia was
about three miles off Tybee when the
spouts formed. One of them was within
$50 feet of the tug, but no damage was
done. The spout was about eight feet in
diameter. There was no squall and the
wind was almost at a dead calm.
Water spouts are an>unusual sight, ex-
cept to seafaring men, and the land lub-
bers who had the opportunity of witness
ing the phenomenon enjoyed IL at safe
distance.
The water spout is formed the same
as tornado or the small whirl-
winds, which are Often seen In the streets,
in which raise up a dense column Of dust
to tops Of houses. In these whirls the
motion of the air Is spirally inward and
upward, so that light objects are sucked
into the vortex and carried up to the top
of the whirl, where they escape and de-
scend at some distance on either side.
When a violent whirl is formed over
water, the spray is raised from the sur
face and is carried up in the center Of the
whrl, presenting the appearance of
dense, solid column The phenomenon
is then called a water spout. Water
spouts are Of variable dimensions; they
sometimes attain a diameter of several
rods and hight of half a mile.
The whirls generally FORM in the first
instance, at a considerable hight in the
air, and do not reach down to the surface
Of the sea. If there is low cloud over it,
the under surface of the cloud Is rolled
into a cOnical form. This inverted cone
seems attached to the cloud and some
times becomes rapidly elongated. Some
times IL swings backward and forward
coils up and disappears. and the spout
is not completed; but at other times It
gradually extends so as to reach to the
surface of the water AS the column ap-
proaches the surface, the sea becomes vio-
lently agitated and the spray is whirled
around with a rapid motion. The spout
then forms a continuous column, extend
ing from the water to the cloud and often
resembles an elephants trunk dangling
from the clouds. It's color Is generally of
a somber gray, like the clouds, but some
times 1t appears black. like a dense smoke.
The spout has both rotary and pro-
gresslve motion. The Whrlng motion ex-
tends to but a moderate distance around
the column and beyond there prevails a
dead calm. The phenomenon lasts but
a short time. After a few minutes the
trunk contracts so as to no longer reach
the sea. the black cloud draws itself
up and the column disappears.
Sometimes the spout commences with the
rising OF the spray from the surface OF
the water and gradually ascends until the
column is complete from the water to the
clouds. When the spout is complete there
is a roaring noise. like that Of a water
fall After a while the cloud discharges
itself in open rain. This rain is never
salt, even in the open ocean, showing
that the water was precipitated from the
clouds as In ordinary rains. Water spouts
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