The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-08-30
WITNESSED A wATERsPoUT.
Unusual Phenomenon Seen Across
the savannah River.

Many people along Bay street yesterday
witnessed the novel and unusual sight Of
a waterspout travelling along the Carolina
shore, within plain view Of the entire CITY
front. Such phenomena are not altogeth-
er unknown at Tybee but this is the first
time in many years that one has been wit
messed in such close proximity to the city.
Hundreds of persons gazed upon the phe
ncmena during the brief ten minutes which
it lasted.
So far as could be judged by the nakeA
eye the waterspout developed in the rice
feds on the Carolina shore, about hair
way between Back river and the woods
further to the northward at a point near
ly due north of the City Exchange, tho
time of Its development being about 11:20
CLOCK. Many of those who witnessed the
phenomena were of the opinion, from the
amount of water thrown up, that the wa
ferspout took its course along Back river.
Weather Observer Boyer. who had an ax-
ceptonally good view of the occurrence
from the top floor of the Board of Trade
building, said that such was not the case,
the spout not reaching Back river the
water, which was very much in evidence,
being drawn up from the bitches in the
rice fields over which the waterspoul
passed.
Those who happened to be gazing north
Ward at the time saw a heavy black nirn-
bus cloud hanging low down over the
Carolina shore between the river and the
woods From the center Of the cloud
large irregularly shaped funnel dipped
down towards the earth. As the cloud
moved slowly from west to east, this fun
mel was seen to be gyrating rapidly from
right to left. The cloud and its nipple
as some described IT, hung some distance
In was
very pereeptible, the water in the rice
heids being whipped up to a hight of
nfteen TO twenty feet To She observers
along the river front the water appeared
10 leap upward to meet the end of the
funnel Had the Back river been reached
perfect waterspout might have been
formed, but the resistance Of the earth
prevented the low-hanging portion of the
cloud from assuming the perfect funnel
shape, common to waterspouts at sea,
ana little If any water was taken up by
the cloud The phenomenon lasted about
ten minutes, the funnel or nipple being
drawn back up into the cloud
Weather Observer Boyer explained the
phenomenon on the ground that it had
been caused by a sudden shift of wind
from the northwest while a current i'm
mediately above was moving from the
southeast The principal of the water
spout Is the same as that of the tornado
of air being the cause of each
Apparently the spout was suspended at a
distance of seventy-hve 10 100 feet above
the earth. 1t was of irregular formation
and did not make a complete funnel
Those who happened to be gazing from
the rear of the Offices and balconies on
River street promptly called the atten-
ton OF others within, and in this way sew
eral hundred people observed the strange
phenomenon. The Workmen on Hutchin-
son Island also had a good view Of the
aerial visitor.
There was another heavy rainfall yes
terday, the amount being 239 inches for
the twenty-four hours ending at O'Clock
last night. This makes nearly six inches
of rain during the last three days. The
mean temperature for the day was 76 de-
grees being 3 degrees below the normal.
A storm was apparently trying to develop
off the Georgia coast during the morning
the disturbance having moved up from the
Florida coast. The storm signal was
hosted and warning given TO shipping. Ely
last night, however the storm had appar-
entity moved over to the Gulf coast. No
definite information has been received of
the West India storm, the last indications
reported being in the neighborhood of Mar
Unique.