Hutchinson gazette. [volume] (Hutchinson, Kan.) 1895-1902, 1899-03-16
CHAPTER XIV.
The Water-Spout.

Rnlle clothing, Wnon contTuhleu WIN
dark wooden or broadcloth, as the lat
ter absorbs, and tho former repels,
tho rays of the sun,
Marc Hlslop illustrated this to me
by igniting paper with a burning
glass; whenever the focus was brought
TO bear upon dark places, such as
printed letters, they were instantly
consumed.
We ran along the coast Of Hispanlo-
Ia, and saw the wavy ridges OF Its
mountains that tower into the clouds;
We sighted Tortuga, rocky island COW
cred with palm trees and sandalwood,
but surrounded by reefs and shoals;
and, rounding Cape st. Nicholas, stood
to tho southwark between the great Is
lands OF Jamaica and Cuba, but with
out seeing either Of them at that
time
For three days we had dark and
cloudy weather,
About o'clock p, IN, on the oath OF
January a small speck, which appeared
to the westward on our weather beam,
grew rapidly into gloomy cloud, and
swiftly, as II on the wings Of de-
stroylng angel, II traversed the thick
enlng air and the agltated sea, which
darkened beneath Its shadow; and so
this speck came on, until It grew an
awful thunder-cloud,
Bear q hand fore and aft! Hurry,
my lads!-make all snug before the
tempest breaksp' were the cheering or
ders Of Weston, Hislop and Lambourne
as the brig was prepared to encounter
heavy squat.
The rain soon fell in torrents, I'M
peding the men at their work of close
rceflng, furllng and slowing away some
Of the heavier canvas, and In tightly
Delaying the running rigging, for when
loose ropes are flying alsout In n tenn
pest, and cracking in mems faces like
coach-whlps they become sufficiently
bewilderlng to impede the working OF
the ship.
Uder the lower edge OF the approach
ing cloud, when about twelve miles
distant, we beheld an object which
filled us with wonder and awe.
1t was tremendous spout or col
umn, of water, connected with the
cloud above and the sea below (the
sea, from which a circular wind had
sucked 1t upward, that was now wish
BILE.
This column was like solid mass Of
white breakers, approaching with In.
credible speed over waves that began
to rise in short and pyramldal peaks.
Hislop was too busy Chewing up
canvas, sending yards down from
aloft, Delaying and ordering, and so
lost famous opportunity for expati-
ating--as no doubt he would have done
ON the theory Of these spouts, for
this phenomenon filled us with the
greatest alarm, lest II might swoop
down upon the Eugene, dlsmast and
destroy her like child's toy ship.
Atomic ell Cubano, being the most
powerful and muscular man on board,
was ordered to the wheel
Across the sea this column seemed
to pass with the cloud boiling, foaming
and with the sound Of mighty cas-
cade pouring into a deep valley, but
yet maintaining position quite per-
pendlcular. Around its base the waves
seemed in dreadful connection, rising
and falling, seething and glltterlng In
the lightning which shot at times from
the gloomy bosom OF the cloud that
noated over them.
AS this terrible phenomenon ap-
preached from the westward, Captain
Weston conceived that we might es-
cape its influence by altering the briggs
course and 80 passing It, have
heard of water-spouts being dlssipated
by the effect of heavily shotted guns,
but we had no such appllances--at
least we had no shot on board.
The breeze, which was blowing fresh
and had not as yet become gale Ito
us at leasO, yeered northwesterly; so
we shook the reefs out Of our topsalls
and trimmed sharp by the wind.
"Luff, luff--keep your lufi-keep her
to-" were the incessant orders OF Wes-
ton, and the Eugene flew through the
water like race. horse; held by the
powerful hands Of Antonio, she never
waved an inch, and by especial Provi-
dence she got to the windward of that
dreadful phenomenon, which passed
us, cloud and all, about six miles
astern, when, ns It changed color from
grayish green to white, 1t presented a
scene so sublime and terrible that
"the boldest held his breath for a
time" and Antonio, who was blanched
white with terror, though he had fire.
ouently seen such spouts as these In
his native seas, assured me, with chat
tering teeth, that he had never be-
held one OF such magnitude, and 1t
was long before he could be certain OF
our safety and ceased to mutter:
20 mala yentura--mala ventura
literally, bad luckr
From white tho water-spout became
dusky purple, when CLEAN of the sun
fell on 1t, and the waves at Its base
glittercd in oil the colors of the rain
bow.
"Thank heaven! that is past" said
Weston.
"Ay, sir" said old Roberts, the man