The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-11-10
Triple WaterSpOut Sinks Many
Small Boats Famous Yacht Rain
bow is Ashore at Bristol.

A triple waterspout and a 7O-mile-an-
ragansctt bay yesterday and wrought
considerable destruction all along the
harbor front
The waterspouts were seen down the
river far below Fields Point. and they
travelled first TO one side OF the river and
then 10 the other. One OF them danced
off into Old Maids cove, at the south OF
Harbor Junction wharf, and collapsed.
because 1t struck dry land.
Before il did so, however, IL Tapped n
small pond near the eitys sewer plant as
dry as shingls, and then soaked the
1t was the queerest thing ever wit
messed so far inland, the sea captains
in the harbor said.
The other waterspouts were knocked 10
pieces in a collision between themselves,
and the report OF the sme shing torrents
as they smacked together was heard a
mile away Ii caused a rumor 10 spread
that the biggest gasometer in town had
blown up.
A TERRIFYING SPECTACLE.
Charles Jones and Andrew Carroll were
in the vicinity of Washington Park I'm
south Providence, not great way from
the bayside. They heard a terrific roar
aud saw something that looked like
black rolling cloud making straight for
them.
They sought refuge in a small shed and
only gained its interior as the building
was struck. 1t went into the air and so
did they. For about 800 feet they were
rolled over and over. There were only
some loose boards left or the building
and both men were injured, but not seri-
ously. They say II was a tornado and
not the remnant of waterspout which
caught them UP so savagely
A long oyster boat, which was aban-
doned along the shore in the storm by
single occupant, was caught up by the
wind and turned over in the air several
times Capt. Jack Hardy says 1t was
taken fully 30 feet above the surface of
the river.
The gale went against the big sound
steamer Rhode Island with It's greatest
force. and IL was only by the hardest
work OF the crew and many extra hands
that the vessel was warped down to keep
her from tipping over into the India point
channel which is 80 feet in depth.
Windows were smashed in the freight
houses OF tho steamship companies and
several sheds anc other nearby buildings
were blown TO pieces. The boats OF one
of the coal barges was blown away and
wrecked against the india Point piers.
MANY sAILBoATs SUNK.
Down the bay there was q scene of
wreckrge on the east side. large
number OF yachts and sailboats were
blown across the river and sunk Dur
ing the afternoon more damage was
done in the south portion OF the bay and
the high tide added to the destruction.
A house was swept bodily from Pru-
dence ISLAND and the damage 10 property
In Greenwich bay was more than in years
past
The waterspouts were seen by Capt
George Rochester OF the tug Reliance.
which had "a narrow escape from the
largest OF the three. She was almost
engulfed
She had In tow the three-masted
schooner Robert SNYDER on Sabins Point.
All on board the tugbolt and schooner
were in great suspense. and Il was feared
that disaster was inc, liable. but they
saw Il pass and way UP the bay it was
seen 90 burst.
Capt. Rochester snya the column OF
water was 200 TO 400 feet I'm height, and
that "a curlcd and rolled more swiftly
than he had seen anything move in the