New-York tribune., 1905-07-16

struction is accomplished. My w
perience proved that there at
least exception to this rule. l nv
was going in from days fishing on
the Florida reef, down on the outer
keys a famous place for waterspouts
when several appeared in the west.
We bent to the oars to reach the key, }slsNSsSS
having had disagreeable encounters N.sssSSsxss NsS s.
with these aquatic monsters before. 1sSSA:
Away to the west, about three miles, Ns3ess
a deep black cloud hung in the air. SSsSxS9
seemingly supported by stupendous sSEss
column from eight hundred to fifteen ssN IN
hundred feet in height. Already it af- sss &A
fected the atmosphere, for the strong N-s EE
west wind dropped and dead calm lEAS
ensued. The gulf as far as the eye ESI us
could see, a vast shield of steel $SSSS NE
without movement, of a Furnished ESSSS II
copper color The cloud moving SsSM
toward u.s. and presently wind be- SsSss$
came apparent and the great watery $500
pillar to take the form of ssS-ysssess
bent bow. 1t directly for seSssSsF
island, which had reached =
which was surrounded by moat and zs1s:.
a sea wall about eight feet high, six
feet and half mile long
So fascinating the spectacle that
my companion, Indian bOatman,
and stood and watched the marvellous Five
transformation scene that was going
on. 1t grew rapidly darker, and the
big cloud appeared to encompass us Fitful gusts
of wind came from various directions; vet looking
up | could that the clouds moving in
a northeasterly direction.
The spout came On-a cOpper-hued tower of
extraordinary bulk 1t crossed the shallow reef
and | could distinctly see the foam in its wake,
while its altitude such that it could not be de
termned accurately. 1t now entered lagoon
where the bottom pure-white sand, and adj
vanCed at a rate that | should compare to that of
a steamer under full head of steam. An eighth
of a mile ahead in its was Long key-a strip
of sand about a mile long and hundred feet
wide at that point-and fully expecting that here
we should witness the collapse of the waterspout
continued to watch it with straining eyes
On 1t came one of the most marvellous spcctaCleS
the eye of ever looked upon | remember
that the thought flashed through my mind that it
artificial in appearance appearing like some gi-
gantlc property OF a spectacular play. Hauled up
the beach lay a thirty-ton schooner, which sew
eral men had been engaged in calking. and who,
fortunately, had left her and aiming directly for
this by some uncanny chance the spout came on
1t struck the island fairly, travelled through
the sand and | saw it strike the schooner knock
ing her from the supports which held her, whirling
her about, never breaking showing any change
crossing the sandy waste quickly that before we
realized it. it in mid-channel.
Its going to hit the key, sir cried my boat
man, grasping my
| must have been lost in the sublimitv of the
spectacle, for / felt rooted to the spot and stood
and watched the advance. If the waterspout
had struck the massive brick structure of our
island 1t would go to pieces-there ques-
ton about that-but somehow | thought that
1t would not strike us; in any event determined
to take the chances and at short range one
OF the most interesting of Natures phenomena
he spectacle now was sufficient to dcmoralize
one, and was told later that the negroes out of
the spouts. range wild with fear and ran
for the ample cement-and-stone cisterns some