Year: 1874

The Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle gives


the following particulars Of . most re-


markable water-spout near Langley,
Georgia:


A dense cloud was first seen approach


ing the pond. being apparently . con-
siderable distance up. Nothing par
ticular was thought Of it, the citizens
of Langley being at the time occupied
in trying to keep cool, Q hard thing to
do, with the thermometer 100 degrees
in the shade. But presently startling
circumstance occurred. The cloud had
halted over the pond, and established
connection with the latter. A genuine
water-spout had, in fact, been evolved,
and an immense quantity OF water was
rushing skywsrd through the liquid
conductor. When first seen, the water
spout was near the dam, and travelled
slowly across the pond until it reached
the railroad trestle work, distance of
mile and quarter from its starting
point, when it disappeared, and the
cloud moved majestically of, carrying
with it thousands of gallons Of water
which had been drawn from the pond.
The latter, covering an area Of six hun
dred acres, was, in fact, lowered fully
two inches. The huge column which
joined the upper region to the expanse
of water below resembled q cone in
form, and rotated horizontally with ex-
ceeding rapidity. The marvellous speed
with which the column turned i'm
pressed the beholder Immediately with
the idea that it was associated with
wbirlwind. This was most probably
the case, as a tremendous wind passed
over Augusta, from the direction of
Langley, some hours afterwards. The
heavens were brilliant with incessant
flashes of lightning after the spout de-
scribed above had disappeared. There
was no rushing noise connected with it,
as is the case in some instances. The
water underneath the clouds Just before
the spout formed was in state of great
agitation. Waves rolled angrily, and
perceptible bulge was seen. As the
cloud halted, sort of tunnel protruded
from it, and dropped slowly down, be-
coming larger as it heightened, the
broader portion, or base, being at the
surface of the cloud. When it reached
a point about one-fourth the distance
between the cloud and the pond, the
bulge on the surface of the latter rose
to meet it, and the two at length Joined,
when the water from the pond COM
menced ascending into the cloud, which
moved slowly toward the trestle-work.
The waves in the water all leaped and
tended towards the spout, and the spout
itself continued the vertical motions
referred to above. The outside of the
wasery funnel was dark and not well
defined, while the center was much
lighter, being rather Of a blush cast.
This would seem to indicate that the
column was partly hollow, the dark
portions representing the sides. There
can be no doubt but that the immense
quantity of water which was transferred
from the pond to the cloud was literally
sucked up. The spout finally disap-
peared, as if it had been drawn boldly
up into the cloud, while the latter
quietly moved off to parts unknown.
Not drop of rain fell during the oc-
currence or afterward. The formation
and subsequent motions Of the spout
are described as having made up a
spectacle grand in the extreme. Nothing
of the kind was ever before seen in that
section. The strangest part of the
phenomenon was the fact that the
cloud, so burdened with water, moved
off without dispensing any of it in the
form of rain in the neighborhood.