Water Spouts. 255 



We saw so many of these failures, that the eye very soon became 

 accustomed to that degree of density in the cone which would en- 

 sure its descent, and even the sailors became practical philosophers 

 for the time, correctly predicting when a spout would be formed, and 

 when it would fail. 



While intently watching these various operations, we observed 

 that the nearest water spout, then about two hundred yards on our 

 starboard quarter, was moving slowly towards the ship with a light 

 air from the eastward. The captain immediately ordered the top- 

 sails to be clued down, the hatches to be covered with tarpaulins 

 and battened, the crew to be sent under deck, and directed some of 

 the marines to be in readiness with loaded muskets, lo try what ef- 

 fect might be produced by the concussion of firing, as it is the gen- 

 eral belief that water spouts may be broken by this means. As soon 

 as it was near enough, the marines were ordered to fire, and although 

 many of the balls must have passed directly through it, neither the 

 perforation nor concussion had the slightest effect on it. The ma- 

 rines were ordered to load and fire again, and in the mean time I was 

 directed to cast loose one of the thirty two pounders. I did so, and 

 took aim directly at the base of the spout, then within sixty yards, 

 and fired. The captain, and others who were watching the effect 

 to be produced, said they distinctly saw the ball strike the spout at 

 its base, dashing the water on each side, but still it remained as per- 

 fect as before. I was ordered to load and fire again, and to elevate 

 the gun so as to strike the tube as high as possible, but just as I was 

 in the act of pulling the lock string, the captain looked aloft, and 

 observing the head of the spout directly over the main truck, called 

 out to me to hold on, not wishing to try further experiments while 

 it was in such dangerous proximity to the ship. For some minutes 

 I had been too much occupied with the gun to notice particularly 

 the position and progress of the water spout, but now, on looking up, 

 I saw the dense black cloud from which it was formed, hanffing im- 

 mediately over us, at a height, as nearly as I could judge, of between 

 three and four hundred feet, and the upper part of the spout di- 

 rectly over the mast heads. When at a distance of two hundred 

 yards, the tube of the spout seemed to fall perpendicularly from the 

 cloud to which it was attached, but as it approached, the cloud 

 alone moved steadily on, while the lower part of the tube, as though 

 it found something repulsive in the ship, diverged slowly to the 

 south west, and passed the stern at a distance of about sixty yards. 



