WATER-SPOUTS ON THE COAST OF N. S. WALES. 147 



dark rain cloud, and it travelled in the same direction as the other 

 two. Its funnel-like shape was like the first one, but it was much 

 longer and closer to the ship, so that we could see it very well. 

 As it came bowling along at the rate of twenty miles per hour, we 

 could see the water spouting up in a continuous and uniform stream 

 right up to the cloud. When the waterspout was about two miles 

 to the north-west of our ship, it suddenly presented a very curious 

 and fantastic shape; it became very long, swaying and coiling 

 about like a serpent. All at once it made a complete coil, (See 

 Plates 8, and 9) then burst, great quantities of water poured out 

 of the lower part of the coil, and in a few seconds one of the most 

 beautiful sights I have ever witnessed during my seafaring career, 

 vanished as completely as if it had never been in existence." 



September 9th, 1894. — Mr. W. D. Campbell, Surveyor, reports 

 that on that date he was in the Centennial Park, and looking 

 southwards he saw a water-spout come down from the clouds ; it 

 did not present the usual thin tapering cone, but was more like a 

 cylinder slightly enlarged at its base, which was in the clouds, its 

 length being about twice the width of the cylindrical part. It 

 seemed to come down suddenly on to one of the hills of the park, 

 and after touching the ground it rose rapidly in the same form 

 as that in which it came down ; from first to last it did not con- 

 tinue more than three minutes. 



March 2nd, 1895. — Mr. Francis, Signal Master at Sydney, 

 reports that at 6 "10 a.m. on March 2nd, two very large water- 

 spouts descended from a very dark massive cloud extending from 

 south-east to north-east; it was about four miles off the coast and 

 appeared to be taking up an immense quantity of water. The 

 water-spouts were about a mile apart and travelling very slowly, 

 the wind south and very light, at 6*25 a.m. both disappeared. At 

 6 -35 a.m. another appeared in the same cloud and bearing due 

 east of the Signal Station ; it was much larger than either of those 

 seen just before. It was about four miles from the coast, and the 

 spout was vertical, volumes of water appeared to be going up it. 

 The sea under it was all white foam, and the water seemed to 



