Ship’s Escape From Water Spout.

Hokitika Guardian, 7 June 1922, Page 4

Ship’s Escape From Water Spout.

Ait exciting story of a British ship’s escape from a waterspout is related by Air J. B. Hewitt, chief offietT of the steamer Hurston. “While on a voyage recently from Middlesborough to Santiago (le Cuba, not far from the linvrd port of Guantanamo,” lie states, “we encountered a tropical thunderstorm at five o’clock in the evening. For the first forty-five minutes everything was much as usual, heavy rain, incessant lightning—so intense at times as to make the eyeballs ache ill their sockets and appalling cracks of thunder, with a low, threatening sky. Tlie wind having blown from almost every possible direction suddenly failed, the surface of the sea. though still tumultuous, was unbroken, black ami oily in appearance all round the ship. Away mi the port beam, parh-ps two miles off. apparently thick sui-ike v as rising from the water, and appear'd to be whirling and twisting .J-oi-r. 'I hen a particularly low cloud on tlie starboard side., and much nearer, suddenly began sendingdown a number of tapering arms, some small, some large, constantly varying both in number and relative size. Mv attention was ( ailed to the port side by _a junior officer, and there 1 saw' four or five huge snouts fully formed, though distant at 'least two miles. Before T could study their movements a queer noise close to the starboard caused one to turn quickly. About 30 degrees on our bow and no more than 300 cardsoff was an unusually big and violent disturbance in tbe water. Over it the chuid was low and travelling so as to pass parallel to the shin. A perfect column was formed and increased enormously in volume iu a few moments aiil T saw to mv amazement that, deflecting from its original course, it was closing (lowti on the ship. ‘Hard a starboard!’ 1 yelled, and as the wheel of the stein” steering gear spun over T found mv-clf sneeiilating ns to whether the bead would nay off in time. When tl.e nearest side of the spout was abeam, it w -s not more than 159 yards distant. and the noise it made was indescribable. The confused and swirling waters from the prnpe’ilor did not agree with it. fee as the,- came in coo.l-v-t with the middle of the spout it sudden-

lv betaine thin and transparent. I hen it broke, and the lower half crashed back into the sea, whilst the cloud—again sending down ninny shoots—rushed Inm oi'v i.nwaids. During this time there were no lower than nine largo spout . perfectly formed within easy dir,lan. ouf the ship. There were old. expert ;.< rd seamen on board, but nolle bad ever seen such a sight before.”