CAUGHT BY A WATERSPOUT.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIV, Issue 34, 8 February 1879, Page 4

CAUGHT BY A WATERSPOUT.

The British barque Bel Stuart, Captain Harper, forty-eight days from the port of Lame, Ireland, put into Bed Hook yesterday, after a stormy and phenomenally disastrous voyage. The barque left Lame in ballast, consigned to Messrs P. I. Nevius & Son, of this city, and had a series of head winds and strong seas until off Nova Scotia, when the culminating disaster of the voyage occurred. On the evening of November 14, in latitude 43 deg. 52 inin., longitude 57 deg. 40 min., which brought her about 160 miles off Cape Sable, she was struck by a white squall in a comparatively smooth sea and clear sky, which swept her decks and created a consternation on board At six p.tn of the same day, all hands being on deck after supper, a strange sighing in the wind was observed by the watch, and the sky became suddenly threatening, without a corresponding indication of the barometer, which showed a rising tendency. Captain Harper and his first officer were on deck at the time. All hands noticed the peculiar change in the sea and sky, and were discussing it, when, without a moment's notice, the sea forward seemed to swell up to meet the lowering sky and swept the barque across her bovrv, carrying away her foretopmast, foretopgallantmast, jib, jibboom, foretopmast stays and the inaintopgallanttnasc, with all her accompanying sails. In a moment, as it seemed, the barque, with all Bails set and in a fair wind, with a moderate sea,- was left a cemparative wreck to "wallow in the trough of the tremendous seas which had followed the spiral volume of water. Two minutes before the catastrophe Captain Harper says there was no indication of the approaching waterspout. Its sudden appearance seemed to nearly paralyze the crew, who, notwithstanding her dismantled condition, worked the barque into Vineyard Haven, where she was sufficiently repaired to reach Ked Hook, whereshe now lies — New York Herald, December 10.