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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 4987, 17 March 1877, Page 3

Astounding ■ Wetkoroi.ooicai, ' Phenomenon. — From a.highlyiveracious narrative in :the New York Timcs.ot a “ shower of cats” In San Francisco, we extract the following sensational particulars The pattering" and the cries’increased, anda shower of heavy Objects fell from the eaves and rattled on the pavement below. The whole family rushed to the .front piazza, and by the increasing light of the full moon, beheld scores of cats pouring from the roof. Cats of all sizes and colors were sliding dver the, shingles and turning wild somersaults in the air. • At-one moment a gigantic tom-cat .would clutch at the pitiless: gutterpipe, and falling to break his fall, would shoot, meteor-, like, with outstretched tail, through the'astonished night and impale himself’On the'iron-spikes of the, front fence. At another moment a staid* tortolseshelb tabby, of untarnished reputation,: .would make the fatal plunge, uttering blasphemous and blood-curd-ling yells until she brained herself on the brick pave-, raent. The horrified family fled to the cellar,■" where they passed the night in vainly attempting to convince their Eastern guest that an occasional cat-shower in ; no way detracted from the unequalled excellence of, the California climate, and in searching a pocket New Testament for the account of the destruction of Sodom ■ and Gomorrah. The shower did not last more than - 15 minutes, although it sprinkled cats at intervals until morning. When daylight came, every fence-; spike was ornamented with an impaled cat, and the yard was so, thickly strewn with the dead and wounded that an experienced who subsequently investigated the affair, reported that at 'least eight inches of cats must have fallen during the night. The theory put forth by this sceptical man of science in order to account for the shower hardly needs to be refuted. He invented a small boy, whom he accused of greasing the roof with imaginary butter, whiclrcaused'some hundreds of cats, assembled on the ridge-pole, with - a view to singing the praises of,love and mice,to, lose, their footing., ; Inasmuch as he failed to. produce either the boy or the butter,-* and'also failed to exp'ain how a' boy could keep his footing on a greased roof,-where the most i skilful cat even with the aid. of-four feet and a full set' of claws, could not maintain a position, we can only pity the weakness and despise the effrontery,of the scientific sceptic.” : I