272 MONTEILY WEATHER REVIEW. JUNE, 1906
THE WATERSPOUT NEAFL T T Y T O W N , N. Y., JULY 16, 1904.
By the late MAESHAL L. BACON, Tarrytown, N. Y.
A remarkable phenomenon occurred over the Hudson River
nearly opposite Tarrytown, N. Y.', on Saturday afternoon, July
16,1904. A large waterspout formed over the river, which, to
persons watching it from the Tarrytown shore, appeared to be
moving down the river and toward them. Varying accounts
have appeared in the local papers and in the New York City
dailies, one of which reproduced a sketch of the ,waterspout.
The description accompanying this sketch was misleading, as
it referred to the waterspout as having formed off the New
Jersey shore, while as a matter of fact it was off the shore of
Rockland County, New York State, a short distance above the
village of Nyack. The writer viewed the waterspout from a
hilltop back of Tarrytown village, a t an elevation of about
400 feet above the river, and about two and one-half to three
miles distant from this unusual phenomenon. A camera and
a field glass aided in the operation, and although looking
toward the west at 4:30 in the afternoon, with the suu
obscured by the heavy clouds, still a very good view of the
Waterspout was obtained with the kodak. It is reported that
those viewing the waterspout from the Nyack shore saw the
river bottom laid bare, but to those viewing it from the Tarry
town, or easterly, shore of the river, there was no such appear-
ance. Newspaper reports have it that dead fish were washed
up on the Nyack shore in large numbers within a day or two
after the occurrence, and that cartloads of them mere carried
away. As to the truth of this report the writer is not informed.
The weather conditions at the time the photographs were
taken are of interest. To the eastward a severe storm had
been raging for over an hour, demolishing houses and uproot-
ing trees in the village of Chappaqua, about seven miles north-
east of Tarrytown. While, of course, those who observed the
waterspout did not know until later of the destruction
wrought by the storm a t Chappaqua, it was plain to all
observers that something unusual was going on.
It was evident also that a severe thunderstorm was in pro-
gress west of Nyack, but from the time of the forming of the
waterspout until after it had disappeared, no rain fell, either
in Nyack or Tarrjtown, or on the river between the two
p 1 aces.
The progress of the waterspout in a southerly direction
(down the Hudson River) may be traced by observing the
contour of the Nyack hills as they appear in the photographs.
These hills are about 300 feet above the level of the river,
which is approximately two and one-half miles wide at the
point where the waterspout appeared. The dimensions of the
spout could be approximately determined by observing a small
sloop, lying closereefed and apparently in the track of the
ominous column of water. The hills formed a background
for the lower portion of the column, and thereby served as a
measure of its height. In connection with the waterspout,
shown in figs. 1 to 6, it should be noted that a smaller spout
had been seen, about 4:15 p. m., apparently moving from a
point five miles above Tarrytown westward across the river,
where it seemed to disappear near Hook Mountain, a point
about the same distance above Nyack.
The waterspout seen in the photographs formed at a point
a little south of Hook Mountain and moved southeasterly.
Through the very kind efforts of Robeh J. Fisher, Esq., of Washing- ton, D. C., and the courtesy of Mrs. Marshal L. Bacon, of Tarrytown, N. Y., we have been fortunate enough to secure a desoription and photo- graphs of the waterspout that was obeerved on the Hudson River, near Tarrytown, on July 16, 1904. Both were made by Marshal L. Bacon, since deceased. Mr. Bacon, who was the auditor of the New York Cen- tral and Hudson River Railroad, had always been a close and careful observer of meteorological conditions, and to that fact we owe this description of the very unusual phenomenon of a waterspout far from a
large body of water.-H. C. F.
Several persons who observed the strange sight closely are
positive that the cloud did not come down in funnel shape to
meet the rising column of water, as is said to be usual in
tropical waterspouts, but, on the contrary, the column of
water rose, clear cut, to the cloud, forming a vertical column.
This was approximately at 4:25 p. m. At 4:35 p. m. the water-
spout had disappeared.
FIG. 1.
I!
FIG. 2.
The wind appeared to be carrying the clouds to the north-
ward, while the base of the waterspout apparently moved in
a southeasterly direction. This movement of the base may
have been due, in part, to currents of air on the surface of the
water and to the state of the tide then running.$
The snake-like column, ominous, and with a whirling mo-
tion, appeared to advance from the Nyack shore toward Tar-
rytown, a t the same time moving down the river. Its color
was dark lead, whiter a t the base where the water appeared
a The flow of surface river water, or tide, can not have had any appre- ciable influence on the movement of the cloud, or anout. or the soray
forming the base of the SpOUt.-EDITOR.
JUNE, 1906. MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. 273
to be churned. Figs. 1 to 6 confirm this impression of rotary
motion, as will be seen by closely observing the base. Observe,
also, the contour of the hills and the positions of the water-
spout as seen in figs. 1 and 3, plainly indicating its movement
down the river.
FIG. 3.
F
FIG. 4.
It is estimated that these snap shot photographs were taken
a t a distance of two and one-half miles, and that the water-
spout traveled about one mile from the time of its formation
to the disappearance of the receding column in the cloud, an
interval of not more than ten minutes. The rotary motion
was distinct while the column was intact until the last of it
was drawn up into the cloud, still whirling and without dis-
charging a drop of water.
It was expected by those observing the waterspout that,
when the base became detached from the column, a considera-
ble commotion would be observed in the river, but, as a mat-
ter of fact, the effect observed when the base settled into the
river was about the same as the dumping of two or three tons
of gravel would have caused. It was believed by those closely
--
FIG. 5.
but: uluuu. the centrifugal forc
high inco,the air. 3 that the base of the spout
was 300 feet across and 50 feet high, that the column that
rose out of the center of this base of whirling water was a t
least 50 feet through, and that its length was 1500 feet, pos-
sibly 2000.
Apparently there were two storms which either met above,
or created currents of air which resulted in the formation of
the waterspout. Within twenty minutes after its disappear-
ance the storm’ traveled across the river from west to east,
the edge of it striking the northerly outskirts of Tarrytown.
Severe hail fell for a few moments, and considerable damage
was done to fruit trees in the region of Sleepy Hollow.
So far as the writer is aware, the “oldest inhabitant ” does
not remember to have seen or heard of a waterspout in the
Hudson River, although there is a rumor of one having been
seen many years ago in New York Bay off Staten Island.
3 This probably refers to the thunderstorm mentioned above as being
in nrnsress west of Nvack while the watersoout was observed.-EDIToR.
It i”s calcul
__ __
waiching this occurrence that, had the waterspout engulfed ___ I--o---- ..