The Day a Waterspout Spooked Seattle’s Fishermen

A couple of local fishermen report a curious story. They made their way out on the Sound, where there was a fresh breeze and they could see a mile out of the wind and the boat tossed about. Suddenly, as if by a freak of wind and tide, there was a dead calm. While at a distance the sea was rough, they found themselves in the middle of a perfect stillness. Accustomed to hardship, the fishermen were not easily alarmed, but when they were watching the smooth surface, there rose one of those short, dark shadows—an immense water spout, rising to a height of about eighty feet. Almost instantaneously it began moving toward the boat. Inured to hardship and constantly facing danger in one form or another, fishermen are not easily alarmed, but when the spout began to approach in a direct line toward the boat, the hearts of the men almost stood still. As there was absolutely not a breath of wind, nothing could be done to avoid what appeared to be almost certain death, and the two men could only stand by and await their fate. But again, an unexpected thing happened. The spout, instead of striking them, collapsed with a great splash. The fresh breeze rose immediately and the dead calm disappeared. The fishermen say that they do not exaggerate anything. They were sober, and the story is perfectly true. They are very glad of their escape, for they were saved only by a miracle.