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The quantity of rain was only 4^ inches, less than the average by about 

 half an inch. The rains were frequent, occurred on fourteen days, but 

 only two rains, both on May 26, could be called heavy. All the others 

 amounted to at most one-third of an inch. 



In May of last year, 1872, we had more rain than this year, but the mean 

 temperature was one and a half degrees higher. 



The unusual drought which has prevailed for the greater part of three 

 years, has made us forget that April, May and June are usually our wettest 

 months ; and last year, dry as was its greater part, May, June and July had 

 quite a sufficiency of rain. I observed more than 10 inches of rain in May, 

 1844 and 185S, both years of floods, and less than 3 inches in 1841, 1S49, 

 1851, i860, 1862, 1863, 1S66 and 1870, eight years. 



Mr. Richard Hayes gave an account of the recent hail-storm 

 that touched this city, as follows : 



In referring to the hail-storm which passed over St. Louis about thirty- 

 five minutes past three o'clock on the afternoon of May 19th, I desire to 

 state that, at the time of its occurrence, I was not in a position where I 

 could observe it as carefully as I would have liked to do. On the next day, 

 however, I proceeded to investigate the various phenomena that marked 

 the path of its progress. I first went as far S.W. as any marks of hail could 

 be seen upon the trees and fences, and traced its southern edge westward 

 to the Tower Grove Park. Within the park but few signs of hail could be 

 seen and I was informed that but little fell there. It must have commenced 

 at that point as a hail-storm and proceeded in a northeasterly direction, its 

 centre moving almost in a straight line, to somewhere near 24th and Can- 

 streets, where it met with another which must have formed near the St. 

 Charles road and Grand avenue. After the two met they moved on togeth- 

 er in a more easterly direction, the centre reaching the river at Madison 

 street. On the southerly edge of the southern part the wind blew almost 

 directly from the west; between the southerly edge and what I have desig- 

 nated as the centre it veered more and more towards the south, and at the 

 centre it blew directly from the south ; between the centre and the north- 

 erly edge it blew from an easterly direction, and at that edge it came direct- 

 ly from the east. The characteristics of the northern part were similar to 

 those of the southern, and the same may be said of the whole after the two 

 parts united. 



From these characteristics, it is clear that the storm began as two whirl- 

 winds which approached each other and united near 24th and Carr streets, 

 passing on to the river as one. Whether it crossed the river or not I am 

 not informed. The violence was not very great, though considerable dam- 

 age was done to the young leaves of the trees and flowers in several parts 

 of the city. Window-glass was broken in some localities where the wind 

 came directly from the south, but in others none was broken. The south- 

 ern limit extended along a line drawn from Arsenal road and Grand ave- 

 nue to Menard and Lafayette avenue and thence to the river. 



