ELISHA MITCHELL SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY. 4I 



from the south. About 1 p. in., clouds commenced to form: at 2 

 p. m., temperature 78° and heavy clouds and thunder in the south- 

 west; at 3 p. m., commenced raining with considerable wind from 

 the southwest and lightning and thunder. This lasted about twenty 

 minutes, and then cleared o£E. At 5 p. m. , heavy clouds in the west 

 and southwest, very black on the north side and copper colored to- 

 wards the south side. The cloud advanced rapidly toward the east 

 but was accompanied by no sound. It commenced raining at 5:30 

 p. ra., still without any wind, but with lightning and heavy thunder 

 and a fearful roaring. Hail commenced falling almost as soon as 

 the rain. At first, hail stones very small, but they increased in size 

 tiJl the end of the storm. The hail stones were of a great variety 

 of forms and size; the smaller ones were mostly of the shape of 

 a small mush-room, with stem attached by which they could be held 

 and examined, and were from one-half inch to one and a half inches 

 in diameter. Most of the larger stones were of the following forms: 



l.st. Plane convex, circular, and three inches in diameter. 



2d. Double concave, thin in the middle and three inches in diam- 

 eter. 



3d. Elliptical, solid, six inches in circumference on the longer 

 diameter, and five inches on the shorter. 



4th. Spherical, and roughened on the surface, presenting the ap- 

 pearance of a conglomeration of small cubes. 



Others were flat and irregular in outline and covered with small 

 spines of ice. Those of the first f Oi m or plane convex were opaque 

 and the others of clear ice with a white opaque center or core. 

 Many stones were reported larger than those the dimensions of which 

 are here given, which are from actual measurement, but when the 

 largest were falling it was dangerous to try to secure them. 



Fortunately, there being no wind, the hail fell perpendicularly, 

 and did but little damage, ^ 



Just before it stopped hailing, a dense fog commenced rising from 

 the surface of the ground, and this continued for some time aftei 

 the rain and hail was over. During the continuance of the storm 

 it looked dark towards the north and light towards the south, pro- 

 ducing the impression that the storm center had formed to the 

 north, which was not the case. These developments were as follows: 

 In a few minutes after the rain and hail ceased, reports were re- 

 ceived that a cyclone had passed three miles south of Statesville 

 prostrating everthing in its course. 



Carefully collected facts and incidents from a number of intelli- 

 gent persons living immediately in and very near its track, show 



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