ELISHA MITCHELL SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY. 33 



th-- southwest increased in amount, and thunder became more dis- 

 tinct. At evening twilight, wind from southwest was strong, but 

 not violent, of medium temperature; light clouds had pretty well 

 covered over the heavens; heavy, dark clouds were still banking up 

 in the southwest; thunder distant, heavy and rolling; flashes of 

 sheet lightning frequent. From dark until the time of the storm 

 (about 10 p. m.j the wind continued about the same in direction, 

 strength and temperature. The lighter clouds were continuous over 

 head, and the dark clouds of the southwest were increasing in ex- 

 tent, and in their threatening appearance, and were rising higher 

 above the horizoi . Between 9 and 10 o'clock p. m., the dark storm 

 cloud appeared to increase more rapidly in its dimensions and to 

 move toward Rockingham from the sovithwest. As observed by sev- 

 eral gentlemen living seven or eight miles to the northwest of the 

 storm path, the cloud (which was rendered visible by the almost 

 continuous flashes of lightning) appeared to move about as rapidly 

 as an ordinaryfthundier-cloud. Beneath its under surface the smaller 

 fragments of cloud ("racks") wei'e moving rapidly about in almost 

 every dii-ection, ("boiling up") showing great disturbance. One 

 gentleman living several miles to northwest of the track, and watch- 

 ing the cloud as it appeared several miles to the southwest of Rock- 

 ingham, observed a distinct funnel shaped mass extending down 

 from the under surface of the main cloud, with its lower and smalh r 

 end still some distance above the horizon, and moving from side to 

 side. Over that portion of the path where the storm proved to be 

 most destructive, many persons who Avere in the path, described the 

 ^loud as being all about them on the ground. 



The noise accompanying the storin resembled that of havy trains 

 of cars running at high speei. This noise was accompanied by fre- 

 quent and heavy rolling thunder. 



The exhibitions of electricity were great and varied. Flashes of 

 sheet lightning were so frequent and brilliant that several persons 

 stated that they could almost have read by the light. " Balls of 

 fire," and "lamps" in the cloud were described as having been seen 

 by a number of persons. One gentleman of acknowledged integrity 

 and character, who lives several miles to northwest of the storm's 

 path, described to the writer one of these "balls of fire" as an illu- 

 minated portion ■;f cloud, which appeared to be 15 to 20 feet in diam- 

 eter, and about as bright as the moon, looked at through a "light 

 fog or cirrus cloud." This phenomenon was watched for several 

 minutes, as it moved along at the front edge of the storm cloud. 



