ELISHA MITCHELL SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY. 29 



about ten miles of it, including the portion of over which the de- 

 struction was greatest. 



The first appearance of destructive work by the storm, so far as 

 I was able to learn, is just east of the Peedee River, about six miles 

 below the Carolina Central R. R. Bridge. From this place the storm 

 moved on toward the northeast, passing within one mile of the town 

 of Rockingham, eight miles distant. From such information as 

 could be obtained, I concluded that not until the storm had reached 

 the vicinity of Rockingham, did it assume the character of a tor- 

 nado ; the destructive work was described as slight and irregular ; 

 at this point, however, and for about eight miles on toward the 

 northeast, the destructive work was great, and there can be no 

 doubt but that the storm in passing over this region developed into 

 a true tornado. The path for three or four miles before its north- 

 east end was reached was reported as showing evidence of a decrease 

 in the violence of the storm, and the disappearance of the tornado 

 characteristics. 



As to topography, the surface of the country over which the storm 

 passed was undulating, and in places somewhat hilly. From the 

 river to the region about Rockingham, there was a rise in the path 

 of the tornado of about 150 feet. From this point onward the 

 general surface of the country was more nearly on a level ; but the 

 path of the tornado was crossed by several small and irregular val- 

 leys, cut down from 50 to nearly 100 feet below the general level. 

 These irregularities seem neither to have modified the violence, or 

 to have changed the direction of the storm. 



The character of the path of the tornado varied considerably 

 over different points of its course. The writer's observations begun 

 on the path about 1^ miles to the south of Rockingham. x4t this 

 point no great destructive work had been done. The storm had 

 passed over a cultivated field and entered a forest of old field pines, 

 trees 30 to 50 feet high. An occasional tree had been blown over, 

 and on both sides of the centre of the storm path these trees lay 

 with their tops in the direction the storm was moving, but inclined 

 toward the centre — at angles with the direction of the path varying 

 from 20^ to 75^. I could not find at this point any evidence of a 

 whirling wind, nor was any such indication observed until the path 

 had been followed into the pine forest for the distance of f of a 

 mile. Here, a few hundred yards south of the C. C. R. R., near the 

 centre of the path, over an area of about two acres, ev^ery tree had 

 been blown over. The total width of the path at this place was 

 about 550 yards. The forest around was rather dense, and but com- 



