212 J. HOPKINSON — KAINFALL IN 1892. 



The advantage of the possession of self-recording instruments 

 is well shown by Mr. Mawley's account, which is as follows : — 



" Throughout the whole of the evening and night preceding the 29th of June, 

 the weather was extremely unsettled, there having been thunder at 6.45 p.m. ; 

 thunder and lightning at 7.50 p.m. (time-interval 18 seconds); a few drops of 

 rain at 8.7 p.m. ; thunder and Kghtning at 9 p.m. ; a sharp shower at 10.45 p.m. ; 

 a very heavy shower shortly after niidniglit ; and a singularly heavy downpour of 

 rain between 1.24 and 1.32 a.m., folloVed by a fall of large hailstones lasting 

 about three minutes. During the early part of the storm the flashes of liglitning 

 were unusually brilliant and continuous, and between 1.32 and 1.37 a.m. were 

 quickly followed by loud peals of thunder. At 2.0 a.m. there occurred another 

 heavy downpour of rain, when the time interval between the lightning and thunder 

 Avas 7 sees. Three minutes later it amounted to 17 sees. Very heavy showers 

 also took place at 3.30 and 4 a.m. 



"The most noteworthy feature of this memorable night was, however, the 

 severe thunderstorm which passed over here between l.'iO and 1.30 a.m. During 

 these ten minutes all my self-recording instruments were more or less aifected. 

 The barograph curve shows a sudden rise and fall of about tlu-ee-hundredths of 

 an inch ; the thermograph an equally sudden fall of several degrees of tempera- 

 ture. The anemograph curves were still more remarkable. The atmosphere, 

 which during the previous hour had fallen to almost a dead calm, was all at once 

 set moving at the rate of about ten miles an hour ; while the wind-vane made a 

 complete tour of the compass, starting at S.E. and veering rapidly through S., 

 W., N., and E., and back to S.E., when the air again became calm. The self- 

 recording rain-gauge had also an extremely busy time, over half an inch of rain 

 being recorded by it during the eight minutes ending 1.32 a.m. 



" Some of the hailstones which fell during this stonn were spherical and about 

 half an inch in diameter, while others were roughly triangular and about f inch 

 long by f inch across. The rhubarb-leaves in my garden were completely 

 riddled, and the foliage of roses, chrysanthemums, and other plants, was slit 

 and otherwise much torn and bruised. One rose-bud had a gash in it ^ inch deep. 

 Neither of my own greenhouses was injured, but, at Frithsden Gardens, situated 

 about a mile and a halt' to the north of Berkhamsted, the damage to the numerous 

 greenhouses was very great, about every other pane of the 16 oz. glass being 

 broken, and about one in every ten of the 21 oz. panes." 



At Kensworth the storm was even more severe than at Berk- 

 hamsted, the hailstones being much larger, .and doing much more 

 damage than at Frithsden. Miss Jones says : — 



"Thunder, not very heavy, and very vivid lightning, had been almost con- 

 tinuous for several houi-s, when, at 1.40 a.m., hail suddenly commenced, lasting 

 about nine minutes, during which time every pane of glass in greenhouses and 

 skylights was smashed to atoms, tiles were cracked and split off, corn crops and 

 fruit were severely damaged, and the ground was covered with leaves and twigs 

 cut olf from the trees, as it might be in October after a tremendous gale. Many 

 of the hailstones weighed 2\ ounces. One, which I picked up immediately after 

 the storm ceased, covered the palm of my hand, was half an inch thick, of solid 

 ice, flat, oval in shape, and serrated all round ; others were round and as large as 

 tennis-balls, likewise with sharp edges. Not one person in this village can 

 remember a similar fall of hail. 



" I believe that we were almost in the centre of the storm, as little or no 

 damage was done within half a mile on either side. It seems to have travelled 

 in a straight line from Ashridge and Studham. It does not appear to have been 

 felt at Whipsnade or Markyate Street, and it was but little felt at Dunstable. 

 During the fail of hail, which alone was appalling, a peculiar sharp crackling 

 sound was heard, as if we were surrounded by electricity, and there was a strong 

 odour of sulphur. A walnut-tree within about 100 yards of my house was 

 struck by the lightning." 



