63 



one of those fearful storms which occasionally take place devastat- 

 ing a very nan-ow track of land, tln'ough which the storm cuts a 

 Avay for itself, levelling trees and all other obstacles that oppose 

 its progress, while the country on either side is left undisturbed, 

 In this instance the length of country traversed was about six 

 miles, the breadth being only 100 to 160 yards. The mighty 

 rush of wind and all the consequent destruction occupied not more 

 than five minutes. Amongst other effects " a heavy four-wheeled 

 wagon was taken up and carried completely over a high hedge, 

 and straw and wheat ricks were borne completely away and 

 distributed over the field never to be collected again." It is said. 

 " hundreds of persons came hundreds of miles to visit the district 

 over which the storm had passed." 



I find record of a whirlwind, very similar to the one above 

 described, wliich occurred at Cerne-Abbas, Dorset, on the 30th of 

 October, 173L In this instance the storm, which had a track 

 only 200 yards wide, trees being uprooted and houses unroofed, 

 only lasted two minutes. 



In the same Chronicle* two other gales are mentioned in con- 

 nection with Bath, that happened during the last century. One 

 was on the 4th of January, 1739, described as "violent at Bath 

 and Bristol, with thunder, lightning, hail and rain, whereby great 

 numbers of trees were torn up by the roots, and many others 

 twisted off at theii- trunks. At Bath the flood was so gi-eat that 

 the boats came up the streets." The other was a severe thunder- 

 storm at Bath, January 4, 1738, "with a sudden violent wind, 

 which destroyed Walcott Church." 



The above are merely a few selected cases of gales that have 

 occurred in the Bath neighbourhood, or in the adjoining counties 

 in former times, and they can hardly fail to impress us with the 

 belief that the storms of back yeai-s were quite as severe as those 

 of the present day, some indeed much more severe. 



* " Lowe's Natural Phenomena.' 



