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feathers. Some twenty houses, as far as heard, were utterly demolished, and 

 several persons were killed and others badly hurt. During the progress of the 

 storm and some time after, hailstones fell as large as walnuts. — Correspondence 

 Cincinnati Gazette. 



Winnebago, Illinois. — March 20. — Moderate interrupted rain, with heavy 

 long-continued thunder at distant intervals, began about 2 a. m. and changed 

 to fine rain, which continued through the day. Temperature below freezing 

 point all day. 31st. — March has been a cold backward month, the mean tempera- 

 ture being nearly six and a half degrees below the corresponding month for the 

 preceding eight years. Only five days in the month had a mean temperature 

 above freezing. 



Marengo, Illinois. — March 19. — A heavy storm of sleet from the northeast 

 commenced in the night and continued nearly all day of the 20th. Trees, build- 

 ings, &c., covered with ice three-quarters of an inch thick, and remained so two 

 days. 31st. — No signs of breaking up yet. At this time in 1865 the wheat and 

 oats were nearly all sown in this section. 



Riley, Illinois. — March 5. — The depth of frost varies from one and a half to four 

 feet — according to exposure. 20th. — At 1 a. m. hail as large as peas, then thun- 

 der and lightning six or seven times, and sleet, covering everything exposed an 

 eighth of an inch thick with ice ; fog, mist, and rain all day ; repeated thunder 

 showers all the afternoon. Thermometer 30° at 7 a. m., 31° at 10 a. m., and 

 so stood till 4 p. m., and began falling and was down to 26^ at 9 p. m. 3ist. — 

 The monthly mean is 3.56° below the mean of ten years. The amount of rain 

 and melted snow about equal the mean of eleven years. 



Chicago, Illinois. — March 20. — Thunder and lightning with wind and hail. 

 22, a terrific storm of hail, covering the ground two or three inches deep ; many 

 of the stones were from one and three-quarter to two and three-quarter inches 

 in diameter. The time not mentioned on either day. 



Aurora, Illinois. — March 12. — The ice moving out of the river; the water 

 very high. 19th, some distant thunder and lightning at 9 p. m. 20th, some 

 heavy thunder and sharp lightning from 4 a. m. to 6 a. m. 22d, robins first 

 seen, 31st, about two feet of frost in the ground. This March has been the 

 coldest for a number of years. 



Wyanct, Illinois. — March 20. — Hail very large, some an inch across, flattish ; 

 heavy thunder and rain from 3 J to 4 p. m. 31st. — The spring is backward, and 

 the frost not near out of the ground. 



Ottoica, Illinois — March 1. — A general breaking up of the Illinois river to- 

 day; a large, expensive bridge and portions of fences, also large forest trees, 

 lumber, &:c., &c., floated down. This is a very heavy freshet, and the ravines 

 are all under water. 2d, the river is still rising, and large cakes of ice, lumber 

 &c., are passing down. 19, rain and hail at 11.5 p. m., with lightning in the 

 west. 20, at 2.10 a. m. a thunder-storm; hail, the size of hazel-nuts; rain, dif- 

 fuse lightning and heavy thunder; also lightning and heavy thunder p. m. 



Tiskihva, Illinois. — March 31. — Ground thawed but very little; the last of 

 the snow only disappeared today. No sowing or any other spring work done 

 yet on the farms in this vicinity. No trees dug, and cannot be for a week yet. 

 Last year the observer, a nurseryman, began to dig on the 23d of March, which 

 v/as later than in any other spring for the past fourteen years. 



Galeshurg, Illinois. — March 21. — Robins first appear. 22d, wild geese passed 

 north. 31, ground frozen from two to three feet deep on the open prairie. 

 The month has been cold, cloudy and unpleasant. 



Clinton, Illinois. — March 19. — A great hail-storm commenced at 4.30 p. m., 

 and lasted thirty minutes; it came from the southwest. 31. — March has been 

 a cold month ; the large amount of snow in this region prevented farmers from 

 gathering their corn, and large quantities are yet to be gathered. 



Springfield, Illinois. — March 20. — A severe hail-stoim passed ; hailstones 



