INVESTIGATION OF STORMS. 183 



Storm of the 15th December, 1839. 



145. The following documents will show, that a storm of 

 uncommon violence sprung up on the night of the 14th De- 

 cember, 1839, in the territory between Lake Erie and Bos- 

 ton, reaching from Montreal, down through Vermont, Mas- 

 sachusetts and Rhode Island, into the ocean to an unknown 

 length. 



As the wind was the most violent about one o'clock, on 

 the eastern side of the storm at Nantucket and Province- 

 town for example and as the centre of the storm had cer- 

 tainly not passed those places at this time, I have chosen 

 this hour to represent, on the following chart, the direction 

 in which the wind was blowing at various places in the re- 

 gion of the storm, and near its borders. 



If the reader will cast his eye on the chart, he will per- 

 ceive at a glance, that if a line be drawn from Lake Cham- 

 plain to the eastern end of Long Island and prolonged into 

 the ocean, there is a general tendency of the winds, both on 

 the Atlantic coast and in the western parts of New York, 

 towards this line. Especially if he turns his attention to 

 numbers 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, on one side, and to 41, 42, 

 43 and 44 on the other, he will see a remarkable converg- 

 ence of the winds towards a region between New Haven 

 and Boston. Let the reader compare this fact with the 

 statement of Mr. Redfield. " To me it clearly appears that 

 the wind was not blowing at any time on the 15th towards 

 a space or region of country south west from Boston and 

 north east of New Haven, as was suggested by Mr. Espy 

 in' the Courier and Enquirer, and the New York Gazette, 

 nor indeed towards any other central space in the gale." 



This storm did not come from the far west, but origina- 

 ted in the territory above named. Its middle seemed to be 

 almost stationary for twenty-four hours, gradually going 

 off, however, in some east or south east direction. 



