320 PHILOSOPHY OF STORMS. 



give to the public ; but it has been delayed so long, that I 

 am now enabled to supply their place, nearly, by the testi- 

 mony of other persons, concerning other spouts. Of course, 

 I prefer their testimony to my own, in a case where I might 

 be supposed to be interested. 



Observations on a Hurricane which passed over Stow, in 

 Ohio, October 2<M, 1837 ; by ELIAS LOOMIS, Professor of 

 Mathematics and Natural Philosophy in Western Re- 

 serve College. 



[From Silliraan's Journal.] 



177. On the morning of October 20th, 1837, a hurricane, 

 of destructive violence, passed over Stow, in Ohio. This 

 town is situated about thirty miles south of Cleveland, in 

 north latitude 41 12', and west longitude 81 25'. As the 

 hurricane occurred during the darkness of the night, we can 

 collect little information respecting it, with the exception of 

 the record which the wind has itself left of its progress. 

 During the night of the 19th and morning of the 20th of 

 October, there was a thunder shower at Stow, which ex- 

 tended into some of the adjoining towns. The lightning 

 was rather vivid, the rain fell in torrents and the wind 

 blew fresh during most of the night. About three o'clock in 

 the morning, a whirlwind formed near the centre of Stow. 

 It moved rapidly from west to east, over an extent of about 

 three miles, its breadth varying from forty to sixty, and oc- 

 casionally to eighty rods. For about a mile of its course, 

 few objects were found of sufficient strength to resist the 

 shock. The trees were almost entirely blown down or 

 broken off; the fences were completely scattered ; the houses 

 and barns were generally unroofed, and one house torn lite- 

 rally into pieces. For the purpose of rendering my descrip- 

 tion more intelligible, I have drawn a plan of that part of 

 the hurricane's track where most of the injury was done. 



