330 PHILOSOPHY OF STORMS. 



tion of the barn, while a tree behind the barn fell towards 

 the house. At the surface of the earth the wind must have 

 blown at one instant from the barn towards the house ; 

 here, however, there was an upward and gyral current; 

 the house was raised with it, and almost immediately 

 thrown out of its vortex by its immense centrifugal force. 

 Lighter objects, which were carried up with it, were retain- 

 ed in the whirl a long time, and were finally thrown in 

 very various and even opposite directions. 



The preceding results as to the character of the wind's 

 motion, are very similar to those which marked the New 

 Brunswick hurricane of 1836. It is desirable that the lead- 

 ing features of every great hurricane should be faithfully 

 recorded, that we may in time be enabled to decide whether 

 the preceding characteristics pertain alike to all hurricanes; 

 or, if otherwise, into how many classes they are to be 

 divided. 



Observations on the New Haven Tornado^ by Professor 

 Olmstedj of Yale College. 



[From Silliman's Journal, for October.] 



178. On the 31st of July, 1839, there occurred, on the 

 western skirts of the city of New Haven, a tornado of the 

 most violent class. The preceding morning had been 

 cloudy and sultry, and, immediately previous to the tor- 

 nado, a thunder storm seemed approaching from the west, 

 attended by some appearances of high wind. I was, at the 

 time, about a mile eastward of the track of the storm, ob- 

 serving the phenomenon from my chamber window. The 

 clouds betrayed that singular agitation, which usually fore- 

 bodes a hurricane, and the vane of a neighboring steeple 

 was constantly shifting its position. A short time before 

 the tornado commenced, the wind blew fresh from the 

 south east, having been in this quarter during the preceding 



