384 PHILOSOPHY OF STORMS. 



Hollidaysburg, July 30th, 1838. 

 To MR. ESPY, 



DEAR SIR, In compliance with your request on Satur- 

 day evening, I will endeavor to describe, as well as my re- 

 collection will enable me, that part of the tornado which I 

 witnessed, while on my way from Hollidaysburg, to Hunt- 

 ingdon, Pennsylvania, on the night of the 19th of June last. 

 At about ten o'clock, my attention was arrested by the ap- 

 pearance of a thick darkness, which increased with aston- 

 ishing rapidity ; so much so, that in a few moments after I 

 first observed it, it overspread the whole western heavens, 

 as far as the eye could scan. I should have observed, that 

 before I took any notice of this phenomenon, the night was 

 remarkably calm and serene with the wind at about 

 south east, as nearly as I could distinguish, from the gentle 

 breeze which was then stirring. At about half past eleven 

 o'clock, the wind changed from south east to due east, the 

 wind blew violently at this time, when it began to rain 

 moderately. At about twelve o'clock, all was, as it were, 

 the " blackness of darkness," the rain descending in tor- 

 rents, and large sheets of very vivid lightning darting from 

 south to north, in quick succession, accompanied with tre- 

 mendous peals of thunder. The wind was still blowing 

 from the east, when I left the deck of the boat to seek shel- 

 ter from the violence of the tempest, which, at that moment, 

 for terrific fury, entirely mocked all description. The above 

 is as good a description, as my memory will permit me to 

 give, not having charged it particularly with what I saw. 



Yours truly, 



THOMAS C. MCDOWELL. 



This remarkable storm, with all its most wonderful phe- 

 nomena, is not without example, both at home and abroad, 

 as will appear from the following copious details. 



