346 Observations on the New Haven Tornado. 



In other cases, however, forces seem to have acted with great 

 violence upon the individual parts of bodies. Numerous instan- 

 ces occurred where hens were completely stripped of their feath- 

 ers. A wagon was taken up along with the shed in which it was 

 standing. The shed was scattered in fragments, and the wagon 

 was carried northward a hundred feet or more and dashed side- 

 ways against a barn, leaving a full impression of one of the wheels 

 on the walls of the barn. Having here nearly reached the cen- 

 ter of the track, it took a turn to the northeast and was deposited 

 at the distance of several rods in an exceedingly mutilated state, 

 the top having been carried oflf and not yet found, and the 

 strong iron springs broken and bent in a manner that denoted an 

 exceedingly violent action. No part of this violence is to be ascri- 

 bed to the force with which it fell to the ground ; for it must have 

 fallen very gently, since the ground was scarcely broken at all. 

 The same fact was observed in the cases of trees and other heavy 

 bodies that were raised into the atmosphere and transported to a 

 distance. They did not generally appear to have fallen with the 

 ordinary force of falling bodies. 



These forces which acted upon the individual parts of a body 

 often appear to have acted in contrary directions. The legs of 

 the same table were found deposited at the distance of many feet 

 from each other in different directions ; and this was true also of 

 the hinges of the same door. 



We examined diligently for evidence of an explosive force act- 

 ing on buildings from within, in consequence of a sudden rarefac- 

 tion of the air on the outside of the building, agreeably to what is 

 reported of the New Brunswick tornado, and of other similar 

 storms. We found but one case that favored such a supposition. 

 This was the case of a barn where the walls were thrown out on 

 every side, and without much apparent violence. 



At T, near the center of the track, are exhibited two trees, each 

 of which bounded along in the direction of the storm. The tree 

 on the right was torn up at the place marked 1, and struck the 

 ground successively at the points 2 and 3. 



With the foregoing facts before us, we should naturally proceed 

 next to the inquiries, — How was this tornado formed ? Whence 

 did it derive its violent intestine motions ? What was the na- 

 ture of these ? Whence its progressive motion ? 



