Whirlwinds excited by Fires. 51 



Statement of William Akiii. 



*' In the year 1830, I had cut the thnber from a small tract of 

 wood land comprising about twenty-five acres, and the brushwood 

 throughout the field, had been piled and prepared for burning. 

 Previous to firing it, the brushwood lying near the outskirts of the 

 field was moved inwards, in order to prevent the spreading of the 

 fire to the surrounding woodlands, the materials thus removed 

 forming a circular range or heap around the general mass of com- 

 bustibles in the area of the field. On a warm and perfectly calm 

 day in the summer, this circle was fired on all sides, nearly at the 

 same time. The smoke and flame soon gathered towards the 

 center of the field, where they whirled and ascended with great 

 rapidity, in a single column. With the strength of this whirl the 

 fixe rapidly increased, and the heat and flame from opposite 

 sides, pressing inwards towards the ascending column, the latter 

 continued its spiral or whirling motion with great rapidity and 

 violence. It was a magnificent spectacle ; and was attended with 

 a loud, roaring noise, and a sort of crackling and nearly continu- 

 ous thundering ; resembling that which I have heard in a violent 

 hail storm. 



This remarkable noise, which I think might have been heard 

 at a distance of several miles, was also accompanied by frequent 

 and loud snappings or explosions, resembling the reports of mus- 

 kets and pistols, as sometimes heard in an irregular running fire 

 of militia. 



This roaring noise and the powerful whirling motion of the col- 

 umn, continued for a period of about twenty minutes, as near as I 

 can now estimate. The swift whirling of the whole, exceeded all 

 my previous conceptions of the velocity of wind. The height of 

 the smoky column seemed almost as great as the eye could reach. 

 At times, the column would assume a sinuous or wavy direction, 

 and would again become straightened into its upright position." 



I learned also from Mr. Akin, that he has on several occasions 

 noticed a whirling motion in the clouds during the exhibition of 

 a violent hail storm, and that such storms, according to his obser- 

 vation, are always attended by a continuous thundering roar, not 

 unlike that of the above described whirlwind. One of these hail- 

 storms he described as passing within three rods of the house 

 in which he resided ; tearing up trees, scattering their limbs in 



