Mr. Redfield's Reply to Dr. Hare. 307 



and limited occurrence, appears to be a constant attribute of the 

 tornado; although not always exhibited with uniform intensity 

 and effect in its path, owing apparently, to the frequent rising or 

 narrowing of the vortex, and perhaps other causes. 



In his paper as found in the English Journal, Dr Hare says, — 

 "A fact which is admitted by Mr. Redfield, was considered by 

 Espy and Bache, as well as myself, to be irreconcilable with the 

 idea that a general whirling motion is essential to tornadoes. I 

 allude to the circumstance, that when several trees were pros- 

 trated one upon the other, the uppermost was found to have fallen 

 with the top directed towards the point towards which the meteor 

 was moving; while the direction in which the lowermost trees 

 were found to have fallen indicated that they were overthrown 

 by a force in a direction precisely the opposite of that which had 

 operated upon those above mentioned." — Phil. Mag. [24.] 



It is an error to allege that I have " admitted" a fact such as is 

 here stated. On the contrary, in careful explorations made on 

 foot, through an aggregate extent of more than fifty miles of the 

 tracks of various tornadoes, I have never met with such " a fact," 

 or combination of facts, as Dr. Hare describes. In all the cases 

 that I have met with in which trees have fallen one upon another, 

 if their tops pointed in opposite or nearly opposite directions, these 

 directions have never been parallel to the course pursued hj the 

 tornado ; but always in directions more or less transverse to the 

 same : and I consider the opposing allegation as one of the chief 

 errors of my opponents. 



The trees which have fallen in directions which are more or 

 less backward from the course pursued by the tornado, are almost 

 invariably found on the left side of the track, exterior to the line 

 of its axis : But few of these point directly backward, and still 

 fewer can be found near the axis, as the hypothesis of my oppo- 

 nents requires. Of the trees found with their tops pointing di- 

 rectly forward, or nearly so, a small number have been seen on 

 or near the right margin of the track, with appearances which 

 showed them to lie as they first fell ; a fact which seems equally 

 fatal to their hypothesis. Some trees, along and near the line of 

 the axis, are, however, found pointing in this onward direction, 

 and much stress has been laid on this fact, by one of my oppo- 

 nents : But it appears, on examination, that in all these cases the 

 trees have been torn or twisted from the transverse position in 



