Account of a Storm in Neio Hampshire. 233 



Art. III. — Account of a Storm in Neio Hampshire, in a. lettei" 

 addressed to Prof O. P. Hubbard, of Dartmouth College, 

 and dated, Neicport, Aug. %Oth, 183S ; by Rev. John Woods. 



Dear Sir, — -In yours of the 6th inst., you request me to for- 

 ward you an account of a powerful tornado which occurred in 

 Warner, some years since. The record which I made of it at 

 the time, is not in a condition to be sent abroad ; but by the aid 

 of it, the newspaper accounts of the day, which I have preserved, 

 and my own recollection, I can furnish a pretty correct narrative, 

 which it will not be necessary you should return. 



The event occurred about half past five o'clock, Saturday eve- 

 ning, September 9th, 1821. The wind, I suppose, was a proper 

 whirlwind, precisely such as occasion water-spouts at sea. A 

 very intelligent woman in Warner, who, at the distance of two 

 or three miles, observed its progress, compared its appearance to 

 a tin trumpet, the small end downward, also to a great elephant's 

 trunk let down out of heaven, and moving majestically along. 

 She remarked, that its appearance and motion gave her a strong 

 impression of life. When it had reached the easterly part of the 

 town, she said the lower end appeared to be taken up from the 

 earth, and to bend around in a serpentine form, until it passed 

 behind a black cloud and disappeared. Its course was south- 

 easterly. It was attended with but little rain in some parts of 

 its course, more in others. The rain, or what appeared like it, 

 was in my opinion taken from bodies of water which it passed 

 over. It was said, that it lowered the water in a small pond in 

 Warner, about three feet. To people near Sunapee lake, in New 

 London, I was told, it appeared as if the lake was rushing up to- 

 wards heaven. The appearance of the cloud to beholders at a 

 little distance, was awfully terrific. It commenced its desolating 

 progress east of Grantham mountain, in Croydon. In Wardell, 

 beside other buildings, it demolished a dwelling house, and car- 

 ried a child who was asleep upon a bed, into Sunapee lake.* In 

 New London and Sutton it did considerable damage, but met 

 with few dwelling houses and destroyed no lives. From Sut- 



* Mrs, Sarah J. Hale, editor of the Lady's Book, a native of tliis town, (New- 

 port,) and then a resident here, I believe, has published a little poem on this fact, 

 which I think you may be able to find among some of her writings. 



Vol. XXXV.— No. 2. 30 



