266 



Rotary Action of the Providence Tornado. 



From a point on the rocky "ledge" north of the turnpike road 

 and nearly three miles westerly from Providence, to the house of 

 John Burr on the Cranston road, a distance of about one and a 

 quarter miles, I found the course of the tornado to have been S. 

 86° E. by compass, over a plain country. The magnetic varia- 

 tion being here about 8° westerly, makes the true course E. 3° 

 N. From this point to Providence river, a distance of about two 

 miles, the course was five degrees more northerly. 



I agree with Dr. Hare that the general effects observed on this 

 track were " quite similar" to those of the New Brunswick tor- 

 nado ; and will give such of my sketches, formerly prepared, as 

 will best illustrate this similarity and the general effects here 

 mentioned. 



The following is a sketch of some of the effects on the farm 

 of Mr. Burr : His house is about one mile and a half from the 

 Providence bridge. 



In this figure, a represents a Fig. I. Providence Tornado* 



wooden dwelling-house of two 

 stories with chimney at its cen- 

 ter : 6 a dwelling added to a and 

 extending to the rear : c a light- 

 er building about 16 feet by 30, 

 attached to the rear ofb: g was 

 a large wooden barn : h a long 

 building or shed extending from 

 the barn to the carriage-house i. 

 The width of the visible track 

 was here about five hundred 

 feet, and the course of the cen- 

 ter or axis of the tornado ap- 

 peared to have passed somewhat 

 diagonally over the three first 

 named buildings. 



The house a withstood the shock, receiving some damage ; the chimney top of 

 b was thrown on the roof of a, perforating the same, while b was unroofed and 

 greatly injured, and a long timber or sill from the shed h broke endwise into the 

 upper part of the house b from a northwesterly direction. The building c was 

 turned more than twenty feet to the left about, as regards the axis of the whirl- 

 wind, against the top of the prostrated pear tree d, and was there overturned upon 

 it. There were twenty one persons in a and b, including a school of children, 

 none of whom were seriously injured. 



bourse. I L 6 



On these plans the large dot at the end of the several short lines, shows the 

 original position of the root of the tree ; the pointed end of the line shows the 

 direction of its top. 



