Tornado in N. E. part of Ohio, Feb. 4, 1842. 279 



by inspecting Plate IV, Fig. 5. From this it will be seen that 

 the tornado passed not far from the centre of Mayfield ; over a 

 corner of Chester ; near the centre of Kirtland ; over corners of 

 Mentor and Concord ; and directly over the southeast part of the 

 village of Painesville. It is said that no trees are prostrated one 

 himdred and fifty rods south of the south line of Mayfield. Im- 

 mediately on receiving intelligence of the disaster, Prof. St. John 

 and myself started to survey the ruins, and the subsequent ob- 

 servations were made by us jointly. In measuring the track, 

 each of us carried one end of the chain ; and in taking the bear- 

 ings of prostrate objects, Prof. St. John usually observed the com- 

 pass, and I recorded the readings. We surveyed the track with 

 special care in Mayfield, Kirtland, and Painesville, and crossed it 

 at other places. Our first observations were made in Mayfield in 

 the vicinity of Chagrin river. Plate IV", Fig. I, gives a view of 

 this part of the track. This was near the commencement of the 

 tornado, and was also the scene of the greatest violence. The 

 bed of the Chagrin is depressed about three hundred feet below 

 the general level of the surrounding country. A section shew- 

 ing the undulations of the ground is exhibited in Plate IV, Fig. 2. 

 In Fig. 1, A A A, B B B are trees chiefly of the variety called 

 whitewood. Their average size is from two to four feet diame- 

 ter, and they were mostly prostrated. The ground descends at 

 first gently, afterwards quite abruptly, to the bed of the river. 

 The forest approaches within about a hundred rods of the river, 

 yet upon this slope the small timber was not greatly injured. 

 The larger trees were mostly prostrated. C represents the house 

 and barn of Chester Ellsworth, not much injured ; D, the house 

 of Ezra Carpenter, chimney blown off; E, his barn entirely de- 

 molished ; F F, woods; G, log house of Mr. Alderman, entirely 

 destroyed ; H, house and barn of Anthony Sherman, entirely de- 

 stroyed ; I, Benjamin Wilson's hay barn unroofed ; K, another 

 hay barn unroofed ; L, Samuel Dean's large framed house, torn 

 entirely to atoms; M, school house, entirely destroyed; N N N, 

 0, trees entirely uprooted or broken off ; P, a log cabin 

 with north side of roof taken off and a few shingles from the 

 windward side. Beyond P a line was measured with a chain 

 perpendicularly across the track two hundred and thirty rods. 



Mr. Halsey Gates, standing near his mills under a shed open 

 to the north, saw the tornado pass, and observed it very atten- 



