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



the dark canopy which remained unbroken above, apparently 

 within two or three miles, and moving rapidly in the direction of 

 his house. The brightness of the cloud made the face of things 

 light above the brightness of a full moon. Having turned into 

 the house, he was engaged in securing it, when the tornado pass- 

 ed, taking the roof and chamber floor, and many articles from be- 

 low. It was a log house. There was neither hail nor rain du- 

 ring the passage of the tornado, neither flashes of lightning nor 

 distinguishable peals of thunder, but an intense brightness of the 

 cloud and a continual and tremendous roar. The passage of the 

 tornado seemed instantaneous, but the light of the cloud continu- 

 ed for more than a quarter of an hour. Dea. B. was able to read 

 in his Bible, which he found many rods from his house, at least 

 ten minutes after the storm had passed. 



Judge Griswold saw the same phenomenon. The cloud ap- 

 peared to hini funnel-shaped, apex downward, from which a 

 stream of fire apparently issued. 



The appearance of the cloud, as here described, corresponds 

 very well with the account of the Shelbyville tornado, as given 

 in this Journal, Vol. xxxi, p. 258. The cloud is said to have been 

 permanently luminous, and of the color of red hot iron. This 

 seems to indicate a continued flow of electricity from the clouds 

 to the earth. The Stow hurricane is the only remaining one in 

 the preceding list which occurred in the night, and I have not 

 been able to learn that any one observed the appearance of the 

 cloud. 



In this article I have indulged in no speculations on the origin 

 of the Mayfield tornado. This would require an investigation of 

 the general phenomena of the storm which accompanied the tor- 

 nado. I am collecting materials for such an investigation, as also 

 of the storm of the 16th of the same month. I wish observations 

 from the 1st to 6th inclusive, and also from the 14th to the 18th 

 inclusive, for February, 1842. If any one has barometric observa- 

 tions for this period and will forward them to me by mail, accom- 

 panied with a complete copy of all his other meteorological ob- 

 servations for the same interval, they will be most gratefully 

 received. I propose to give not only my own analysis of these 

 storms, but also to publish the observations in such detail that 

 .any one may draw his own conclusions from them. 



