1855.] 



THE HURRICAjSTE OF THE 18th OF APRIL, 1855. 



261 



is extended into Lake Michigan, a distance of 600 feet, through 

 which water is supplied to the pump well, from which it is 

 elevated, by means of two steam engines (a condensing and a 

 duplicate non-condensing), into a reservoir at a height of 8 feet. 

 For the want of elevated ground, they are compelled to make 

 use of a tower and tank similar to the one in use at Deti'oit. 

 The tank is made of boiler iron, braced across its centre with 

 wrought-iron rods, is 60 feet diameter, 28 feet deep, and contains 

 about 493,000 gallons. Other reservoirs of like capacity, will 

 be constructed as required. The works are calculated to furnish 

 a daily supply of 3,000,000 gallons, and have cost about 

 8100,000. The unprecedented growth of that city will pro- 

 bably require the immediate extension and enlargement of the 

 works. 



Tlie Hurricane or IJic IStli Apri!, 1855> 



The interest excited by tlie brief and unconnected accounts -n-hicli 

 have been published from time to time, of tlie course and effects of 

 the Hurricane of the 18th April, affords sufficient grounds for notic- 

 ing at length an occurrence which, though not unfrequent in Canada, 

 is still possessed of general and wide-spread interest. It happens very 

 unfortunately in the present instance, that few memoranda of the time 

 when the storm of wind and hail was at its height in different localities 

 appear to have been preserved. The extracts from newspapers to 

 which we have been able to refer, make specific mention of the time of 

 the occurrence in three instances only. It is therefore quite impossi- 

 ble, from the data before us, to trace with accuracy the course of the 

 storm, or to ascertain the width of the moving mass of air in different 

 places. We may, however, obtain some idea of the diameter of the 

 circle described by the storm in its course. Occasionally we find trees, 

 fences, and houses exhibiting its effects over areas many miles in 

 width, while in other places it appears to have struck the earth with ex- 

 traordinary violence over a narrow belt not more than a few hundred 

 yards broad. The fluctuations in the levels of Lakes Huron and On- 

 tario, and Seneca Lake are evidently nothing more than " Seiches " 

 due to sudden variations in atmospheric pressure, a necessary result 

 of the rapid passage of an immense vertical column of air over the 

 surface of their waters. 



It is a rather singular coincidence, that on the 2-5th of April, 1854, 

 a storm somewhat similar in its effects to the hurricane of the 18th 

 April, 1855, should have traversed nearly the same ground. Two per- 

 sons were then drowned at Niagara by the sudden rise of the waters of 

 the Lakes. At page 278 of the Canadian Journal, Vol. II., an account 

 of this storm may be found, and the following extract from the Niar/ara 

 Mail of May 3rd, 1854, giving a description of the rise in the Lake, 

 may not inappropriately be introduced here : 



" About a quarter or half-past six o'clock, p.m., a thunder storm 

 came up from the north-west, with a few flashes of lightning and a 

 heavy shower, accompanied by a strong squall of wind for a few mi- 

 nutes, the weather being quite calm just before the gust, and the same 

 after it. The fishermen who were on the beach, seeing the squall 

 coming on, hurried to get in their lines, when suddenly there appeared 

 rolling iu upon them an immense wave from the north-west. The 

 height of this wave could not have been less, we judge, than from six 

 to eight feet, although it is difficult to ascertain correctly. It came 

 rolling on the smooth Lake with great velocity, carrying all before it, 

 and sweeping some of the fishermen into the Two Mile Pond, and 

 dashing others of them high up against the bank, by which, as wo 

 stated, two persons were unfortunately drowned. The water came 

 and returned three times in succession, and then settled down quite 

 calm as it had been before this commotion." 



The late storm appears to have crossed the Indian Reserve Penin- 

 sula from Lake Huron, and passing over Georgian Bay it struck the 

 main land of Canada in the township of St. Vincent, near the village 

 of Jleaford. 



At Meaford the storm commenced about 4 a. m. "The wind blew 

 a perfect hurricane." " Hailstones of very great size fell in a con- 



tinued shower for fifteen or twenty minutes." At Owen Sound, a few 

 miles west of Meaford, the storm of wind does not appear to have 

 been noticed. The Owen Sound Comet describes the rising and falling 

 of the waters of the Bay on the 18th, and attributes the phenomenon 

 to a storm " of which we may hear in a few days." The following ex- 

 tract is from the Oivcn Sound Comet : 



" PnEXOMEXox. — Last Wednesday a very singular occurrence hap- 

 pened in Owen Sound Bay, such as has frequently been witnessed on 

 former occasions, but not in so great a degree. This last freak com- 

 menced by the rising of the water to the height of say nine feet, and 

 immediately falling down say ten feet. The bottom of the Bay was 

 dry when the water went down to within ten or fifteen feet of the end 

 of the wharf, and we are told by Mr. John Bojd, that a man might 

 have waded across to the Indian Village at the time. We are also told 

 by those who were present at the time, that at the bridge crossing on 

 Division Street, a man might have jumped across the river. The ris- 

 ing and falling followed in quick succession, and so suddenly, that an 

 observer could distinctly see the advancing and receding of "the water 

 on the shore. When the water commenced to rise it came rushing up 

 the river like a wave about three feet high. This phenomenon is 

 doubtless owing to a storm of which we may hear in a few days having 

 occurred somewhere on the Georgian Bay or Lake Huron." 



The course of the storm seems to have followed the south shore 

 of Georgian Bay, from Meaford to CoUingwood Harbour, sweeping 

 round the base of the Blue Mountains, and levelling in its passage 

 very considerable tracts of forest. 



A similar occurrence very probably took place a few miles east of 

 CoUingwood Harbour some years since, as recorded by wide areas of 

 prostrate forest trees in the valley of the Nottawasaga Biver. 



From CoUingwood the general direction of the storm appears to have 

 been towards Toronto, along the line of the Northern Railway. Its effects 

 were particularly noticed at Barrie, Lefroj-, Richmond Hill, Davenport, 

 Toronto, in the township of Whitby .and at Oshawa ; then it appears 

 to have crossed Lake Ontario, and its outskirts reached and tra- 

 versed the Line of the Rochester and Niagara Falls Railways. Its 

 full force was probably felt at Niagara and Port Dalhousie. The hours 

 at which the storm reached different localities are given below as far 

 as we have been able to ascertain them : — Meaford (Georgian Bay), 

 4 a. m. ; Toronto, 6 a. m. ; Niagara, CJ a. m. We subjoin a number 

 of extracts illustrating the effects of the storm and the Lake phenom- 

 ena accompanying it : — 



1. Meaford, Township of St. Vincent. — Wind blew a hurricane. — 

 Hailstones of large size fell. Buildings unroofed. 



2. LaJcc Shore, from Meaford to CoUingwood. — A very considerable 

 tract of the forest leveled. 



3. CoUingicood. — Houses unroofed — heavy timbers moved to some 

 distance ; fishermen's boats carried some distance into the woods ; ice 

 in Harbour broken up and blown out. Waters in the Harbour rising 

 and falling continuously. 



4. Davenport [X.R.R.) — Fences blown down. 



5. Toronto, 17th April, 8 p. m. — -Vlmost incessant sheet and forked 

 Lightning in W. and N. W., illuminating some dense cum. stral, and 

 which would otherwise have been invisible. Zenith clear. 



10 p.m. — Constant sheet lightning round horizon. 



Midnight. — Continued sheet lightning and distant thunder. 



ISth April. — During the greater part of the night there was a con- 

 tinued display of vivid lightning and a rumbling of distant thunder. 



5-30 a. m. — Thunderstornt rising iu N. W., the sky very dark and 

 peculiarly threatening: very dense cumulo s/r«/iM rolling over with 

 a rushing noise ; the wind for a few minutes (5-50 to C-05 a.m.) was 

 very violent, scattering the leaves and dust about in every direction. 

 The rain drops which fell dui'ing the storm wei-c large, and a few hail- 

 stones fell, which were genei'ally } of an iuch in diauieter. 



6-30 a. m. — The storm was over, but the clouds were still rolling 

 about in a very peculiar manner. Sultry morning. 



8-00 a. m. — Detached clouds passing in almost opposite directions: 

 the upper strata from S.W., the under rapidly from £asl. 



The direction of the wind which was E. b. N. during the night, 

 suddenly backed round the N. to N.N.W. at C a. m., but it returned to 

 its original direction at 0.20 a.m. The velocity of the hour was about 

 13-0 miles, but from 5'55 to G-05 it must have equalled the rate of 38 

 miles per hour. — Extract from Met. Jieg. Pro. Ob. 



