98 J. Eliot— T^e SoutJi-West Monsoon Storms [No. 2, 



The observations indicate that the cyclonic area extended over 



Orissa and the north-eastern districts of the Central Provinces, and that 



the centre was in the neighbourhood of Sambalpore and to the north-west. 



The probable position of the centre at 10 a. m. was Lat. 21° 45' N. and 



Long. 83° 50' E. ; and the barometric height there was almost certainly 



not lower than 29 '3". It had consequently crossed over the Northern 



Orissa Hills (in the Hill States of Morbhanj, Keunjhar, and Pal Lahara), 



the average height of which appear to be about 2000 ft., and the highest 



points of which slightly exceed 3,500 ft. This area is described in the 



following language by Dr. Hunter in his Statistical Account of the Orissa 



States : — " From the north bank of the Mahanadi, the ranges tower into 



a fine watershed, from 2000 to 2500 feet high, running north-west and 



south-east, and forming the boundary of the States of Nursingpore and 



Baramba. On the other side, they slope down upon the States of Hindol 



and Dhenkanal supplying countless little feeders to the Brahmani, 



which occupies the second of the three valleys. From the north bank of 



this river, the hills again roll back into magnificent ranges, running in the 



same general direction as before, but more confused and wilder, till they 



rise into the Keunjhar watershed, with peaks from 2500 to 3500 feet 



high, culminating in Malayagiri, 3,895 feet high, in the State of Pal 



Lahara. This watershed, in turn, slopes down into the third valley, 



that of the Baitarani, from whose eastern or left bank rise the hitherto 



almost unexplored mountains of Morbhanj, heaped upon each other in 



noble masses of rock, from 3,000 to nearly 4,000 feet high, sending 



countless tributaries to the Baitarani on the south, and pouring down the 



Burabalang, with the feeders of the Subarnarekha, on the north. The 



peaks are densely wooded to the summit, and, except at the regular 



passes, are inaccessible to beasts of burden. The intermediate valleys 



yield rich crops in return for negligent cultivation ; and a vast quantity 



of land might be reclaimed on their outskirts and lower slopes." 



Hence, during the interval between 4 p. m. of the 29th and 10 A. M. 

 of the 30th, the centre of the storm had crossed the Balasore coast, 

 been transferred across the very broken and elevated ground of the North 

 Orissa Hills, and was at 10 A. M. of the 30th in the direct line of its advance 

 previous to crossing the hills. What actions occurred during its passage 

 across this hilly country are unknown, but it is certain that they pro- 

 duced no appreciable resultant effect on the line of motion of the vortex, 

 and only a very moderate one on the depression at the centre. This was 

 29-3" at 10 A. M. of the 30th, as compared with 29-14" at 10 A. m. of 

 the 29th. There can be little doubt that the effect of the irregular 

 character of the country would be to break up and disintegrate the 

 cyclonic or rotatory motion in the lower atmospheric strata, or to dimi- 



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