1888.] Dr. Crombie & A. Pedler— Oii the Dacca Tornado. 143 



festations, it is clear that tlie storm was of great violence. The vortex 

 commenced to travel in a south easterly- direction between the old river 

 bed and the road running parallel to it, destroying every kutcha hut 

 in this portion of Dacca. In its passage eastward it gradually edged 

 more and more towards the old river bed, and when it was opposite the 

 Elephant Ghat, the vortex was actually in the bed of the river, and it 

 appeared as if the storm would have moved in the direction of least 

 resistance, and have passed out into the open maidan lying to the south 

 of Nawabgunge. Suddenly, however, the vortex moved to the north, and 

 was met with winds of hurricane force apparently quite separate from 

 the true tornado, blowing from the north, the track of which was not 

 more than 60 paces across, and was very local. Having advanced a 

 short distance in a N". E. direction it again turned towards the south-east. 

 Up to this time the tornado does not seem to have had power to destroy 

 pucca masonry buildings, though it had destroyed very numerous huts, 

 trees, &c. It, however, here passed into the maidan to the south of Lal- 

 bagh, and on being freed from such obstacles as buildings &c., it seems 

 rapidly to have accumulated additional force, and from this point it was 

 able to destroy even the strongest houses. From Lalbagh the vortex 

 passed into the river gradually crossing to the opposite bank, where it 

 almost ground to powder a newly built masonry house. It was then 

 approaching a village called Subudiya, and at this time the part of 

 Dacca on the north bank of the Buriganga seemed safe and Subudiya 

 doomed, but when crossing an open maidan it appears to have encoun- 

 tered a strong current of air blowing up from the south, when it ab- 

 ruptly altered its direction, wheeled nearly at a right angle to the north 

 and travelled in a north-easterly direction back to Dacca, when the 

 largest amount of damage was done, masonry houses being demolished 

 and everything in the track being destroyed until the storm reached 

 the Sankari Bazar, where it more or less suddenly rose from the ground 

 and passed high into the air. In no part of its course did the breadth of 

 the tornado exceed 200 paces and at the part where it did most damage 

 it was only 180 paces wide. It travelled altogether over 3J miles and 

 its rate of progress was according to different estimates from 20 to 12 

 miles an hour. The lateral force of the wind as above stated was enor- 

 mous and the uprush must have been equally strong, as after the walls 

 of houses had been blown out, large beams were kept from falling for 

 distinct periods by this violent uprush. The shape of the tornado cloud 

 appears to have been something like a top cut off a little above the 

 sharp point, it was accompanied by a distant rumbling sound, con- 

 siderable electrical disturbance seems to have accompanied it and the 

 cloud appears to have been more or less illuminated. 



