176 S. A. mn— Tornadoes and Hailstorms of April [No. 2, 



during the storm on Tuesday last. One man literally liad his head 

 split open, and over 200 persons are said to have been injured more or 

 less. The full extent of damage to fruit and vegetable crops has not 

 yet been correctly ascertained, but it is reported to be very serious. 



1th May. 



I have little to add to the particular,9 already furnished by tele- 

 graph in reference to the recent hailstorm at this place except that two 

 or tliree additional deaths have been reported, and that the damage 

 to the fruit and vegetable crops has been quite as serious as I had 

 surmised. On both banks of the Jumna for about two miles above the 

 railway bridge, and for a mile below that point, the melons have almost 

 been completely destroyed owing to the necessarily exposed situation of 

 the fields ; and in the city and surrounding gardens very few mangoes 

 are now to be seen. It is very fortunate, indeed, that the hailstorm 

 was confined to so limited an area, or the damage would almost have 

 amounted to a district calamity. The country to the north and south 

 of Delhi, within a couple of miles of the city on either side, does not 

 appear to have felt the effects of the storm in the least, and as the dis- 

 tance from the Jumna Bridge to the borders of the Rohtak district is 

 only about 25 miles, the actual area effected in this district could 

 scarcely exceed some 50 square miles. 



Moradahad, 2nd May. 

 A terrific storm of hail and wind occurred here on the evening of 

 the SOth ultimo. Most of the houses in the civil station have been un- 

 roofed, but little damage comparatively speaking has been caused in the 

 city. Above 150 deaths are reported up to date, mostly from hail. 

 Some details have reached us of the terrific stoi'm refei'red to in our 

 telegram from Moradabad. The storm began on the evening of April 

 SOth. The vpind blew with tornado-like strength, rain fell in torrents, 

 and at intervals there were heavy showers of hail. Nearly every tree 

 in the station was uprooted and the roads were blocked for miles by the 

 fallen timber. Large numbers of mud huts were beaten down, while in 

 the cantonment much damage was also done. The majox'ity of the 

 houses were unroofed, the north-west wall of the racquet-conrt was 

 blown bodily down, and the house of the Judge adjoining was also dam- 

 aged. The portico of Mr. Fisher's house fell, smashing up the Collec- 

 tor's horse and trap which were standing beneath it. But the most 

 serious consequences resulted from the showers of hail, the stones being 

 of phenomenal size. Natives who were exposed in the open were, to 

 quote a correspondent, " half-frozen by the cold wind and then killed 

 outright by the liallslones." Others wore struck by falling trees or 



