1889.] 



and May 1888 in the Buah and Bohilhhnnd. 



177 



injured by tlie collapse of their liuta. One hundred and fifty deaths had 

 been reported up to Tuesday evening, and the full returns had not even 

 then been received. There were signs that day of a renewal of che 

 storm, but the danger passed over. The temperature remained almost 

 as low as in February, the change being most marked after the recent 

 great heat. Masses of frozen hail were to be seen lying about the 

 station long after the storm had ceased. 



Our Moi-adabad correspondent writes under date 2nd May : — " People 

 here say nothing like the storm was ever known before. About 6 A. m. 

 I was looking at the house which I had taken, the one usually occupied 

 by the Collector here, standing on the race-course. The house suddenly 

 became dark and full of dust. A terrific storm sf wind followed. Most 

 of the doors were brust open and the glass broken by the hail that fol- 

 lowed almost immediately. Part of the roof fell in. The verandas 

 vyere blown asunder. The heavy masonry porch fell, crushing the horse 

 and phaeton standing underneath. When I came out the race-courso 

 was covered with water. Many of the houses in the civil station had 

 been completely unroofed, including one of the barracks, Most of the 

 trees had been blown down and were strewn ou the road. Not much 

 damage seems to to have been done iu the city. Oae hundred and si.xty 

 deaths have been reported up to the time I write, and no doubt some 

 more repoi-ts will come in. Most of the deaths were from hail, a few 

 from the falling of walls and trees. The hail appears to have stopped 

 within a few miles of Moradabad. Most of the district escaped com- 

 pletely. One of the two companies of the Seaforth Highlanders station- 

 ed here is leaving for Bareilly in consequence of the unroofing of the 

 barracks." 



A correspondent writes from Camp Tilhar, Shahjehanpur district, 

 3rd May : — " It may be interesting to trace the course of the storm of 

 the 1st. This place is 12 miles west of Shahjehanpur on the O. and R. 

 lino. The whole of that day a strong east wind had been blowing : 

 about 3-30 v. m. a bank of dust came tip from the west and the wind 

 then changed. It only appeared at first one of the usual dust-storms, 

 but after a slight fall of hail the storm became very violent, rain poured 

 in streams, and hailstones fell, the size of which astonished all, and I am 

 not exaggerating when I say that many were the size of a turkey's egg, 

 while the smallest were the size of a pigeon's. I regretted afterwards I 

 had not been able to weigh some, but I would not venture out myself 

 and so could hardly ask anyone else. The storm lasted until 4-30. The 

 destruction to trees has of course been great, but 1 have only hoard of 

 the loss of one life. 



" The opium cultivators who wore congregated iu the groves of trees 



