"At 5 o'clock Friday afternoon, a terrible storm of rain, hail, and
lightning, rose suddenly from the north-west, and passed over the upper
part of the city and neighborhood. It was quite moderate in the lower
part of the town, and probably scarcely felt on Staten Island. The whole
affair lasted not more than a quarter of an hour, yet the results were
most disastrous, as will be seen by the following accounts from our
reporters:
"Happening to be in the neighborhood of the Palace about 5 o'clock
Friday evening, we sought shelter under its ample roof from an impending
thunder storm, of very threatening appearance, rapidly approaching from
the west. We had scarcely passed the northern entrance, and reached the
gallery by the nearest flight of steps, when the torrent--it was not
rain, but an avalanche of water--struck the building; the gutters were
filled on the windward side in a moment, and poured over an almost
unbroken sheet of water, which was driven through the Venetian blind
ventilators, into and half way across the north-west gallery, and also
through the upper ventilators, falling upon the main floor of the north
transept. Workmen hastened to close the blinds, but that did not prevent
the deluge. The tinning of the dome being unfinished, the water, of
course, came down in showers all over the centre. Many workmen were
engaged on the dome when the shower struck it; several of them, in their
haste to escape such dangerous proximity to the terrific lightning, came
down single ropes, hand over hand. Large number of workmen were engaged
all over the exterior, and such a scampering will rarely be witnessed
but once in a lifetime. It was found impossible to close a north window,
used for ingress and egress of workmen upon the rod, and the water came
in, in almost solid columns. For a time the water was nearly two inches
deep on the gallery floor, and poured down the stairs in miniature
cascades.
"A great number of boxes, bales, and packages of goods lay upon the main
floor, among which the water poured down from the edge of the gallery
floor in destructive quantities; Fortunately but few goods were opened,
and were upon the tables, or the damage would have been irreparable. As
it is, we fear some of the goods are injured. In the height of the
storm, the centre portion of the fanlight over the western entrance
burst in, and several single lights were broken, by staging or
otherwise.
"About ten minutes after the storm burst, the most terrific hailstorm we
ever saw began to rattle, like discharges of musketry, upon the tin roof
and glass sides. Some of the masses of ice were as large as hen's eggs.
There were probably a thousand excited workmen in the building, and a
good many exhibitors and visitors, among whom there were some twenty
ladies, some of whom appeared a good deal alarmed at the awful din. A
portion of the frame-work of the addition next to 42d street, went down
with a terrible crash, and a part of the brick wall of the engine-house
on the opposite side of the street, was blown over, crushing two or
three shanties, fortunately without any other injury than driving the
occupants out into the storm. But an awful scene occurred on the north
side of 43d street, directly opposite the Latting Tower. Here two large
unfinished frame buildings were blown, or rather, we should judge from
appearances, were crushed down into a mass of ruins, such as may be
imagined by supposing a great weight had fallen, with a circular,
grinding motion, upon the first fine fabrics. One of them was partly
sided, and had the rafters up, but no roof; the other was sided and
rooted with tin, and was being plastered. We were told it was three
stories high, 50 by 98 feet.
"We reached the ruins among the first, after the burst of the storm
subsided a little. The scene was such as we pray God we may never
witness again. A small portion of the roof and upper part of the front
of the building stood or rather partly hung over the side-walk. The
chamber and lower floor of the front rooms lay flat together. The sides
were standing. In the rear all were down. In this building, besides the
workmen, there were numerous laborers who had taken shelter under its
roof when the storm drove them hurriedly from their work. How so many
persons escaped death is truly wonderful. It can only be accounted for
by supposing that they had a moment's warning, and rushed into the
street. The first alarm was from the tearing off a portion of the tin
roof, which was carried high over another building, and fell in the
street. A horse and cart barely escaped being buried under this. It
seems the frame of the other building came down with a deafening crash
at the same time, confusing instead of warning those in danger. At any
rate, before they could escape, they were buried in a mass of timber,
and three of them instantly killed, and four or five dangerously
wounded; and others slightly bruised and badly frightened. Several would
have perished but for timely assistance to extricate them. In this they
were greatly assisted by Jacob Steinant, boss carpenter of the Tower,
who with his men rushed to the rescue, notwithstanding the pouring down
torrents.
"In Williamsburgh, the storm lasted about fifteen minutes, doing an
incalculable amount of damage to dwellings, foliage, &c. Hailstones came
down in sizes from that of a hickory-nut to a large apple, some with
such force as to drive them through the cloth awnings.
"The storm passed over Brooklyn lightly, in comparison with the effects
across the Williamsburgh line. On Flushing avenue, beyond the Naval
Hospital, a number of trees were uprooted, and the window-panes of the
houses shattered. On the corner of Fulton and Portland avenues, three
buildings were unroofed, and the walls of the houses were sprung to the
foundation.
"On Spencer street, a new frame building was levelled with the ground.
Along Myrtle, Classon, and other streets and avenues of East Brooklyn,
many of the shade trees were uprooted, and the windows smashed. In Jay
street, two trees were struck by lightning, but no other damage ensued.
"Several schooners at the foot of Jay street were forced from their
moorings, but were soon after secured. A small frame house in Spencer
street, just put under roof, was prostrated to the ground.
"We understand that a large barn filled with hay, situated on the road
between Bushwick and Flushing, was struck by lightning and destroyed
with its contents, embracing several head of live stock."[20]
_July_ 10th, 3 A.M. Overcast and much lightning in south (N. mod.);
7 A.M., clear except in south; 6 P.M. (E.); 10 P.M., lightning south;
11 P.M., auroral rays long but faint, converging to a point between
Epsilon Virginis and Denebola, in west; low down in west thick with
haze; on the north the rays converged to a point still lower; lightning
still visible in south. This is an aurora in the west.
11th. Fine clear morning (N.-E.); same all day; no lightning visible
to-night, but a bank of clouds low down in south, 2d high, and streaks
of dark stratus below the upper margin.
12th. Fine and clear (N.-E.); noon, a well defined arch in S.-W., rising
slowly; the bank yellowish, with prismatic shades of greenish yellow on
its borders. This is the O. A. At 6 P.M., the bank spreading to the
northward. At 9 P.M., thick bank of haze in north, with bright auroral
margin; one heavy pyramid of light passed through Cassiopaea, travelling
_westward_ 1 1/2d per minute. This moves to the other side of the pole,
but not more inclined towards it than is due to prospective, if the
shaft is very long; 11.10 P.M., saw a mass of light more diffuse due
east, reaching to _Markab_, then on the prime vertical. It appears
evident this is seen in profile, as it inclines downwards at an angle of
10d or 12d from the perpendicular. It does not seem very distant.
12 P.M., the aurora still bright, but the brightest part is now west of
the pole, before it was east.
13th, 6 A.M. Clear, east and north; bank of cirrus in N.-W., _i.e._,
from N.-N.-E. to W. by S.; irregular branches of cirrus clouds, reaching
almost to south-eastern horizon; wind changed (S.-E. fresh); 8 A.M., the
sky a perfect picture; heavy regular shafts of dense cirrus radiating
all around, and diverging from a thick nucleus in north-west, the spaces
between being of clear blue sky. The shafts are rotating from north to
south, the nucleus advancing eastward.
Appearance of the central vortex descending at 8 A.M., July 13th, 1853:
In Fig. 18, the circle represents the whole sky from the zenith to the
horizon, yet it can convey but a very faint idea of the regularity and
vividness of this display. The reflected image of the sky was received
from a vessel of turbid water, which will be found better than a mirror,
when the wind will permit.
[Illustration: Fig. 18]
At noon (same day) getting thicker (S.-E. very fresh); 6 P.M., moon on
meridian, a prismatic gloom in south, and very thick stratus of all
shades; 9 P.M., very gloomy; wind stronger (S.-E.): 10 P.M., very black
in south, and overcast generally.
14th. Last night about 12 P.M. commenced raining; 3 A.M., rained
steadily; 7 A.M., same weather; 8.20 A.M., a line of low storm-cloud, or
seud, showing very sharp and white on the dark back ground all along the
southern sky. This line continues until noon about 10d at the highest,
showing the northern boundary of the storm to the southward; 8 P.M.,
same bank visible, although in rapid motion eastward; same time clear
overhead, with cirrus fringe pointing north from the bank; much
lightning in south (W. fresh); so ends.
15th. Last night a black squall from N.-W. passed south without rain; at
3 A.M. clear above, but very black in south (calm below all the time);
9 A.M., the bank in south again throwing off rays of cirri in a
well-defined arch, whose vortex is south: these pass east, but continue
to form and preserve their linear direction to the north; no lightning
in south to-night.
16th. Clear all day, without a stain, and calm.
17th. Fine and clear (N.-E. light); 6 P.M., calm.
18th. Fair and cloudy (N.-E. light); 6 P.M., calm.
19th. Fine and clear (N. fresh); I. V. visible in S.-W.
20th. 8 A.M., bank in N.-W. with beautiful cirrus radiations; 10 A.M.,
getting thick with dense plates of cream-colored cirrus visible through
the breaks; gloomy looking all day (N.-E. light).[21]
Appearance of the Inner Vortex at 8 A.M., July 20th, 1853, including the
whole sky. (See Fig. 19.)
[Illustration: Fig. 19]
This was a different passage of the Inner Vortex ascending as compared
with the same 28 days before. At that date (June 22) it did great damage
in the central parts of Illinois. Still this last passage was very
palpable--the clouds were very irregularly assorted--plates of cirrus
above and beneath cumulus--various kinds of cirrus clouds, and that
peculiar prismatic haze which is a common sign of the passage of a
vortex. The appearance depicted above is a very common, although a very
evanescent appearance. When the sky appears of a clear blue through the
cirri, there will be generally fresh gales without any great electrical
derangement; but if the clear spaces are hazy, gradually thickening
towards the nucleus, a storm may be expected. Any one who wishes to
understand the indications of the clouds, must watch them closely for
many years, before he can place much reliance upon them. But we shall
again advert to this point.
We have now passed through one sidereal period of the moon. We might
continue the record, but it would be tedious. The passages of these
vortices vary in violence at different times, as we might expect; but
they never cease to circulate, and never will as long as the moon
remains a satellite to the earth; and if we take the passage of any of
these vortices, and add thereto the time of one sidereal period of the
moon, we get approximately the time of the next passage. When the
elements of the lunar orbit tend to accelerate the passages, they may
come in 26 days; and when to retard, in 28 days; and these are about the
limits of the theory.
Having begun and ended this record of the weather with the passage of
the Inner vortex ascending, it may not be amiss to notice one more, (the
August passage,) as it offers a peculiarity not often so distinctly
marked. We have alluded to the greater force of the storms when the
passage of the vortex corresponds to the passage of the line of low
barometer or the depression point of a great atmospheric wave, which is
also due to the action of the ether. In consequence of these waves
passing from west to east, the storm will only be violent when formed a
little to the westward. If the storm forms to the eastward, we neither
see it nor feel it, as it requires time to develop its strength, and
always in this latitude travels eastward; so that storms may generally
be said to come from the west, although the exciting cause travels from
east to west. In the case now alluded to, the weather indicated a high
barometer, and the storm formed immediately to the eastward, even
showing a distinct circular outline. We subjoin a description.
_August_ 15th. Clear morning (N.-E.), a bank of cumuli in south: noon
quite cloudy in S. and clear in north. (N.-E.)
16th. Clear morning (N.-E.); 3 P.M., getting very black in E. and S.-E.,
very _clear_ to the _westward_; 4 P.M., much thunder and lightning in
east, and evidently raining hard; 5 P.M., a violent squall from _east_
for 10 minutes; tore up several trees; 6 P.M., the storm passing
eastward, clear in west all this time; 6.30 P.M., the storm forming a
regular arch, the vertex being in _S.-E._; the arch of hazy cirrus and
heavy cumulus much lower in S.-E., wind still moderate from east;
10 P.M., clear all around, but lightning in S.-E. and E.
17th. Fine clear morning (W.); noon, scattered cumuli in north; 6 P.M.,
a beautifully regular arch of dense cumuli and cirrus margin in _N.-E._,
with a constant glimmer of lightning; 7 P.M., very clear to the west,
and north-west, and south; along the northern horizon a line of high
peaked cumuli terminating in N.-N.-W.; a continued roll of distant
thunder in the circular bank in N.-E., and not a moment's cessation to
the lightning; the electric excitement advancing westward along the
lines of cumuli; the cirrus haze also rising and passing towards S.-W.;
8 P.M., the sky alive with lightning, the cirrus now reaches the zenith;
no streaks of lightning coming to the earth; they seem to radiate from
the heaviest mass of cumuli, and spread slowly (sufficiently so to
follow them) in innumerable fibres over the cloudy cirrus portion of the
sky; every flash seems to originate in the same cloud; 8.30 P.M., one
branching flash covered the whole north-eastern half of the sky, no
leafless tree of the forest could show so many branches; 9.30 P.M., all
passed to S.-W. without rain, leaving behind a large cumulus, as if it
lagged behind. From this cumulus a straight line of lightning shot up
10d above the cloud into a perfectly clear sky, and terminated abruptly
without branching.
We have been thus particular in giving these details, as this was a
clear case confirming the principles advanced, that the vortices do not
form a continuous line of disturbance, in their daily passage around the
earth. It shows also that the barometer, in connection with these
principles, will be a far more useful instrument than it has yet proved
itself, for practical service as an indicator of the weather.