Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1875-08-12
The Terrific Storm at Geneva, Switzer,
land.

Perhaps the most surprising phenoma.
non of nature. in coincidence, If not con-
firmafion, of Prof Tees theory of planeta.
nv equinoxes, was the strange and terrific
storm that burst over Geneva on the nIgh,
of the eth inst. The full accounts are iust
beginning to reach us in the Euronean
papers: the best, however, is that of Mr. r
A. Trollope in letter to the New York
Tribune. The day before had been hot
heavy and sultry, and the evening brought
no relief The peculiar atmospheric effect
which foreruns bad weather i'm the Aims
a singular transparency Of the air, which
makes the mountains seem near enough IN
touch them by stretching out the hand
was observed. At eight O'Clock few
drops of rain began to fall, and fitful
lightning played in the skies The flashes
gradually grew intense and then contind.
Gus. until the atmosphere seemed filled
with ffa,ne-and all this while nothunder
At eleven o'clock light fragments on the
roof were caught and whirled by the wind;
vet the street was still. AT midnight the
tempest came; sweeping from the Jura
Mountains up the valley OF the Rhine.
widening as it reached Lake Leman to
embrace the whole city of Geneva. The
violence Of the cyclone lasted but ten
minutes, or possibly fifteen, but 1t was
fearful ten minutes. Mr.. Trollope says:
q Ii came in the shape hardly OF hail.
storm, bat in that of an almost compact
mass or sheet Of ice, driven horizontally
before the blast. In the first instant every
gas lamp in the streets, save here and there
one spared by reason of some protecting
roof, was smashed to atoms and extin.
guished. But the city was not in dark.
ness, for the masses of hail on the pave.
ment reflected the blue lightning in
CHASTITY and ominous manner. Geneva is
city which displays an especially large
extent of window-glass. The delicate
processes of its manufactures of watch
work and jewelry need abundant light;
and most of the large factories display al
most as much glass as wall. They are
mostly, too, at the tops of the houses. At
the first blast the whole Of these were
smashed into myriads OF fragments. Ge-
neva is especially also city of sky-lights,
and these were as thoughothey had never
been! Windows were forced from their
fastenings and all the glass shivered !;
bedrooms and staircases and saloons were
thus thrown open to the storm, and
in minute or two half filled with masses
of ice. For the hail-stones, or ice frag-
ments rather, compacted themselves into
one solid mass as soon as they fell. The
greater part Of the hail-stones before they
fell were about the size OF chestnuts or
walnuts, and large numbers were as big as
the largest sized fowls eggs. One was
picked up at midday on the following day
and found to weigh two pounds" The
art gallery in the museum suffered greatly,
many of the pictures being pierced
through as if by bullets In suburb on
the banks of the Arye stout planks were
shot through by the hail, and roofs of tiles
were beaten to powder. The pleasure and
market gardens and vineyards near the city
were destroyed, and the peasants, whose
sole dependence they have been, are ruined
Only three human lives are known to have
been lost, and these by the overturning
of a house; but several foxes and many
small birds were found killed-.Spring-
field (Mass.) Republican.