4
THE ESSEX NATURALIST.
Our lake is, I believe, by far the largest sheet of inland fresh
water in the county of Essex, extending to forty-one acres.
The next largest is, probably, the lake in Debden Park,
which is less than half as large.
The whirlwind crossed the lake diagonally at a part at which
it is comparatively narrow—not more than about 250 yards wide.
At the point at which it first reached the lake, it broke a willow
tree. Here the wind-rush must have been very narrow; for,
although the water's edge is here lined by a number of alders,
growing close together, only the one nearest to the willow shows
any trace of injury.
The storm, as it crossed the lake, picked up an enormous
quantity of water, which appeared like a huge column of spray
in a state of violent agitation, ascending to an immense height.
The suspended water was then carried off by the whirlwind,
still in violent motion. Some persons who saw it and were
not aware of its nature, formed the opinion that an aeroplane
had been struck by lightning and was going off in a cloud of
steam and smoke! As I have not heard that the water forming
this column was discharged in bulk anywhere in the neighbour-
hood, I assume that it was dissipated gradually, though it
might have fallen and been mistaken for heavy rain.
As the storm reached the further (north-east) shore of the
lake, it passed over a bed of reeds, and the track it left therein
affords an indication of its narrowness. This track, as viewed
immediately afterwards, was no more than about 50 feet wide.
Without doubt, however, the storm was really wider than
this; for it must be remembered that reeds, not being rigid,.
will bend before a storm and afterwards recover their original
positions to a large extent. It is difficult, therefore, to tell
how much wider the storm may have been than the obvious
track it left.
On reaching the north-east shore, the storm struck, almost
at once, a Scots fir (off which it broke a branch and several
smaller pieces), as well as a large elm, having a stem 16ft. in
circumference, which was broken off 12ft. from the ground.
The storm, during the time it was crossing the lake or im-
mediately afterwards, also produced two other curious effects.
Thus, I observed that, for several minutes after the storm had
passed, the fish in the lake were extremely agitated, and that