A WHIRLWIND AND WIND-RUSH AT GOSFIELD. 5
many of them jumped continuously above the surface of the
water. I have been unable to hear, however, that any fish were
carried away and found deposited anywhere on the land. Again,
Mr. Ardley, after running from the edge of the lake (as stated
already), stopped and looked back across to the further shore,
just after the storm reached it. There he could see a white
rabbit, which had been caught up by the force of the whirlwind,
and he saw it deposited some distance away. Other rabbits
also were affected by the violence and terrific velocity of the
wind-rush; for Mr. J. Rowson, of Park Cottage, who crossed
this part of the park about half-an-hour later, noticed several
apparently semi-stupified.
From this point on the edge of the lake, the ground rises
gently for a third of a mile or so, though the total rise in this
distance is small—probably not more than twenty or twenty-
five feet. This part of the park is mainly open grass-land,
across which the whirlwind rushed, passing about 150 yards
to the south of the mansion. Hereabouts, there are some
fine trees, but they stand fairly-well apart and the storm passed
between most of them, without much injuring any. Just before
crossing the main drive up to the house, the storm passed one
end of a temporary fence of portable iron hurdles, six of which
it overthrew—this showing clearly the terrific force of the
blast. Here, too, several good-sized trees were brought down,
including a fine fir, 80ft. high, which was uprooted and laid
to the N.W. Off other trees many branches were broken.
After crossing the drive mentioned, the storm reached
and traversed a wood known as "The Grove." In this, the
trees grow very densely, thus protecting one another to a large
extent; for which reason, probably, the damage done was
less than might have been expected. The only tree badly
smashed was a very tall ash, with a stem six feet in circum-
ference, which was broken off five feet from the ground and
laid to the south-west. Yet most of the other trees, especially
ashes, which grew right in the track of the storm show signs
of having lost some of their smaller branches. Here, during
the storm, many branches were seen to be lifted up to a great
height, whirled about, and carried away by the whirlwind.
Not a few were deposited in a ditch (shown) running from the
north-east corner of the wood towards the Hedingham Road