The size and form of waterspouts alter greatly with the state of the atmosphere. As Ferrel observes, they may vary “from that of a cloud brought down over a large area of the earth’s surface in a tornado where the air is nearly saturated with vapor and the general base of the clouds very low, somewhat as represented in Fig. 53, to that which occurs when the air is very dry, and when the tornadic action is barely able to bring the cloud down from a great height into a slender spout of small diameter, somewhat as represented in Fig. 54. Horner says that their diameters range from 2 to 200 feet, and their heights from 30 to 1,500 feet. Dr. Reye states that their diameters on land, at base, are sometimes more than 1,000 feet. Oersted puts the usual height of waterspouts from 1,500 feet to 2,000 feet, but states that in some rare cases they cannot be much less than 5,000 or 6,000 feet. On the 14th of August, 1847, Professor Loomis observed a waterspout on Lake Erie, the height of which, by a rough estimate, was a half mile, and the diameter about 10 rods at the base and 20 rods above. “Judge Williams, in speaking of the tornado of Lee’s Summit, where he saw it, says: ‘It seemed to be about the size of a man’s body where it touched the clouds above, and then tapered down to the size of a mere rod.’” [Illustration: FIG. 54.—VERTICAL SECTION OF A TALL TORNADO.] When the tornado vortex is so tall and strong as to carry raindrops up to freezing strata it is commonly known as a hailstorm. The congealing occurs usually in those isobaric surfaces which dip down in the center of the vortex, but reach only part way to the earth. As indicated in Fig. 55, the clear aqueous vapor near the earth is condensed to cloud on crossing an isobaric surface of sufficiently low pressure and temperature; then it proceeds as mingled cloud and rain till it crosses the freezing isobar into the region of snow and hail formation; thence finally curves outwardly to stiller air and descends as a cloud of mingled vapor, rain and frozen parts. Of this frozen shower one part may come to earth as hail or rain, the snow and sleet melting on the way; while another part may be redrawn into the swift uprush, and carried aloft till its frozen drops, or pellets, have grown so large by accretion as to plunge to earth by sheer bulk, even though they must traverse a furious ascending wind. A good illustration from Nature of this cycle in the center of a hailstorm is presented in the following by Mr. John Wise, America’s adventurous pioneer balloonist: