Science: Hail Balls

East Indian story-tellers spin yarns of hailstones as large as elephants. Never have scientific men seen such a phenomenon, never will. Largest they record weigh little over a pound and are about the size of baseballs. Last week such ice balls bombarded the Siatista district of Greek Macedonia, pelted 22 people to death.

Not uncommon are such deaths. Two years ago at a May Day celebration in Klausenburg, Rumania, six children were killed.

Hail is a by-product of thunderstorms only. Thunderstorms are tornadoes with horizontal instead of vertical axes. Hail is caused by...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!