The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1850-08-27
8 Gle NOE IN MERIC "A.
IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENTS
Association for the Advancement Of Science.
Tho Conclusion Of the Convention
at New Haven,
&c, NC, &c.
SIXTH DAY
New HAVEN, Aug. "a. 1850.

Professors w. B. Rogers and LOOMS acted as
| secretaries.
| the titles of others merely read, with view TO
their publication in the books of the society, il
being impossible 10 go through all of the business
| remaining TO be disposed of this day.
The first communication was by Professor OLM-
| sTED, Jr, young man apparently about "a years
Of age, on whirlwlnds Produced by the burning of
a cane-brake in Alabama President Bache pro-
nounced the communication very important and
| peculiar one, and he hoped Professor Olmsted
! would accompany il with a chart. The following
is an abstract of Mr.. Omsted, Jr.'s, remarks:-
Facts relative to whirwinds produced by the
burning of brush and timber on several occasions,
| were published in the thirty-sxth volume OF the
| Americ0n Journal Of Scttnce. In the several ac-
counts given in that article, there is great same
ness, from the fires having the same origin, and
| differing only in their magnitude. The facts
which j shall present to the association at this
| time, are different from any that have been re-
corded on the subject OF whrlwinds, and will,
therefore, have the interest of novelty although in
magnitude, and may add in magnihcence, they
not equal TO those described in the article alluded
to. The canes in the cane-brakes of Alabama,
often grow to the height of thirty five forty feet
| They cover the. best of the new land, and the
thickness and size OF the cane is considered as the
best evidence of the fertility of the soil. No vege-
tation al the North can be compared with the cane
I brakes in the density of their growth, and even
in the Southern States, no other kind Of vege-
tation is comparable with the canes in this re-
! epect. Notwithstanding their great height, they
stand but an inch or two apart. A thick cane
brake, therefore, or one in rich land, which is not
exposed to the continual intrusion and trampling
of large animals, is completely impossible. Such
| cane-brakes are the resort OF great variety OF
small animals, which make their way to their
coverts though hidden paths. These animals,
! when the canes are burnt, are overtaken and de-
stroyed by the flames The canes terminate in
head of foliage in the form of wide broom or
| brush, with leaves very much Like those OF the
| oleander
| From the dense manner in which the canes grow,
| Va he mi tour hpv lie in
| OF great size and in such way that when per-
fectly dry, the fire soon catches the whole mass.
They are cut down, generally, with a carpenters
adze, although an axe or very heavy kind OF
hoe, called " cane hoe" is sometimes employed.
| One blow is sufficient TO divide the stalk. This
the laborer takes hold of with his left hand, and
throwing II behind him, advances TO the next. In
this way an acre of cane.brake is soon cleared,
and land is preferred to all other kinds of land
| for its good soil, and the ease with which 1t may
| be cleared. When the canes are cut down, they
ore allowed to lie for month or SIX weeks, until
| they become perfectly dry Fire is then applied in
| several places at once. As soon as the canes
begin to burn the air that is confined in their cells,
| and the watery vapor, burst them asunder. They
| generally explode through several cells at once,
| end thus are split in one continued line. These
| explosions, in burning large cane brake, produce
| continued roar, like the discharge of musketry
| from an immense army. The burning" how
| ever, was unattended with thunder, and, in this
respect, differed from all the mentioned in
! the Journal of Science. On account of the dry,
combustbe nature of the cane, when kindled, the
fire advances with great rapidity, giving out flames
| of the deepest red, the intensity and richness of
which color are incomparaby finer than the
| flames which arise from the combustion OF any
| other kind OF wood. The deep, rich tints of
the dahlia, and some other flowers, approach
more nearly to the color of this flame than any
| prismatic spectrum, when all the other rays
are cut OIL, is not superior TO IL. Toge-
tber with the flame there ascends very dense,
| black smoke, resembling that which arises
from burning camphor, or from the chimneys of
gas works or factories where bituminous coal is
used. This smoke also far surpassed in its dense
| deep black color, anything ordinarily observed.
The smoke from bituminous coal would not equal
il in density, and would be far inferior in depth OF
color. To the painter the magnihcence OF the rich
| red flame, ombned with the rolling masses OF
smoke, would form one OF the finest objects he
could select. His darkest color for the smoke, and
richest tnts for the flame, would be required to
| convey-Sny just conception OF the beauty OF this
| scene.
The cane.brake which visited covered a space
of twenty-five acres IL was set on fire at the part
most distant from us, and the tract of land being
somewhat curved and irregular, the fire was at
| first hid from our view. The smoke, however, was
visible from the commencement, and the roar OF a
thousand discharges approached US with rapidity
until, with the flame and the smoke, II issued from
| behind the wood, by which il had been for some
time concealed. The heat became intense where
we stood, although at a distance of more than two
hundred yards from the fire Whirlwinds We're now
obss rived in the hottest part Of the fire. They did
not unite in one column, as In all the cases men
toned in the Journal OF Scence but were scatter
ed throughout the fire, and several were formed at
the same time.
The first were on a comparatively small scale.
Their height was from thirty to forty feet. so
these succeeded others on a larger scale, until
they reached the height Of more than two hundred
feel, and the flame and smoke which formed their
columns were perfectly distinct from the general
| mass which arose from the hre. These continued
| to form until we left. While we remained, there
were as many as four or five OF the largest size
formed. They appeared rather 10 increasein size
and frequency toward the latter part OF " the burn
ing," and many were formed on the ashes, after
the fire had, to great extent, gone down. The
=" burning lasted for about half an hour. Among
the whTlwinds, there were several points OF dif-
ference, by which they might be classed under
four heads. The most common whrlwind was
that which was stationary over part Of the fire
which was hotter than the neighboring portions
A second variety was that which had progressive
motion, and advanced over the burnt track, throw
ing up ashes and cinders, and thus marking ITS
course through the fire. SEINE OF these emerged
from the flames. This was probably the case with
quite number, although, hiving nothing TO mark
them efter leaving the lire, they became invisible
One, however, passed near enough 10 Ms TO be OBJ
served and attracted our attention by Its rustling
sound, and by the leaves which Il carried up
THIS was about hfteen or twenty feet high. At
the time this passed us, We had moved from our
hrst station, and were about three hundred yards
from the fire. These wbirlwinds differed from
the Others IN form, being very wide at tbs top, and
contracting TO a point at the bottom, like top
or spindle, or, more exactly, they were OF
the form Of the upper cone Of an hour glass.
An Interesting phenomenon which attended some
OF the whrlwnds, might render IL proper 70 arrange
them under third class In these the fleme was
violently wbrled at the base; then above succeed
ed dark interval, where the flame seemed 10 be
e1tingushed entirely, but towards the top u broke
out anew IL was a mixed whiring Of ilame and
.moke, the smoke occupying the central portion.
| The darn interval where the smoke was uncon-
sumed, was greater or less, as the flame above APP
ploached to or reccded from that beneath There
were quite a number OF whirlwinds Of this class.
The fourth kind of W hirlwinds were formed OF inn
mense columns of smoke, narrow and lofty that
they resembled towers Of several hundred feet, or
trunks like hose Of trees, in form, extending into
the sky. The rotary motion was obvious through
on, their entire length. These columns OF SMOKE
were generally straight, but sometimes bent at The
| top by tie wind In connection with the whtrl-
winds there several other facts Of interest OBJ
serytd during the burning Of the cane. We mo-