Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-12-13
Could the Sad Disasters by the Recent
Severe Storm have been AvOideds

COulo the Eau DISASTERS by the Recent
Severe Storm have been AvOidsds
The New York Commercial Advertiser in
an article on the recent severe gale and disas-
ters, remarks:
It will be remembered by some of our read
ers that on Friday it began 70 rain here, and
during the night the storm increased in sever
ity, the wind blowing from the Southeast IN
til after sunrise the next day. In the morn
ing it changed to the Northwest and so con
tinuei for time; but during the day and
evening it chopped round to the Southwest,
blowing exceedingly cold while nearly every
epeck Of cloud disappeared from the heavens.
Early in the morning three different currents
were observed at once moving in the atmos-
phere, within distance Of probably not more
than two miles from the point of observation.
Within the space Of twelve hours the ther-
mometer fell over 30 degrees.
Now, all accounts from the lake regions
represent that the storm blew from the West.
At Buffalo, it broke out about one o'clock A.
", on Saturday; at 0swego somewhat later.
In both places, as well as others still further
North, snow fell abundantly. In the neigh
borhood of Watertown, it is now from twelve
to eighteen inches in depth.
The conclusion appears to be that the cen
tire of the storm, i. e. the part where most
rain or snow fell, and toward which the wind
blew from every point, was between New
York and Buffalo, probably in the region 0 i.
the mountains: that it moved towards thei
Northeast, and in its course became more
severe and destructive; and that this motion
drew after Il the regular Northwest blast SO
that it was felt in this region as if proceeding
from the Southwest But it was the old,
original, dry, cold, unrelenting North-wester,
nevertheless; only altering its course some
what to fill up the vacuum made at the nu-
cleus of the storm, in its passage along line
nearly parallel with that of the sea coast.
For nearly two weeks previously we had
been favored with mild weather, during which
time the atmosphere was filled with moisture
from the ocean, inviting at this season Of
the year, a violent collision. Every day
delay would probably make it only the more
destructive. All that was required, then, on
Friday morning, was the receipt oftelegraph
dispatches at the great lakes and elsewhere,
stating the character and direction of the
wind currents, at points from one to two
thousand miles apart. We believe it will be
found that the storm ragged on Lake Superior,
Michigan and Huron, many hours before it
was feltat Buffalo. twill probably be found,
too, that the telegraph could have been en-
ployed to give warnings as far West as Detroit
if not Milwaukee, Of the approaching visitor;
all that was wanted being some person sufi-
GENTLY familiar with the philosophy of the
winds to calculate when and where the storm
-
This journal has repeatedly called attention
to the subject Of atmospheric currents, for the
purpose of showing that the storm is as much
the subject Of fixed laws as the growth Of the
oak or the phases, of the moon, Let these be
correctly understood, and the telegraph be
regularly employed to report them from the
most distant points, and hundreds of lives, as
we'll as millions worth. of property, may yet
be saved every year, by the simple instru-
mentality ofa system Of signals along our
sea coast and oG the Western lakes. It is
time that Chambers ef Commerce and Boards
of UndeFWTiters gaEs this subject the atten-
ton which L deserves. % u ..- 1T