The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1860-07-14
Gnlpuria Stems.
TOMATOES.

have recently spent themselves IN The West.
That which has just traversed Southern
Iowa and Northwestern Illinois, appears TO
have been the most destructive of any
whose rayages are recorded in our country's
history; the loss of life having probably
exceeded one hundred and City persons
Bursting out with equal suddenness and
almost equal rapidity, these visitors are
much more to be dreaded than the thunder
bolt. which chooses but the individual for
It's mark. The tornado does It's work by
wholesale. 1t is content with nothing short
Of villages and forests as its prey. Il goes
forth like death, armed with scythe, and
mows .. swaIh hundred rods in breadth
By as many miles in length. Its track is
thickly strewn with trees torn up. buildings
shivered to fragments, and human beings
killed or MANNED. 1t shows no pity to age,
sex. or condition but hurries all TO their
final account. With this fell destroyer, all
;s darkness, mystery and terror.
Into the discussions whether the tornado
Is directly caused by heat or electricity,
whether it describes gyratory course, or
Is simply the result of two opposing. cur
rents rushing violently together, it is not
our purpose 70 enter. These subjects have
engaged tho attention of such saUdns as
Redfeld, Espy, Butler and Maury, in our
own country, as well as many eminent men
abroad yet the questions are far from being
clearly decided. Suffice it to say, that the
Redfeld theory, which supposes rarefac-
ton of the air in particular locality, with
the consequent rushing thither of cooler
currents and the formation of whirlwind,
with vacuum in the centre, appears TO US
as the most rational for general application.
nve e nF
the phenomena, than to attempt an explsna-
ton of the immediate causes.
]. In these attitudes there may be said TO
be three different classes of toruadoes. The
FIRST is produced at sea, taking the form of
water-spouts the second along the shore,
and-the third in the interior, mainly on tie
western prairies. The last are more uniform
in their characteristics than either of the
others. With the first we have properly
nothing TO do at present.
2. They are experienced further to the
aorthward, as the sun travels in that direc-
ton during the spring or early summer
months, always showing themselves earlier
In the season on the plains of Texas and
along the lower Mississippi than on the
Ohio or the Missouri, and later on the prai-
ries of Iowa and Wisconsin. With the
suns return southwark. they have been
known to follow in like manner, and even
to break out in midwinter but such oc
currences are quite rare. In general, these
phenomena present themselves in the Gulf
States early in May, and in our latitude
nearly month later. They are seldom ex
perienced further north than the Indian corn
region.
8. The interior tornadces travel from west
to east, varying their course, it may be. a
few points toward the north or south. We
have no recollection of any describing a
path in the opposite direction. Those on
the coast proceed in various courses, but
most frequently at right angles to the gen.
eral shore line.
4. They are preceded. by peculiarly
sultry and electric state of the atmosphere,
when thunder is apt to be expected.
5. A black cloud is generally formed
come distance above ground and travels
with the tornado, its shape in many cases
resembling an inverted cone. The storm is
found to rage beneath this cloud. Occa-
sionally it appears to revolve on an axis
g. There is rushing toward it of the air
from north aud south, both currents gradu
ally bending to the east as they approach
the track of the tornado. This has been
abundantly shown by the manner in which
trees, grain, grass. buildings. etc.. have been
thrown down.
2. The breadth of the track usually va
ries from SO to so rods. seldom exceeding
100. The speed of the tornado often ex-
ceeds 100 miles per hour.
8. In many cases, especially in one which
took place at Natchez in 1910, such vacu-
um is created in the centre of the tornado
that the strongest walls of buildings have
been known to fall outarard, sometimes in
the face of blast travelling over one hun
dred feet per second. Bricks have been
carried in every direction, and portions of
tin roofing hundreds of yards. Even men
and women have been lifted from the ground
in the sudden rushing upward of the cur
rent. and safely dropped down at the distance
of several rods. The locks of chests and
desks have been broken open oy the sudden
expansion Of air within. In other cases
buildings have been saved by having trap
doors in their roofs opening upward
8. Plants growing on the line OF the tor
na6o, if not destroyed, are SO scared and
crisped that they never finally recover
Some have been damaged on one side only.
10. Little or no wind is felt outside of the
track so persons assert who have stood
close By, and common observation confirms
these statements.
These visitors are also found to indulge
in some strange freaks, as stripping fowls of
their feathers carrying articles of clothing
up chimneys; dragging plows, carts, aud
the like for a considerable distance; empty
ing ponds of water and fish, and even scoop
ing out the mud taking frames of looking
glasses, with out further injury to either;
drawing nails out of roofs. without disturb
ing the roof: stripping horses of their har-
ness. and burying objects thus carried off
deeply in the earth. Unfortunately these
tricks are too costly to make 4 repetition of
them desirable. But they show that. like
The elephant with his trunk. the monster
can pick up pin from the ground as well
as rend an oak.
The west to east course of those in the
interior is no doubt owing to the general
direction of the surface winds in that sec
ton of the country. It would seem that.