Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-02-03

HE New York Herald, referring to
the causes of the recent extraordinary
storms and hurricanes which have
prevailed in various parts of the cOun-
try, notices that since the opening
winter snow storm in New York OF
he middle Of December, we have had
the wind from the east, the southeast
and the south, to an extent never per-
maps known within the same period
before. These winds have brought
fr84 the warm ocean current of the
gulf stream an unusual amount of va
pOr, heat and electricity. The atmOs-
phere over the land thus becoming
Overcharged with these elements, a
reaction has followed which has given
Us this unprecedented chapter of rains,
floods, hurricanes, hail, thunder and
lightning. Nor do we think that the
reaction is over, but that we may ex-
pact now, as the next thing in order,
a cold snap, and then a heavy fan of
NOW. Indeed, we are somewhat ap-
prehensiye that in proportion to the
late unusual spell of warm weather
we shall yet have a spell Of
snow and ice in the establishment Of
the seasons equilibrium
The New York Evening Post, no
ticing the terrible v~isitations Of tenn
pest which the West Indies have ex-
perienced at different periods, says
that no island Of the Antilles has suf-
fered so severely from these tornadoes
as Barbados, which, being farthest to
windward Of all the islands lying out
fairly in the Atlantic, is peculiarly ex-
posed to the storms which sweep into
the Caribbean from that ocean,. In
October, l7S9, it was visited by a
dreadful hurricane, when more than
four thousand Of the inhabitants lost
their lives. By another, on the 10th
Of August, 1881, thousands of persons
persisted and an immense amount Of
property was destroyed. One OF the
most extensive, rapidly advancing
and destructive hurricanes, which
shows the range and the immense area
swept over by these terrific storms,
WAS first observed at the Windward
Islands about October 20, 1858, and is
fully described in the American Jour-
nal Of Science for January, 1859. 1t
passed over Porto Rico, Hayti and
the Bahamas, then, recurring its
axis, passed, on the oath, nearly over
Bermuda, and thence, for some days
following, it pursued its course to the
northeast, almost or quite to the
shores Of Europe. Ii was severely felt
seven hundred miles eastward of Ber-
muda, in the same latitude, while its
western border grazed New York, az
fecting the barometer sensibly and
rolling in the extraordinary tides of.
October oath and 18th.
AS TO the nature Of hurricanes, it
has been demonstrated that they are
progressive whirlwinds. This theory
Of hurricanes was first prOpOunded in
September, 1921, by Col. Capper, Of
Massachusetts,, and has been fully de-
veloped and confirmed by the obser-
vations, extending over a series OF
years, of Gen. Sir William Reid,
which are embodied in his work en-
titled, 'The Progress Of the Develop
ment Of the Law Of Storms and of
Variable Winds" etc. 1t is remarka-
bic that hurricanes, although prevail
ing with the greatest fury in the Tor
rid Zone, never touch nor cross the
Equator. They occur OCCASIONALLY in
the Temperate Zone, out not, 50 far as
known, in the Polar regions. They
are most frequent in the months Of
August, September and October. OF
three hundred and ffty-fve which
have been observed from 1893 to 1885,
tive occurred in January, seven in
February, eleven in March, six in
April, five in May, ten in June, forty
two in July, ninety-six in August,
eighty in September, sixty-nine in
October, seventeen in November, and
seven in December.