The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1878-08-23
PROFESSOR BREWER ON TOR.
NAD0ES.
The Probable Shape and Path of
the Wallingford Cyclone.


Professor Brewer of Yale College
has spent n number of DAYS in Will
lingfOrd, studying the features of the
tornado. lie was recently interview
cd by New Haven Palladium re-
porter who asked him for some in
formation concerning the disaster.
The Professor very willingly gave
this to him, substantially as follows:
"No one can tell what makes tor
nado. There are many theories con-
corning the cause. ! know of 500
persons, each of whom has different
theory. Lightning always plays a
leading part in the disturbance. In
some tornadOes the exhibition of
electricity Is grand. There is no par
ticular hour at which they are form
ed, but they usually take place in the
afternoon, for il is then that hot
day becomes most sultry. In north
ern ATTITUDES the rotary motion is al
ways from the right TO the loft. The
column is funncl-shapcd, the small
part being on the earth. Its sways
from side to side frequently, and
sometimes bounds like ball. The
movement is either to the east or
the northeast. II is agreed that this
tornado had all the characteristics of
other tornadoes.
II measured the bluff at the lake
where the tornado was formed, and
tounk it to be about thirty-tlve feet
in hight. The cone rose up on this,
and the damage il inflicted shows
il to have been from 400 to $50 feet
wide. II was not powerful enough
to uproot trees outside of this. 1t
crossed the railroad track nearly at
right angles and about 600 feet wide.
At Colony street ii was 700 to $50
feet in width-that is, il was strong
enough to tear down houses within
this limit. From the lake to this
point was the space in which it dis
played its greatest energy. The
cone was solid there, or nearly so, at
its bottom, SO that its center was as
destructive n its outside lines. As
il approached the hill ii broadened to
about 200 feet. and over this space
unrooied houses, II twisted ofl'trees
over Il still wider area, and further,
on at Elm street, broadened still
more. Its effects could be seen as far
as the eye could reach through a
field-glass. The trees on portions ct
the south line of the whirl were laid
to the east, while ON the north line
they were laid in many directions.
The tombstones in the cemetery
were laid toward the east, but the
tall monuments were thrown to the
north. The actual direction of the
tornado was cast-southest.
''In tornadocs the funncl-shaped
column is always visible. have
witnessed and studied many sand
whirls on the plains. These are
harmless, and lose themselves after
going short distances. They appear
there in many shapes of the funnel,
some of them being larger at the base
than others, and some having wide
bulk for n short distance and at a
height of several feet from the ground
The tornado in Wallingiord UNI
doubleday took mud and water from
the lake. The roots of uproOted
trees were washed here. Some of
the mud, however, came from the
street. The tornado was not of UNI
usual strength"
The professor, upon being asked if
tOrnadoes were not of uncommon
occurrence in this part of the coun-
try, said:
1--WE have many such in New En-
gland. suppose we have them ev-
cry year. They tear up trees. throw
down fences, but rs no lives are lost
no attention is paid to them. If il
were not for the fact that there was
such loss of life in Wallingford,
the tornado would not have obtained
the celebrity il has"