St. Landry democrat., 1879-09-20
Cyclones.
RAVAGEs OF HURRICANES IN THIS STATE
IN FORMER IEARS-TIIE PHENOMENA
ATTENDING 4 CYCLONIC DI5Ti EEAHCE.
. l'itaS lllltn.

PicaS SuIr.
/ In view Of the damage inflicted on
the crops in this State by the recent
cyclone short account Of the ravages
OF some previous storms, and an cX-
planation of the origin and movement
of Il cyclone may prove interesting to
our readers. :.
On September II, l.l0, Il terrific hur-
ricanc prevailed on the coast of Mlssls-
sippi and Alabama. The houses Of the
colonists at Mobile were destroyed, and
their provisions scattered along the
coast, Il catastrophe which nearly re-
suited in a famine. \ heavy piece of
ordinance on Dauphine Island was
transported about eighteen feet by the
wind which blew for twelve hours from
the east southeast.
On September IS, l14G, another hurrl-
cane created considerable destruction i'll
the colonies.
The winter OF l:.3 was rcmark rkahly
severe. and the orange trees We're killed
as in 114S and 1868. A terrible hnrll-
cane arose on the 3lst OF August and
prevailed until September 3. Strange
to say, the wind was scarcely 1elt at
New Orleans. but along the coast it blew
was submerged, the water rose over the
entire country atound Chef Menteur
and Lake pontchartrain. ~ vessel at
the Balizc foundered with ali Oh board
and the other vessels were lifted out of
the river and carried into the adjacent
marshes. Along the coast, from Lake
Burgue TO Pensacola, the wind ranged
from south southeast, but further west
it blew with greater violence from north
northeast and east. \ schooner belong
ing to the British Government, which
! had anchored to the windWald OF Cat
Island, was tloated entirely over the
island.
The spray from the waves of the gulf
was carried thirty miles inland. \ Won-
derfu fact connected with tins storm
was the phenomenon displayed by mul-
berry trees, which bore Il src"Ad crop
of leaves and frnlt.
Another tremendous hurricane pre-
vailed from the 1th to 10th of October.
f11S. and DESTROYED the establishments
at Balize bayou st. JOHN, and other
places.
During the present century Il number
of great hurricanes have swept over
this State. as in 1872 and 1876.
Oute a number OF theories have been
advanced to account for the formation
and movement of cyclones. 1t is not
attempted here even to state those
theories. but only to give some OF the
most interesting results of observations
on the phenomena under consideration.
| 4 writer (Robert II. Scott, NJ. A., F. f.
So in the Popular Science Review is
of opinion = that the production OF
cvclonic disturbances may he attri huted
to more Than one agency, which hypo-
thesis goes far to reconcile the various
contradictory theories on the subject.
Tt may be accepted as axiom that the
force of the wind depends on differences
of atmospheric pressure over Il given
area" and the direction of the wind is
also regulated by these differences. In
! the case of the cyclone the wind blows
! towards central region OF low bar0mc-
ters, with force proportlonate to the
| differences of barOmctrlcal pressure.
| The writer above mentioned quotes the
simple law of Buys Ballot III regard TO
! wintl-motion: Stand with your back
| to the wind, and the barometer Will be
! lower on your left hand than on youl
right" In the cyclone, clouds and rain
! prevail on the front OF the advancing
storm with eastcrly winds, while in the
! rear there is clearing weather with
; Westerly winds. "In every case the
! cyclone moves with the prevailing wind
along its track. 1t is remarkable that
! the rate of progress bears no relation to
tie intensity of the storm, the slow
| moving tropical hurricanes being inf
nitelv more violent than many of OIL
ra1,;dly- disturbances.
The cyclone of Monday was charac-
terized by these phenomena, the wind
blowing early in the morning from an
easterly direction and veering to west
at niglit. with d rapidly clearing s. Ky
The track of the hurricane along which
the wind blew with a velocity OF ovti
| fiftv miles an hour, does not seem to
have been much over sixty miles in
width.