The Leavenworth weekly times., 1879-07-17
CYCLONES.

4 few weeks ago, when a severe storm
swept over a certain district of this SAFE,
the newspapers of other portions of the
country, at once proved to their own salts
faction that Kansas was locsted in the
heart of the ''cyclopic belt" and that that
the cyclone Was indigenous to this section.
The principal fact upon which this conclu-
sion was based was that Kansas bad been
attracting the lions share OF the western
Immigration for several years past, and
that the tide, 40 FAR from subsiding was
steadily growing greater. NeighboriDg
States, with public lands in need Of settlers,
were disturbed by this condition of affairs,
and eagerly seized upon the kirwin cyclone
as a serviceable bug-a-boo with which to
frighten people away from Kansas. But
there is no more foundation, in fact, for
the cyclone theory, than for the grssshop-
per theory or the drought theory. During
the last twenty Eve years, the crops have
been seriously injured in Kansas but once
for want of rain; and there is in all probs-
bility, 10 other district on the face of the
earth that has not suffered as much from
the same cause during the last quarter OF
century. Grasshoppers make their ap-
pesrance in great numbers in different
parts Of the world at different timer: Dur
ing the present century at least Twelve 9TH
er States OF the Union have suffered from
these soourges, namely: Maine, Massschu-
eetts, new Hampshire, New
York, Illinois, Wisconsin, Min
nesota, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Texas
and California, and their work in Kansas
has rot been more disastrous than in other
States; they have a! times visited Europe
and South America, and are at present lay
ing waste vast districts of Russia and Asia
The only difference between Kansas and
other States in The grasshopper matter, il,
that other States visited by The pests suf-
fered a total loss of their crops for the yesr,
while Kansas, owing to her unparalleled
soil and climate Is always able to raise
fair crop after the hoppers take their
flight. Ia regard to the "cyclonic belt'
theory, no grestsr nonsense was ever
invented. Destructive tornadoes occur at
times in every part of the world, and Kan
sas simply takes her chances with the rest.
1t has been but. little more than year.-ince !!
the town Of Rienza in Mississippi, was
almost to;atally demolished; it has been |
but short time since village in New |
Hampshire and one in Canada, suffered |
like fate; ii has not been more than three |
weeks since tornado swept over the city
oil Baltimore, demolishing at least
hundred houses, and killing or seri-
onsly iniurIpg a number of /
people, and it has been but few months
since like disturbance visited Philadel.
Phia, spreading havoc in every direction.
add causing greater loss of property than
all the storms that ever visited Kansas
since the frst settlement of the Territorv.
The cyclone in Minnesota last week Was
fsr north Of the northern boundary of the
imaginary 'cyc-onic bslt,n and was more
severe and far more extensive than our
Kansas cyclone. All these facts 90 to show
that Kansas is no more liable to atmcs
pheric disturbances of this character than
any other quarter of the globe, and conclu-
sively prove that now, as Of yore, the
wind bloweth where it lis,eih, and one sec
ton Of the country is jase as liable as an
other to hear the sound thereof.