Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1879-03-14
Prof. Daniels on the Tornado Of
1878.

In the Report of the Board of
Regents Of the University, recently
published, we have a paper by Prof.
W. w. Daniels, giving carefully
gathered facts concerning the tor
nado Of last Summer; its place Of
apparent origin, breadth of sweep,
extent etc. The study is offered
is i contribution to meteorological
science; and to all who love to con-
template the ways Of Nature, cspcc-
tally ii their moro magcstically ter
rible forms, 4 rehearsal of the details
of this unaccustomed visitation
must even NOW be interesting in no
ordinary degree The Professor con-
fines hinselfprudcntly, in the main,
to the observed effects of the storm,
leaving it to the reader to speculate
upon causes; sc. when speaking of
the place Of the storms first APP
pcaance he finds II impossible to
avoid having 4 speculative notion
touching it, which yet may be
thought grahitous, After naming
the point of starting of the storm
near the Fourth Principal Meridian,
on the southwest corner Of this
county, he says there is no reason
tosupposc that the atmospheric con-
ditions giving rise 70 the storm orig
mated there. The thought is inn
piled that the meteor had probably
y career IL the upper air before
descending To The carth's surface,
1t is this thought which the writer
means to say seems TO him gratui-
tous The query which one
speeulatiycly inclined, might inter-
pose here is; Are there no conceiv-
able terrestrial conditions (conncc-
ted perhaps with electromagnetic
polarity which may attach to the
line Of tue Fourth Principal Ncrid-
ian, and which may he coniectGred
t" have taken q causal part in the
case. That Inc marks Z notable
axis, geologically, according TO enc
of our State Geologists, MIR Murrish,
constituting, throughout the entire
extent Of the State, from South to
North, u line of up-litt of the low
ermost strata of rocks. In this view
it marks the line Of crest Calbcit
now quite dcnudedD of All cxten-
siyc mountain ridge; and electro
magnetically may have i mountain
ridges potency still. storms are
wont to have mountain ridges ioi
their terminal limits; but il will be
said that here is only a very neon.
siderable line of elevation, and prac-
tically no barrier to wind at all
The writer submits in answer, that
the reluctance of storms To cross
mountain chains does not seem. tC
him to be fully explained upon tho
ground of mechanical obstruction
to wind-waftcd vapors. lt is TO bC
observed, he thinks, III Pemsyl'
vania notably, where the height
of the chain is much below the
average cloud-levcl. Something
other than Il mere mechanical bar
rier seems to be the effective mean,
of arresting the meteor known as /
storm. Something analogous, HI
opines, to the mysterious cutting of
Of mineral, il mining regions.
1t will be allowed that at am
rate slight color is given to thil
speculation by the behavior Of tn
I
tornado Of Southwestern Wisconsin
Of 1878. 1t had It's rise on th'
Fourth Principal Meridian, tht
north and south axis Of the chic
lodcs Of mineral in the Lead Dis
triet. Its zigzag course in this viein
| ity particularly assimnlated il no
a little to 4 mineral vein. Refer
ence is here made to the iumI
which il made northerly on cross
ing tic deep rayino 70 the west .
our city. Prof Daniels, as indecc
have most persons, attributes tht
turn which Che coronado took
on meeting the line Of Legatei
Branch to the mechanical obstruc.
Y. X. Ha IN