Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1880-06-02
Western storms.
A NEW THEORY BY PROFESSOR TICE.

Professor Tice, a well-known
scientist, Of st. Louis, has been in
vestigating the phenomena connec-
ted with the remarkable cyclone
which lately deSolated Marshfeld,
Missouri. He expresses the opin
ion that all this class of local tor
nadoes. which are so disastrous in
their results, are not wind storms.
There was no wind with the Marsh
field tornado. 1t passed over, with
out harming, the buildings which
had wooden roofs, but destroyed all
that had any metal about them.
Every building in the path of the
tornado which had a tin roof was
swept away. A mill situated over
quarter of mile away from the
centre of disturbance had its iron
chimney torn out and carried long
distance, but was not otherwise IN
jured. The cupola of the public
school building at Marshfeld, which
had a tin roof, was wrecked, but
the building, which was rooted with
shingles, was lett uninjured. In
the forests the bark was stripped
from all sides OF the trees without
respect to the direction Of the wind.
The ends of the branches were not
only denuded of leaves as bark, but
were split up into fine fibrcs until
they looked like brooms. Effects
or this sort, Prof. Tice contends,
could not be produced by wind, but
are often the result of electrical ac-
ton. Under its influence the sap
under the bark Of trees is instantly
vaporized, expanding two thousand
fold in volume, and furnishing an
explosive force which nothing can
resist. The further proof OF this
theory is found in the fact that the
dead ard dry limbs and twigs were
not affected, and, though in immedi.
ate contact with green ones, remain
ed intact. These storms, moreover,
as Prof Tice remarks, generally
follow railroads or wafer courses
Their velocity is tremendous. Mr.
i William Ferrel, of the United State.
coast survey, read a paper on tins
interesting subject at the recen
meeting Of the New York Academy
of Sciences, in which he described
the motion OF these "cloud bursts,
and attempted to explain their caus
es. The primary cause, he assumes
is the difference i'll density OF tn
atmosphere, arising from fluctuations
of temperature, these sudden chan
ges being very competent to gencr
ate or direct electric force Of an III
f tense sort. \ portion of heated al
! surrounded by other air OF cOlde
temperature produces sort OF chin
ney or funnel, the heated air ascend
' ing rapidly and giving gyrator,
! motion to its envelope of colder air
These movements tend constant.
to increase in rapidity and violence
q Upon the assumption OF differ
, encc of only 80 millimeters be
tween the heated air and that whicl
= surrounds it, Mr.. Fcrrel says Their
r will be an ascending velocity OF 81
!. meter per second, even when du
allowance is made for the retardlnl
. friction of the earth. This is equa
! to a velocity of about AS yards pc
second, Or 1.6 miles per minute, o
SO miles per honr. The initial We
locity of cannon balls is only abou
1,4OO feet per second, 50 that tn
whirl or these cyclones is within
tenth part as great as the force o
y gunpowder. Mr.. Ferrel claims tina
] the recorded facts prove that his es
! Inmates are not extravagant. Ii
, the signal service report Of tornado
at Mount Carmel,ln lllinois,in 1917
there is the account of a churcI
2 steeple, glidcd ball and vane whicl
were carried fifteen miles thrc
f the air. They must have been sus
= pended in the air for twenty o
thirty minutes. fla current of al
moving this velocity and bearing
with it large volume of waite
strikes the earth at any point W
have a "cloud burst The curren
is arrested by the obstacle an(
discharges all its body of water a
once.