Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1880-06-26
THE SPLIT WIND.
The First Of the Year Shows Itself
at COmO-A Bundle of Whirl-
winds-PrOf. Marthens' Theory
Concerning their origin.

if not greater force at Como. During
the period of Its greatest violence on
Friday afternoon there occurred one
of those curious phenomena known
to the miners and prospectors of the
Como mountains Ms split wind.
These split winds are almost peculiar
to the Como range. They are very
rare, only being seen during the prev
alence of the most violent hurricanes,
when the direction of the wind hap
pens to be such that it sweeps down
two very deep canons which converge
into one. The split wind of last
Friday was on the southwestern
slope of the mountains. 1t formed
at the junction of the two forks of
Ditcher's ravine, and swept for about
half mile down the canon.
No one has yet been able to ex-
plain the strange phenomena accom-.
psnying these winds, although the
common belief is that the two fierce
currents striking together break
each other up into innumerablc small
separate whirlwinds, Each of these
miniature whirlwinds takes up
stone. or whatever happens to be in
it's path which is not over foot in
diameter, and by the time the aggre-
gated body has travelled few hun
dred feet there are hundreds of col.
umns or stones twisting and sway.
ing near to each other, and reaching
TO an immense height. This is al.
ways accompanied by rapid sue
cession of loud detonations, which is
attributed by many to the stones of
the different columns striking togeth-
er, Il SOL
When split wind is broken up,
or, rather, incorporates itself again
in the surrounding hurricane, there
is terri fic shower of the stones
it has taken up III its course. The
mounds formed by these showers.
and left AS monuments to the mem.
DRY OF their creator, are sometimes
over fifty feet high, varying with the
extent of ground traversed and tl.s
amount of loose rock.
Professor Marthens, the English
physical geographer, who was sent Q
few years ag, 10y his government to
investigate and report an the Aus
tralian. climate, visited Como on
his way "ut, to look ut some mines,
and, while there, was fortunate
enough To witness split wind. His
description of il, written to the Ok
ford Science Miscellany. WAS very
exact as to detail. He was unable
to advance perfect theory concern.
ing the cause, as he only saw one,
and they come 81 seldom that he
could not wait on the small prospect
there was Of his seeing aoother in the
same year.
Prof. Marthens' theory Is that the
peculiar action is due to electricity
He says:
The two currents coming
down nearly parallel ravines and
rubbing violently against each other
generate a large quantity of FRACTIONAL
electricity. AT the point where the
currents join there is small whirl
wind, which, being charged with the
same kind Of electricity which per.
vades the great mass of surrounding
air, IS repealed from the rest and sep.
arates itself; others form in the same
manner, and very soon q large area d
covered by numberless columns, turn.
ing independently of each other, and
pushed rapidly down the canon 10y
the advancing column of air behind
it. The detonations which I have
! described as resembling fusillade
OF musketry are not, in my opinion,
caused by the stones and other objects
carried 10y the several columns strik.
ing against each other, although this is
the accepted belief of the residents
but are, in reality, electric sparks pas
sing into A stratum of air above,
which stratum is not so heavily
charged. 1t is, l presume. the final
escape of enough electricity to bring
the previously highly charged col.
umns to an equilibrium with tho
surrounding atmosphere, which
causes them to lose their distinctive
existence and merge into the main
volume.
Further on Prof. Marthens saws he
is not entirely satisfied with his the.
DRY, but that his time for observation
was limited, and he could not get