The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1882-06-03
Storms aud TOrnadoes in the Lower
Missouri Valley.

Signal Officer, in charge OF the United states
Weather Bureau at Washington, d. c., |
have established my headquarters at Kansas
City, Mo-. point admirably well fitted by
the reason OF the completeness Of its mail,
telegraph and railroad facilities, for the
prosecution of my labors In the effort to
carefully investigate the tornadoes OF 1882
and study the general features OF violent
wind storms. l shall give my individual
attention to the tornadoes OF what may be
termed the Lower Missouri Valley, EN-
bracing the states Of Kansas, Nebraska,
Missouri aud Iowa. 1t is within this region
that tornadoes occur with the greatest FREE
queney, the most uneXampled violence, the
most marked regularity and with the most
complete manifestation Of their peculiar
characteristics. .t
Here is an opportunity for complete and
satisfactory study Of the phenomena of tor
nadoes, which Is afforded in no other re-
gion of the United States. j hope this year
to take an advanced step In the work and
present such information to the public as
will result in practical good to all concerned.
Besides the work Of investigating any par
ticular storm, with view to gain new and
important truths, desire to push the labor
of ascertaining more definitely the condi-
tions precedent to the formation OF lorna
does in general, the phenomena and laws Of
cloud development, the velocity and power
OF the centripetal currents within the cloud
vortex, the arrangement of suitable plans
4
ties In advance Of the tornado, of conditions
favorable to its formation, and. lastly, to
prepare and disseminate such information
as will direct people how to act In defense
Of their lives, and to certain extent their
property, during the approach and passage
Of the tornado cloud. To accomplish these
results need the hearty cooperation Of
all intelligent people throughout the
Lower Missouri Valley / want every one
who can to give me any facts concerning a
| tornado OF the present or past, occurring
| either in the year 1882 or at any time during
! the past fifty years or more. Much can be
| done by the press OF the Missouri Valley to
aid in this great work, and | trust that there
| will be no lack OF active sympathy. l hope
| that through your columns you will succeed
in so encouraging belief in the importance
and necessity Of the work that your su bscrib-
| ers, contributors and readers will flood me
with facts, facts, facts. | desire every one to
become familiar, as far as it is possible, with
the exact kind of data needed in the work
now contemplated, and with view to aid
10 the accomplishment Of this object, the
| following questions and remarks are pub
lished. which embrace many OF the most
important points: .ual ssh .Iuli
THE QUESTIONS
l. What day of the month and at what time of
the day did the tornado cloud passS Take great
care in giving the exact time. Perhaps you
| watched your clock or noticed the approach or
passage of a railroad train. ...... 10y.
| 2. Give the position of your house with respect
to the nearest postoffce. indicate the same in
miles and parts of miles or rods; state the dis
lance in northing and casting. northing and
Wrestling, southing and casting, and southing and
westing, estimated along section and township
lines. Try. .I- .l."'
3. How far and in what direction is your
house situated from the center of the path OF
| destruction? HI.sf ..- -.I. 800.
4. Give the direction and distance from your
| house to your various farm buildings, if posi-
| BILE drawing plan of the same and indicating
the points of the compass. This plan need only
be a rough sketch. 60. i.| "H1 HfJ.
5. Give the Dimensions of your buildings and
state the character of each as to whether they
are log, frame, stone or brick, and weak OF
strong. .
| 6. In drawing plan of your buildings indi
cate the position of the tornados path with re-
spect to each of them and the direction in which
the tornado cloud moved. VI I.4al.iI
z. State in detail and separately the damage t.
each building, what portion portions were
taken away OF injured how far, and in what di
of each was first struck by the wind. and how
far, and in what direction was the debris car
ried? Be very careful to give the exact position
and peculiarities of. buildings which were
not damaged although standing near those
which were destroyed. u ..' ~ I..I
8. Be particular to note any evidence of the
winds extreme violence. as in the lifting OF
heavy objects; the twisting of trees or heavy
pieces of timber, pulling up of fenceposts; re.
moving heavy stones, etc, etc. ''.''
g. In describing the injury to any person, ami
NAL or object, never fail to give the distance
and direction of such person. animal or ob.
at the time the tornado cloud PASSED. 70 'lh
10. In general when giving the position of
the path of destruction, state the distance in
feet or rods and the direction as north OF
south.
in yards or rods, of the path of destruction IL
your locality. t''1l pr .t'l" 'i.t tL'l F.
r., Give the direction of the. wind while tn,
tornado cloud was approaching, while the lorna
tdo cloud was passing and after the tornado
SiouU P1easp'U b.flI.L., IL. L,
part of the day and up to the time of the frs
1 IA. The prevailing direction of the wind Al
i5 ' Gave the general atmospheric conditions OF
TEN perature, wind direction, humidity anc
clouds, for, from ten to fifteen days previous to
the occurrence of this tornado and from thret
ia. Give the direction of the whirl of the tor
nsdo cloud, as against or with the bands of q
III. Was the day unusually warm and suitryi
Giye the maximum temperature II possible
setbsr With the direction Of the wind and STATE
IS. What had been about the average daily
TEN perature, also the maximum and minimum
together with the accompanying directions OF
the wind, for eight or ten days previous TO the
occurrence of the tornado, and for three days
| succeeding its appearance! 800
L. 10. Send any newspaper article concerning the
storm which you may have 9r car, obtain, With
"a Give the name and address of any one in
your State who is in the habit of keeping, me
teorologcal record or who desires to keep one
and would Like instruotions..-a-a.@
81. In all descriptions of the tornado's path:
in giving any particular destruction in it. in de-
failing your experience while the tornado cloud
was passing, be careful to state ON which side
of the cenfet (tothe north or to the south, aud
how far) the damage occurred or you were stu-
ated while witness of the scene.
o. Do you know of any one who made obser-
vations on the presence of ozone in the atmos-
phere on the dsS of the Storm If SC. send me
their address or give the result of the observa
tions. ,-fii'lli ,-i'i - N.
49, Do you know of any one who made obs err
vations With the galvanometer or compass con-
corning the detection of the needle dliring the
| all Ia h.. A.,