Cheyenne transporter. [volume] (Darlington, Indian Terr.) 1879-1886, 1882-08-10
HISTORIC STORMS.
No Greater Tendency TO Destructive
Storms at Present Than in Former


The rapid succession and destructive
results of the severe storms that
have visited the United States
this year have provoked popular
comment and created serioue
alarm. 1t is claimed by many, who
could not have studied the subject at
tentively, that in the present genera
ton there is an increased tendency to
these violent atmospheric disturbances.
To dissipate this idea is the purpose Of
this paper.
The laws Of storms are as ancient as
eternity, but we have only very re
Gently become partially acquainted with
them; besides, the march of civiliza-
tiOn has made gigantic strides within
the last decade, and immense areas
that were the habitat of the red man
and the buffalo have been subjected to
the demands of higher citizenship
whose previous knowledge Of the ter
ritOry was restricted to very circum-
scribed limits. The Indian kept no
meteorological record; he knew moth
ing Of dow barometer" or "high." His
untutOred mind saw naught but "God
in the clouds" or "heard him in the
wind" We, suddenly, as it were,
brought in contact with new meteor
illogical conditions, peculiar to intra-
continental regions, fancy that great
changes have come over the country
in its relations to violent storms.
AS / attempted to show in my ar
ticle on the aurora, in a recent num-
Der Of the Capital, the storm-tlack is
erratic as to localities, and in degree
OF violence depends upon solar radia-
tiOn (sOlar energy which in turn varies
in intensity in periods that approach
a mathematical constant. In other
words, although violent storms at the
beginning and end of these cycles, Tin
fact all our storms in this region) move
on general lines towards the east, their
locality is constantly changing; at one
time they may be persistent in the
valley of the Mississippi, for instance,
and then be suddenly transferred to
Europe.
The line of "low barometer" moves
in such direction as the sun dicates,
end no locality on earth can claim the
mastership. 1t is the great solar orb
which is the imperious monarch, and
our miserable little globe its passive
slave. l am now referring to what are
termed violent storms, popularity called
cyclones, properly, though. tornadoes,)
which carry death and destruction in
their wake. OF course, slow barome.
ter" has its regular march each re.
curing season, dependent upon the
position of the sun, and is still the
cause of all our storms, showing that
the same laws, differing only in the in.
tensity of their action, govern the
gentlest zephyr as well as the terrible
and death-dealing tornado.
In the record of the great storms OF
history which now propose to present
1t will be observed that a caleful com
parison OF the dates furnish very
strong basis for the hypothesis ad
vanced in previous article to res
upon. 1t will also be observed tha
the great storms to which reference i,
here made extended over areas fully
equal to any that have ever visited
Kansas OF which there is any authen
tic report, and were more destructiv,
In their effect. The disturbing caus
was the same then as now; there ha
been no change in this particular, no
VIII there ever be 80 long as the exist
ing relations between the sun an
earth continue. 1t is fixed, immut
able law that governs all, and is tn
conhrmatory proof of the persistenc
OF nature. Lightning the most vivit
thunder the most deafening. and earth
quake shocks characterized the terrihl