The Panola weekly star. (Sardis, Miss.) 1882-18??, 1882-04-29
Suggestions Regarding Tornadocs.

General Iiazcn. Chief Signal Oiioor, Ia pay.
Ing much attention totho subject Of tornndocs,
with view Of obtaining 10 clear knowledge
0f this class Of storm. that sotrio oi their evils
may bo ihltlgatcd All who live IN regions
that are liable 10 bc often visited by these do
siruotlve winds will bointoresied 10 know that
already Sergeant Finley ID about 10 start out 10
investigate the track Of tho storms which
swept over Michigan Iowa and Illinois on tho
9th inst. Sergeant Finley has done some very
valuable work on this subject Last year tho
Signal Service Issued as QUO of lts professional
papers very important monograph on tho
character Of tho storms Of May ~ and Juno %,
1870. The paper was very elaborate, and thor.
is now In prcs another professional pspor by
tho same writer which contains tabulatod
sintemenis of go tornadoes and some general
ikntions from thcir facts, with some suggcs-
tions M TO the method that ought 10
BE- pursued IN the investigation of tho
storms. Tho 900 storms cover a period
Of eighty-sovon years and tho whole
country. Their examination loads 10 tho
conclusion that tornndoca occur Most fro
puently In summer and In the month of Juns
They hayo occurred, however, moro frequent
iy In April than In July, and In May and Sep
tembcr than IN August Kansas !. IN. State
that has boon most afflicted, and that notwith.
standing tho fact that tho period during which
tornadocs have visited II has boon compare
lively short. Tho State has had q tornsdots
from 1879 to 1881; Illinois has had 81, from 1854
% 1881; Missouri "a. from 1914 10 ISL. New
York IS frpm 1881 TO 1881, Georgia o. from
1864 IN 1871; Iowa n, from 1854 10 1881, Ohio "a,
from Issl 10 1891. Indiana n, from 1859 b. Isso.
Tho States and Territories that have had only
one each frum i1pi to 1881 aro Colorado. Cali
fornia. Indian Territory, Ncvaia, Nov Nerioo,
Montana, Rhode Island, West Virginia and
Wyoming.
Tho storms occur most frequently from ave
% six IN tho afternoon. although thsre Il no
hour of tho day that ha, been entirety free
from them. Tho average width Of thu path Of
destruction Il i.0a5 feet, and each siorm-eloud
runs with velocity of from twelve 10 sixty
miles. The wind within tho VORTEX sometimes
stiaIns a velocity OF 800 miles an hour. ths
avorngo velocity being ma miles.
Among the most valnsble suggestions OF tho
paper arr those with reference 10 tho peoul-
ianty of tho movements of tornado clouds,
containing rules for arriving At their violence.
A tornado cloud always has acontsr, and u al
ways moves forward from west b east. II
may. however, sway from side % side IN its
progressive movement Changes IN motion
arc sometimes very sudden. In the eycnt Of a
sudden change, the observer who IA east OF
south of east Of the stnrm should move quick
iy to tho south. n he Il northeast. he should
movo 10 the north. n within . vary short de
tance Of the cloud. tho observer should run
east, bearing TO the south. THIS insIeafs- the
character Of tho directions which have been
given for Tho avoidance Of tho disastrous ef-
feet of storms. Tho examination that scr-
gcant Finley will make Of thu recent storms
will be VERY thorough, and General Iiassn er-
poets that u will add greatly 10 the knowledge
Of tornsiocs.- Washington tApra ~ sp>elai 70
CAicago Tribune.