The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1882-04-28
Suggestions Regarding TOrnadOes.

General Hazen, Chief Signal Officer, is pay
ing much attention tot the subject Of tornadoes,
with a view of obtaining 50 clear knowledge
of this class of storms that some Of their evils
may be mitigated. All who live in regions
that are liable to be often visited by these de-
structive winds will beinterested to know that
already Sergeant Finley ID about to start out to
investigate the track of the storms which
swept over Michigan, Iowa and Illinois on the
9th inst. Sergeant Finley has done some very
valuable work on this subject. Last year the
Signal Service issued as one Of its professional
papers a very important monograph on the
character of the storms of May y and June 80,
1873. The paper was very elaborate, and there
is now in press another professional paper by
the same writer. which contains tabulated
statements of 800 tornadoes and some general
izations from their facts, with some sugges-
tons as to the method that ought to
be pursued in the investigation Of the
storms. The 600 storms cover period
of eighty-seven years and the whole
country. Their examination leads to the
conclusion that tornadoes occur most fire.
quently in summer and in the month Of June.
They have occurred, however, more frequent
ly in April than in July, and in May and Sep
TENDER than in August. Kansas is the State
that has been most afflicted, and that notwith-
standing the fact that the period during which
tornadoes have visited 1t has been compare
lively short. The State has had 81 tOrnadoes
from 1859 to 1851; Illinois has had 81, from 1854
to 1881; Missouri Al, from 1914 to 1881; New
York 81. from 1881 to 1881; Georgia 63, from
1854 to 1881; Iowa 81, from 1854 to 1881; Ohio %,
from 1873 to 1881: Indiana q, from 1859 to 1880.
The States and Territories that have had only
one each from 1874 to 1851 are Colorado, Cali
fornia, Indian Territory, Nevada, New Mexico,
Montana, Rhode Island, West Virginia and
Wyoming.
The storms occur most frequently from five
to six in the afternoon, although there Is no
hour of the day that has been entirely free
from them. The average width of the path OF
destruction is ], 0S5 feet, and each stOrm-clOud
runs with velocity of from twelve to sixty
miles. The wind within the vortex sometimes
attains a velocity of 500 miles an hour, the
average velocity being 3as miles
Among the most valuable suggestions of the
paper are those with reference to the pecul
iarity of the movements of tornado clouds,
containing rules for arriving at their violence.
A tornado cloud always has center, aud it al
ways moves forward from west to east It
may, however, sway from side to side in its
progressive movement. Changes in motion
are sometimes very sudden. in the event of
sudden change, the observer who is east or
south of east of the storm should move quick
ly to the south. If he is northeast, he should
move to the north. If within q very short dis
lance of the cloud, the observer should run
east, bearing to the south. This indicates the
character Of the directions which have been
given for the avoidance of the disastrous eff.
feet of storms. The examination that Ser
geant Finley will make of the recent storms
will be very thorough, and General Hazen ex-
poets that it will add greatly to the knowledge
Of tornadoes. Washington Aprl 16l Special to
Chicago Tribune.