Daily Los Angeles herald., 1883-10-21
Tho cvolone Business.

The Aha Of the 10Th, states that the the
ory Of tho electrical origin Of cyclones, as
announced in tho HERALD OF recent date,
is disputed by the Signal Service officers
which is calculated to fill tho breast
Of the HERALD reporter with terror. 1t
was only by vigorous doses OF the old
mythology, assuring him that the earth
was fat, that his life was saved as a
monument Of mercy. But II might be
interesting to know how many Signal
Service observers united In that decision,
in order to know how many rooms
should be prepared in the insane asylum
for their reception. 1t is very likely that
some man, by the grace of General
Hazen appointed signal observer, may
have stated that there is no electricity
about these storms, but that has as
much effect on the people as the broom
of King Canu;e in sweeping back the
tides OF the ocean, and no more. The
fearful power of these revolving columns
OF air, water and hail, cannot be ac-
counted for by any OF the unseen forces
of the earth, except by electricity. Hay-
ing witnessed some of these awful visi-
tations in the eastern country, and the
electrical disturbances which they cause,
it seems most reasonable to ascribo
them to the power Of electricity. The
people W ho never saw one OF those storms
have no conception Of their deadly pow
er. To say that they are invigorated
and sent forward by the ordinary pow
ers Of the air, is simply impossible OF be-
lief. Take for an example, the great
cyclone which destroyed the town OF
Rochester, in Minnesota, few weeks
ago. Miss Phoebe Cozzens, the well.
known lawyer, happened to be there,
and sets down the facts that came un.
der her personal observation. In de
scribing the effect and energy Of the cy
clone, she states;
"a farmers wife, caught in the field,
ran for stake, but her limbs were torn
off and the stake was driven through
her body; ayoung woman is so mangled
with ashes driven into her body that she
cannot live, and boys spine was 50
filed with nails that he will die Of lock.
Jaw; a COW had her head blown from
the body so that the two horns pierced
her bowels. The only safety was in
cellars" Miss Cozzens writes TO heI
friends: But the most heartrendine
sight was the big hall, with the house
less and homeless and killed and
wounded. Near the door of the hall
improvised as hospital, lay five chill
dren, all dreadfully hurt, whose parents
had both been killed. A sixth child, the
baby, never has been found. This sigh
moved the stout-hearted to tears. Ovei
forty were in here-men, women ano
children--in a most pitiable condition
One cunning baby, which reminded m,
of IS little one, which no one
claimed, with one of its eyes put out
lay and gazed with its one eye at every
one who passed, with the most intelli
gent questioning look, as ii to say
'What does all this meant Can no on,
find my mammal"
Such fearful effects of travelling
force cannot be ascribed to any OF thu
ordinary powers of the atmosphere
They are too fierce to be ascribed to thu
usual yicissitudes OF the air, and tn,
only known force that could accomplish
these results appears to be electricity.
Just why a Signal Service
man should know that thes'
roaming vortices were not elec
trical is hard to conceive knowl
edge is supposed to be free. and, with
all Difference to the intelligence of th'
excellent men who compose the sigma
Service corps, we shall be obliged t.
differ from them. The observations o
the writer, of the appearance and power
Of the air, extend from 1885 to the pres
ent day, and we trust that, like tn
apostle ON the way to Damascus, thougl
with different intent, we have not sine
that time ''been unmindful OF the heav
emily vision"
The study of meteorology is mos
delightful exercise, both interesting an
rewarding, and comparison of variou
effects OF storms, and an observation o
their coming and going, clearly shoy
that electricity has much to do with al
storms of a vertical character, on tn,
plains Of the earth north or south of q
degrees from the meteorological equator
In the zone of Gains there are othe
influences that may sometimes produc,
them, but those influences or energies
do not prevail on our prairies. When I
better reason for the cause of vortica
storms can be found than the action o
electricity we shall cheerfully accept it
Until such reason puts in an appearance
the old theory will hold the fort.