Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-06-02
HOW tYCIsONEs ARE MANUFAC.
TURED.
Prof. Cleveland Able Explains the Pro-
cess 10 a Star Reporter.


Prof. Cleveland Able ExpIains the Pro
cess TO a Star Reporter.
THE fRAyEIs OF Low" AND WHAT 'Low" IN
DIcATEs-wHAr CAUSES GREAT STORMS
RUSHING wHIRLP0OLS OF AIR-rHE FREQuEX-
cY QF THE OCCURRENCE OF CYCLONES IN Drr.
FERsNr STATES, &C.
"People think that cyclones can be predicted
or prevented byi the weather bureau and that
we are TO blame for them," remarked Prof
Cleveland Able. fhe weather manufacturer. yes
terday to STAR man. The reporter had climbed
four flights of stairs in the building on 18th,
near street, for the purpose offnding out how
ana where cyclones were manufactured. The
room which the weather dispenser occupied was
uncarpesed and the furniture was reduced to
The inside limits of bare necessity. Spread out
on the desk before the professor were number
OF weather maps, and the visitor. with some ap-
prehension, reached the conclusion that the
professor had prepared for big cyclone in this
vicinity, and was then tracing its course upon
the map. His fears of an immediate war Of the
elements was somewhat relieved by the
professors saying, by way of explanation, that
ne was completing the preparations for the
Greeley search expedition.
THE TRAVELS OF "Low"
Resumlng the train Of thought, which the
question OF the visitor had aroused, the Profess
sor arose, went to another desk and brought
out pile of maps, which are used In the daily
work OF the weather bureau. On these are de-
picted, by series of concentric lines and para
boic curves, the wanderings Of that uneasy
meteorological factor known among weather
observers Familiarity as "Low, )" or the center of
hnN nkv&A lsI l.
always at the head Of the procession when a
''cod wave" starts down from the northwest. and
he is likewise around somewhere in the vicinity
when cyclone starts out on a rampage.
NOW, as you can see," continued the profess
sor, I'VE have maps with the predictions Of each
the case on tle 18th and 18th of May, when it was
central In northern Wisconsin, we predict for
those regions that severe local storms may be
expected. We make these predictions in our
midnight reports during the spring and summer
months. We have done this since 1871"
"We find It to be an invariable rule" said the
professor. running his eye over the pictured
travels Of Low, ''that in the region south aud
east Of low barometer we have numerous local
thunder storms, which occasionally develop into
severe tOrnadoes or cyclones"
WHAT CYCLONES ARE.
''What are cyclones, professor" asked THE
STAR man, with some curiosity.
whole class Of storms which are characterized
by winds blowing in toward and around the
center or low. A big storm, that Is, a cyclone
are winds blowing In and around the center, and
llttle storms and hurricanes are the same, only
In less degree. The movements of the wind
about low give rise to the appearance Of spiral
motion" 50.
In the accounts Of the recent cyclones In the
west 1t Is stated that rapidly moving dark
m mi u-ny,fn
the country, leaving desoation in its track.
The professor stated that these accounts agreed
In the main features with what has long been OBJ
served OF such phenomena. The inward rush of
winds toward a depressed center was the cause
OF our thunder storms, which are only infant
cyclones.
THE CONDITION OF AFFAIRS IN THE CYCLONE
REGION.
"What is the cause of the difference In the
Intensity Of these storms" asked the listener.
"We have just one hypothesis" replied the
professor, "to explain it, which, to my MIND, is
satisfactory for all occasions"
"And what Is that 2" was the question.
"The whole country for 500 miles square.
from the Missouri to the Ohio valley, is covered
with mass of warm, most air. flowing north
ward. At numerous spots in this region the
air acquires an upward as well as an horizontal
motion, thereby giving rise to local upward
This cooling is mechanical result of the ex-
pansion OF the ascending air, and very soon q
temperature is reached low enough to begin the
condensation into clouds Of the hitherto invis-
IDLE moisture. With the formation of tho cloud
the tendency to rise increases so that in fact an
upward suction is experienced under the cloud
and more air Is drawn in from all sides to feed
this suction. But the air floating upward
toward the cloud falls into rapid rotation
around some central axis, precisely as water
inn frnyrn g..
pool at the center. Just as the rotation Of par
tlcles OF water at the center of the washbowl Is
vastly more rapid than that OF the particles at
the edge, 80 the rotation Of the air increases
rapidly as 1t approaches the cloud toward which
1t Is being drawn. The laws Of mechanics ex-
enon is seen tn the motion Of comets, which are
Wntoward the sun, and revolve about him with
immense rapidity when they have approached
quite near, but move very slowly when at dis
lance. 1t very common to observe in tornadoes
and waterspouts the rapid rotation going on
at the under surface of the cloud, and if the
cloud Is. rapidly fed with warm, moist
air, the in-draft will be steadily &C
CELEBRATED until from it there descends
to the very surface OF the earth whirlpool
OF lnruslling air. The supply of most air prin-
clpally determines whether cloud shall increase
in size until its central whirling spout shall
reach down to the earth or whether it shall re-
act only part of the way down and cause little
or no damage.
WHAT MAKES CLOUDS AND TORNADOES.
Whatever causes sudden up-rush of moist
air., continued the professor, sit contributes to
the formation of the cloud or the tornado Hills
or low mountains are very effective in this re-
spect. But it is equally important to consider
the cool, dry air that flows from the north to-
ward low center and becomes west wind as
it turns around the low and runs into the mass of
warm, moist air coming from thesouth. and being
denser it underruns and lifts up this arm air and
is in many cases more effective than mountain
In starting the formation of cloud and local
storms. A beautiful illustration Of this occur
red on the Goth and 30th o. May, 1879, when
IS tornadoes, to say nothing Of many other
smaller thunder storms occurred in portions of
Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska Of these
each one pursued only short path individual
ly, and. chronolOgically considered, each one
marked the successive advance Of an extensive
area Of denser dry air flowing eastward in the
wake of an area OflOw pressure"
WHERE CYCLONES CAN OCCUR
"Can cyclones occur anywhere" asked the
reporter with lively interest, cor are they con-
fined to certain regions2"
"They can occur in any region of the globe"
was the reply, where there is large enough