The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-04-10
Practical Hints in Regard to Toradocs

The tornado season IS emoraceo oee"ecu
Z the 1st of April and the lst of Septem'
ber, but ia the latitude of Kansas City
most tornadoes occur in the month Of
May and June. AS we go North Oh
South of this latitude they sre proper
! Stionally earlier or later, and early or late
seasons vary the time of their occurrence
correspondingly.
Tornadoes occur in the afternoon
generally between two o'clock and
four O'Clock being called the lorna
do hours.
Tornadoes move from Southwest to
Northeast, generally East about twenty
degrees North, and their linear move
ment is ordinarily from thirty to forty
miles an hour.
Tomatoes occur on sultry days, or
when the temperature is very high and
tie air is thoroughly saturated With
moisture.
Tornadoes occur when the electrical
conditions are high, or when the air is
highly charged with electricity.
The approach Of tornado may be
known by ominous clouds appearing 10
the Southwest and also in the Northwest.
The clouds sometime resemble the smoke
Of q ahaystack, atother times they appear
like iridescent fog. Sometimes they pre-
sent q deep greenish hue. or intensely
black, or havea purplish, yellowish, or
bluish tinge. When these two masses or
banks of clouds under the impulse OF
opposing currents, approach each other
they are thrown into great confusion
there is roaring, likeped to the rumb-
ling of distant thunder, and an upward
expulsion of air and vapor. Soon the
funnel of the tornado is let down to the
earth and moves to the front, while scuds
of clouds play around it. The tornado
now formed has four characteristic move
ments: linear movement toward the
Northeast; gyratory movement North
of the equator) contrary to the nauds OF
a watch; a zigzag or swaying movement,
which leaves dentated edges in the path
Of the tornado; and rising and falling
movement, the poise of the upper cur
rent, by which the tornado leaps over
portions of its path.
If one is familiar with these premoni-
tory signs be is put on his guard, and
when the tornado appears, he is prepared
to.act intelligently and promptly. IN
der the preceding principles he can easily
determine the projected path of the tor
nado, from the location of the funnel,
and whether it will be necessary to run
North or South to escape from it. He
must, Of courae, not run East or West.
When q tornado is imminent, certain
precautions should be observed. Doors
and windows in houses should be closed,
animals in barns unhitched, and ami.
mails in stables let out. The safest place
in house is the Southwest corner on tue
first floor, or better perhaps, the South
west corner in the cellar. If tornado
oyertakes one on q prairie, lie face Gown
ward, head toward the East, and place
the hands over the head for protection.
If near q low solid object, like q large
stone or stump, lie face downward, East
of it, head toward the object, with hands
over the head for protection.
Every home should have dug out at
convenient distance from the house, or,
what is better, tornado room built into
the West or South wall of the cellar,
large enough for the family, and for
things of great value like deeds or money.
The destructive effects Of tornadoes re-
suit from the gynatory movement, which
is estimated as from one to five hundred
miles an hour. Tornadoes with the hour
glass form of cloud are the most intense,
and seem to be irresistible, but the great
er number of tornadoes are OF lower
intensity and we can build against them.
Frame houses are more tenacious or
elastic than brick or stone, and when
overthrow are not so destructive to life.
They should have strong frames. Brick
houses should have an extra layer OF
brick laid in cement in the West and
South walls. Some houses with very
thick walls laid in cement are co!npara-
lively safe against most toruadoes.
Houses built near hill or bluff pre-
senting an elevation should be located on
the Northeast side, as the elevation tends
to lift the tornado over the house. "A
grove of hard wood, such as oak, maple,
walnut and hickory, Southwest o: q
house, or forest Southwest of town.
has tendency to break the force OF Il
tornado and drive it into the upper Asr,
although it is not safe for u person I" be
near tree or in grove daringa q lorna
, do for fear of being struck by aylng-tlm'
Der. Occasionally tornado OF great
intensity will cut clean swath through
grove, but forests tend to break The
force Of tornadoes, and will drive most
of them into the upper air. All towns
in prairie States should plant heavy
groves of hard timber Southwest of them.
During a residence of forty years in
Southern Michigan when it was heavily
timbered, tornadoes were unknown, that
is, they were driven into the upper air
and rendered harmless; but since the
forest have been cut away torn"does in
that part Of the State have become same
what frequent aiid destructive NO. 10
build and protect agai:.s: 'ofha'!"e'