Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-08-06

Ihe HEMCA OF sNe A0FmaHos w.
The tornado that swept over portion
of Philadelphia and Camden and de-
molished the upper works of the steam
boat Major Reybold Monday afternoon,
was confined to strip of territory few
miles in length and about $50 yards in
breadth. II seems to have run its course
in about ten minutes and to have moved
with a jumping motion, descending to
the ground and scattering buildings and
trees in some places, then sud
denly rising and passing over several
blocks TO descend again and renew its
work of destruction. Such local tornadoes
are often heard from in western rural dis
tricts, but this is perhaps the first time
one has descended upon and confined its
track to one of our large cities, Consider
ing the destructive force Of the storm and
the thickly settled territory over which it
swept, it is fortunate that the damage
done was not even greater. Estimates of
that damage naturally vary consider
ably. The Philadelphia Press reckons
up four persons killed, So wounded,
some OF whom will die, five others miss
ing, Ave vessels wrecked, hundreds of
| people rendered homeless and hundreds
more ruined by calamity for the havoc
of which there is no insurance. II COM
putes the probable money loss at 1920, 900,
apportionod as follows: In Philadelphia,
S150,000; in Camden, $3.50, 900; on the
river, 100000. Some estimates are much
heavier; the Record estimating the damage
in Camden alone at 81 100000.
From the news at hand it looks as
though the tornado was really born on
Elk Neck and, after sweeping through a
strip of Cecil county similar in extent to
that over which it passed in Philadelphia
and Camden, it seems to have left the
earth, leaped harmlessly over the north
western part of this State and
over Delaware county, and de-
scended again at Greenwich Point.
Doubtless there were natural and
applicable reasons for this seemingly
erratic behavior on the part of the unex.
pected and unwelcome visitor and meteor
ologists will find it interesting, and prob
ably important, to collect all the attain
able data of its course and submit the
same to u searching scientific investigl-
ton. We are informed that the storm
occurred on ELK Neck about p. IN, and,
after passing iii n zigzag line little 10
the east of north, disappeared few miles
TO The north Of Elkton. The beginning
of the storm in Philadelphia was about
3.15 p. III. II would seem from these
figures, supposing the Cecil county and
Philadelphia tornadoes to have been
identical, that the storm occupied atleast
one hour in traversing the space (about 45
miles in direct line) intervening between
its disappearance in Maryland and its re-
appearance ut Greenwich Point
Even this, however, had the storm
moved straight ahead, would argue a
wind velocity amounting to pretty
: brisk gale; the popular definition makiny
Z miles per hour gentle breeze, IA miles
IL light breeze, q miles brisk breezes,
~ miles gale, 60 miles heavy storm
and 50 TO 100 miles hurricane.
surprising the storm to have pursued a
zig-zag course through the upper air, the
apparent velocity of IFS passage between
these points may have been very much
below its real velocity.
: The hypothesis seems reasonable that
the tornado swept downward in the track
of warm and, consequently, lighter nil
currents, and WIS driven upwards
again by collision with cooler and
: denser volumes of air. Whether
Smyrna experienced touch Of til,
, main tornado or was afflicted with u littl,
, tornado Of its own remains to be deter
t mined us does also the meaning of til,
strange freight which the wind brough
! 70 New Castle later in the afternoon.