Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-08-15
A TROPICAL TORNADO.
An Ex-NavaI Onicer's Account of His
Experience in Real Japanese Ty-
phOOn
From The BaItinors 4 0lorioan

phoOn.
From the Baltimore 4 D,eriodn.
"The tornado of Monday last in Phila-
delpha was a vivid illustration of what
the wind can do when it gets good ready
on" said John d. Robinson, member of
Assembly from Delaware county and for
eleven years an officer in the United
states Navy. II was over yesterday to
see the effects Of the blow in Camden, and
the destruction is similar to that caused
by hurricane in tue tropics, OF an East
India typhOon. No one can ever believe
the wind could exert such unearthly force
until he has experienced it himself. l
was IN typhOOn once ON Aug. IL, 1871,
in the United States storeship Idaho, in
Yokohama harbOr, Japan. never
want another such experience.
We had a long spell of intensely
hot weather. The day before the
tvphOon part of the Tenth British Regi-
ulent and Royal Marines, exchanged to 90
home, were transferred TO n transport,
and to avoid the heat moved In the early
morning. Five of the men were sunstruck
when the sun was not 3 deg. high. We
had about 81 hours notice of the coming
of the typhoon by the fall of the barome-
ter, the shifting of the wind and increas-
ing moisture Of the atmosphere. A lew
hours Before the centre Of the storm passed
the sky became filled with inky black
clouds, gyratng around in the most con-
fused manner; the wind blew a steadily
increasing gale, finally, as the storm cen
ire was on US, assuming hurricane viO-
lence.
Il was navigating officer, and part of
my duty was TO watch the barometer and
sympsiesOmeter, which / marked every
ten and i've minutes. The mercury fell
in regular jumps toward the last as if the
bottom was out of the tube, hating at
27.46. For the half hour preceding this
the sitution was awful. We were at an
cn0r in the harbOr, the two best bowers
down and veered 70 80 fathOms of chain
on each. The harbOr was full OF craft
large and small. Admiral KeppelPs flag
ship, a Ciyde-built steamer, was on one
side OF us, the Pacific mail steamer Amer
lea, Capt. Warsaw, on the other, and
! Norwegian bark near astern. The steam
ers kept full head OF steam on, and could
ease up their cables. Our vessel and the
other sailing craft had to trust to their
cables.
1.-The danger Of fouling was imminent
Tho bark dritted all around us, Fortunate
~ not striking. Had she done so, both
vessels would have been ground to pieces.
The wind at it's height WAS simply indie
scribable, the noise like that of ten thou
sand devils yelling in air. There was no
sea on while the wind blew at its greatest
velocity, as it cut the tops OFF the waves
/ like knife, and the air was filled with a
/ binding salt mist. We could not show
/ our heads above the rail. To look To
/ windward or hold our head up against
/ the wind was impossible. When the ba-
/ rometer ceased falling the wind fell and a
/ dead calm, awful in Its stiffness, succeed
ed tor about 10 minutes. We were then
4 in the vortex OF the storm and, as we after
! calculated, four miles from the actual
centre. As the wind luled the sea rose
and came piling In the barber in tumultu-
I GUS waves, running In all directions, top
ping up over our decks and MI them with
tous OF water. Our matches were batten-
ed down and everything was fast, OF
i course, but our most serious danger was
just then, as we were loaded deep, and
( rolled SO that we actually thought at one
/ time we'd turn clean over, but we came
through II all right butheayily shaken up.
1.-The wind came out from the opposite
| quarter, IN few minutes blew tue sea
down again, aud ragged with demoniac
force and decreasing velocity for an hour
or 80, the baromer jumped up 10 near
thirty inches again, tue sky cleared until
there was not a cloud 10 be seen, and the
typhoon was past; hut it left its wrec K
behind. Numbers OF small craft aud seye.
raj large steamers were on the beach in
f, pieces no eyer than a yard stick. This
harbOr was full OF tea boxes for days from
the wrecked vessels. Ashore the view
was like IN Camden yesterday, only the
swath far wider. have been i've times
across the Atlantic, IN some heavy win
I try gales on that treacherOus ocean; was
/ in cyclone OF Hatteras In the irgate
Macedonia; have scudied 1000 miles
before the brave westerly winds
on one parallel, OF Cape OF Good Hope.
/ when going out 10 India, bur have never
seen the wind blow 30 hard AS in that
| typhoou. Indeed, | never believed IL
could blow so. and used 20 Joke at the
mess table with the executive OIiicer, who
had been In typhOon prior 10 this one,
and would yarn about IL. During the
/ height OF the typhOon he was standing
alongside Of me under the break OF TIE
poop. Capt. j. Crittenden Watson WAS
IN the cabin praying. He leaned down
close TO my ear, and yelling with all his
pOwer-0therwise ! could not have heard
him for the shrieking OF the wind-said
Now, d--n you, don't you believe it cnn
/ blowY My reply was an affirmative nod
of the head, as | registered the next jump
/ OF the barometer"
us there no way OF escaping or mitiga-
ting the dangers OF these violent lorna
does!"
None that science has yet discovered
T Outside, with sea room. YOU can run out
OF them II you are warned soon enough
as the Captain OF the Twilight tried % do
last Monday, but II caught in the track
Of one all YOU can do Is 20 make every
thing snug about decks. battcn down
+ your hatches, bend your storm sails. furl
| your square sails AID double lash them,
/ run llfe-lines along the decke, and put
/ your trust in Providence
A Good Many Failures.
During the year 1855 there were 10 sos
/ failures In business In the United States
I and Canada. Some 0l htse were big CON
\ Germs, and some were very small. Fall
/ ure j. a eortOwiul business 60 any man.
\ esuecially 10 % Is his health that fails. a
y great many times l1,l people tall ln