The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1885-11-25
CYCLONES AND TORNADOES.
THEIR ORIGIN, CHARACTERIsTICS
AND METHoDs OF DESTRUCTION.
Damage Done i'm n Single Year-A
Few Rules for the Preservation
of Human Life,


Science says that cyclone Is a rotatory
storm of extended circuits that it is born
on the ocean and moves landward; that
it occurs once or twice a week during
the spring and summer. and that it is
frequently of so mild character as to be
hardly worth chronicling. A tornado,
on the contrary, says science, is a furious
tempest which moves rapidly along a
limited circuit, often passes out to sea
before its strength is gone, and is usually
accompanied by hail, rain and thunder
storms. The tornado generally moves
from the southwest to the northeast. It's
cloud is funnel-shaped and Ievolves
! about central vertical axis in direc-
ton contrary to that of the hands of
watch. 1t occurs almost always between
3 and p. NJ. 1t most frequently occurs
between April l and September 1, June
and July being its favorite months.
There are instances, however, on record
it which it occurred during every month
of the year. 1t gives due warning OF its
approach by making the atmosphere
sultry and oppressive, and when it has
sufficiently sickened unhappy mortals in
this way it appears in the southwest and
northeast in the form of fantastically-
shaped clouds of varied hue. These
clouds suddenly dash together, and then
the tempest begins. Roaring like ten
thousand bulls of Bashan the destroyer
whirls along, sweeping down everything
in its path.
Few people have any conception of the
amount of damage done by tornadoes.
Take the year 1884 alone. In that year
there were 80 storms in Georgia, % in
South Carolina, 1S in Alabama, - in
North Carolina, 10 in Kansas. 10 in Wis
consin, 8 in Dakota, Z in Kentucky, in
Mississippi, in Texas, 5 in New York,
4 in Indiana. 3 in Ohio, in Missouri 3
in Minnesota, 2 in Pennsylvania, 2 in
Arkansas, 2 in Colorado, 2 in Nebraska,
in Tennessee, 1 in Illinois, 1 in the
Indian Territory and 1 in Louisiana.
During the month of February alone
there were 40 storms. OF the entire
number during the year SO took north
easterly direction. In 80 instances the
tornado cloud was shaped like funnel,
in four like an inverted cone, like an
hour glass, in 2 like balloon, a trun-
Gated cone and an acorn.
The first great storm was on February
about $500 and destroyed property
valued at 81, 600, 900. Over 10, 900 build
ngs were wrecked and many head of
cattle killed. On March II a storm killed
people, wounded so, destroyed guam
tity of farm stock and wrecked prop
ertv valued at $3.50, 900. On March % a
storm killed n persons, wounded 29S
and wrecked property valued at $3.50,
! 900. On April 1 n storm killed 80 per-
sons, wounded 277, and wrecked prop
erty valued at $3.50, 900. On April IA a
storm killed AZ persons, wounded 1886,
and wrecked property valued at $3.50,
900. On April 81 storm killed Is per-
sons, wounded 115, and wrecked prop
erty valued at 1915, 900. On May 81 a
storm killed s persons, wounded SO,
and wrecked property valued at $780,
900. On July a storm killed 8 per-
sons, wounded 26, and wrecked prop
erty valued at $3.50, 900. 1t occurred in
various States. between and p. NJ. On
| July a storm killed II persons.
wounded 55 and wrecked property valued
at $3.50, 900. On September 0 a storm
killed 10 persons, wounded 70, and
wrecked property valued at $1,000, 000.
/ Three hundred houses were destroyed by
! it. On September % a storm killed per-
sons, wounded 40 and wrecked property
valued at 5000, 900. Among its victims
were 20 horses Several other storms
occurred during the year, and though of
! lesser importance than the one men
| toned, proved sufficiently destructive to
live stock and various other kinds of
property. On September %, for ex-
ample, a storm in Clarendon county,
S. c., wounded several persons, killed a
cow, a horse, and three mules, and
wrecked four dwellings, ain house,
several other dwellings, and machinery
valued at 81 900.
Tornadoes are said to be the result of
a struggle between the prevailing winds
in the basin of the Mississippi. These
winds are from the northwest in winter
and from the southwest in summer
Well. when these two opposing forces
meet each other during the transition
periods of spring and autumn they
naturally fight for supremacy. The re-
suit is that the north wind has to knuckle
under Now, having the warm earth
below it and the still warmer south wind
above it, it feels its own temperature
increasing and tries hard to get out of
its prison. But it cannot escape, being
pressed onward by its own volume, and
then its agony begins. Meanwhile il
has chilled the atmosphere above and
forces it to give out torrents of rain,
which is frequently converted into heavy
hailstones before it reaches the earth
owing to the rapid evaporation as il
passes through the cold north wind un,
derneath Finally, the north vino
bursts upward through the warm south
wind with a whirlng and progressive
motion, and, finding no more impedi
ment in its path, rushcs swiftly on iti
mad career.
A gentleman who has travelled mucl
in the West and South and seen wha
damage a tornado can do, thinks tha
many lives might be saved by the OBJ
servance of few wise precautions
I al ieutenant Finley. of the signal seryic,