Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-12-23
TORNADO STUDIES.
soxs ERRONEOUS rHEoRfSs.

meehsutcai E0tcte ~ we ss
p,.s,,ss ana Explosive Fas'ee'es-'"
eu.y Reasf science Css Extend
A Washington lettcr to the Gfoos
Democrat says There Is theory tns
cities arc in comparatively less DANCE
nom tornadoes because the heavier ant
more durable structures may DC OK
p,cted TO break up the cloud yorte'
and thwart its fury. LIEUTENANT t'n
law. {" the tornado man" Of the sigma
service. shakes his head and dcclare
that IL is q great mistake.
"Recall," he says, "the visitation =
philadelphia only last August. In
tornado which swept through Marsh
field, No.. with such awful conse
ouepces would havo p'oughed furroV
through st. Louis h. it struck the citl
instead Of the town. The creates
structures Of stone and iron will, IN IN!
orinion. melt like wax in fire whom thu
vortex reaches them. New York will
it's great environments and its millions
of people, may suffer when it least ex
meets. never see the Brooklyn orids'
that I don't think what splendid TAR
get il would make for tornado. Ina,
vast framework Of steel and IRON VIII
be torn from its piers and hurled ih'c
the East river if the vortex ever s'f'AcS
it,"
"Are tornadoes increasing or de-
ereasing?" - 80
Neither. There is no change, no
nrosneot of change, that we can see IN
the frequency Of them or IN their vlo-
Iepoe. As this country becomes thicSiy
settled the losses are greater. because
there is more to destroy In the pain.
Where q few years ago the tornado
cloud spent its fury on unoccupied prai-
ries or in forests. now 1t sweeps over
cities, valleys, and farms"
"You mean 10 say that you loon
ahead and figure on q specified NUMBER
of ternsdoes in o given period?"
THE AVERAGE MAINTAINED.
"Precisely. From the data We have
we confidently look for about l60 oil
these visitations each year. There are
theories held that as the western coun-
try undergoes transformation through
settlement the atmospheric conditions
are changing so as to affect the number
and force Of these whirling clouds. Our
records and observations do not show
such results.
"You remember" went on the
Lieutenant, "what took place at Grin
nell, that beautiful Iowa town, in 1872?
The cloud encountered in succession
three great stone and brick structures
of the college and levelled them with
the ground. Did that break up the
vortex? Not at all. The cloud swept
on with strength enough after that
mighty wrestling-match to lift up a
sixty.ton engine and train OF freight
ears, scattering them out upon the
prairie. 1t continued its course for
miles before it gave evidence of lessen
Ing fury. q
"No," said the lieutenant, 1--WE
can't build big enough or strong enough
above ground to defy the tornado. We
have material evidence, and we have
mathematical deductions to demonstrate
this. We can figure out whirling We
locity Of 1000 miles an hour for the
movement about the vortex. Conceive
Of that if you can. 1t means force
equivalent to our atmospheric pressure
Of fifteen pounds to the square inch.
Let me apply an air-pump to the Capitol
there and remove this natural pressure
Of the atmosphere, and how long do you
suppose it would be before that massive
pile tumbled into a heap? And yet
here is an equivalent force turned loose
TO execute its freaks"
What are you going to do about
il? Has the Signal Service RENE
dy:"
EXPERIMENTS SUGGEST RELIEF.
mot a remedy exactly, but a plaI
to warn people when and where lorna
does may be expected. We canno
prevent destruction Of property, bu
we can give warning, so that loss o
life and injury to body may be avert
ed"
"This is feasible?"
sYes: we have tested the matte
and satisfied ourselves that we can d.
il, For two seasons we have been eX
perimenting. Our work began in March
1884, and was continued through tw
tornado seasons, ending last month
The country especially subject
tornado formations was divided int
eighteen tornado districts, averagln
about one hundred miles square
and each of the districts wa
cut into four parts. Prediction
based on our knowledge Of the prevail
ing conditions were made daily for eac
of these subdivisions. At first we a
tempted predictions eight hours in a
vance, and afterwards sixteen hour
The percentage Of veri6cation was s.
We sent out no warnings because tn
was experimental work, but we are Q
tirely satisfied that we can predict al
locate tornadoes with considerable q
curacy. The results more than satl
fed u.s."
"a u would give cautionary sigma
l. nadoes to the interior sections
, Of storms to mariners on
4. Of and on the coast?"
That is what we propose to d
And not the least Of the advantae
from system OF tornado signals "
be the allaying of anxiety and f
among the people on those days wi
we are able to notify them tornado
will not form. The isolated obser
or community cannot determine or
satisfied from limited observation as
the forbade probabilities. But trust
70 tornado signals from the servi
people will 90 about their usual oc
pations without continuous appreh
sion, and on the days when the csuti
airy signals are given preparations
be made to protect life so far as 20
ble."
THE TIME TO GO BELOW.
How can this be done--safsty
assured 2"
"well it is a rather homely rec
But ! am prepared to say that
.auo-out, and the cellar-cave !