Daily south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1881-18??, 1885-10-01


"Thc storm which struck Philadel-
phia August I'd was not cyclone, as
many supposed, but fully developed
and vigorous tornado" said Lieuten-
ant Finley last night. "Cyclones, he
continued, "are ocean storms, brewed
upon its bosom and rushing landward.
As such they have no relation whatever
to tornadOes which develop their fear
ful energies upon land and often pass
out to sea before cNhausting themselves.
The center OF tornado is the focus of
It's terrific force and track of death
and destruction, while ships float safely
in the midst Of a cyclone. The two
storms are Numerically opposed,
though commonly spoken ofas similar. "
CYCLONES AND ToRNADOEs.
"Arc the storms then which lay waste
our Western country tornadocs and not
cyclonesP' was asked.
Tornado IS, every one of them, "was
the reply. "A cyclone was never seen
as far West as the Mississippi. The
cyclone is production of the West In
dies, and is unknown during the sum
mer months. During September and
October the heated tropical currents
develop vast rotary storms from 800 to
1900 miles in diameter which sweep
in a parabolic curve against the South
Atlantic coast The cool trade winds
blowing down the coast dcllect their
course and send them sweeping inland
Passing northward they describe their
curving flight as far rs Nova Scotia and
New Brunswick and then rush with
howling force across the Newfoundland
Banks. Some Of them reach England
and Ireland. The same storm rayagcs
the coast Of Japan. aud is called a ty-
phoOn. The tremendous breadth of
cyclones seldom gives local evidence of
their circular sweep. Their calm cen
tors are much dreaded by navigators
The Signal Service cautions mariners
against sailing into cyclone center.
The atmosphere is aways striving to
retain its equilibrium, and so long AS
some parts of the earth get warmer
than Others storms will rage"
"ls the tornado tropical produc-
tionP"
Not by any means" replied the
Signal Service officer ''On the con-
trary, that dangerous visitor comes
from comparatively cool regions.
Sweeping down from the snowy, desc
late wastes of British America across
Dakota, Montana, Wyoming and Min
ncsota is cold wind, which often
sends the mercury to thirty and forty
degrees as il crosses the border From
the Southern States and Gulf region a
hot wind, sometimes one hundred de-
grecs, blows up the Mississippi Valley
10 meet it. The towering Rockies hem
these currents in to tn westward. and
they come together with mighty
rush. The warm current lises to cS-
cape, the cold air defects downward,
and with whirl and roar n tornado
cloud gathers. The resultant of the
| two forces is invariably northeast aud
the track OF death is cut through every
obstacle. The tornado itself is inviS-
bic; its fearful power is simply atmos-
phoric pressure concentrated in Il
trunk like form. Mathematical calcu-
lation will show that the air revolving
within n tornado center develops the
terrific speed of two thousand miles
per hour, excrtng force alike incon-
| ccivablc and irresistible. The rotary
movement of the whirl is upward, upon
the principle of chimney iluc.
Once started the tornado cloud be-
comes visible from the amount of dust
IL raises aud the mo sture gath red
with 1t. The rotary motion is invar a.
bly, from right to left. A tornado
cloud can descend from a clear sky, rs
its development is among the higher
currents of air. II it was not for it.
gathering blackness as it reaches the
surface the aerial messenger might
strike an invisible death blow at any
moment.
IAIL-SToRMS AS ToRNADOEs.
Every hail-storm would be lorna
do ii ii reached the ground. The at
mospherc conditions producing hal
are precisely similar to those general.
ing tornado clouds Prof. King, the
aeronaut, announced that discovery
after passing through hail-cloud and
noting the phenomenon. Tornadocs
have always BEEN natural feature oI
the Mississippi and Missouri Valleys,
and will continue rs long as the world
lasts. Through the vast forests o
Minnesota and Wisconsin tracks art
visible where the tempest of w.nj
hcwed its clear-cut path century ago
Even the legends and traditions of In
dams are full of accounts of the mighty
storms which struck terror to the heart,
of the aborigines and leveled their for
osts. TheS gnal Serv ce at Washington
is in constant receipt. of letters from
Canadians and Eastern people desirou,
OF going West inquiring the portions o
country unvisitcd by tornadoes. Ii
1879 tornado insurance was not though
Of Last year over SIS, ,000,0O0 wa,
written
Speaking of hurricanes, Lieutenan
Finley said that they were nearly
straight winds moving at velocity o
between eighty and one hundred anC
fifty miles an hour. The TeXa
'northerh is cold trade wind, tn,
Montana chinook warm current
and the blizzard hurricane will