The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1885-10-09
WRECKED BY THE WIND.


A New Jersey Village Devastated by a
Cyclone-Much Property Destroyed, but
No Lives Lost--An Instructive Report
by Signal Service Offcer Concerning
| the Nature of Tornadoes.
NEW YORK, Oct 5.-The village Of
Westwood, twenty-five miles from this city,
was visited by genuine cyclone Sunday
afternoon. Great damage was done to prop
erty, but no lives were lost Shortly after
one O'Clock a dark, fullnel-shaped cloud
rose from behind the hills west of the
village, and with only warning hiss
struck the village. The first building
struck was De Eaun's Park Hotel, and in
swinkling it was in ruins. Mrs. De Baum,
wife of the proprietor, was blown from a
ndstory window and dashed violently
to the ground, sustaining severe injuries
about the head. At the first appearance of
danger men, women and children rushe
into the streets frantic with fear, and many
persons were lifted off their feet and thrown
down or were struck by flying missiles, but
no one except Mrs DeBaun was seriously
hurt. The path of the cyclone was about 200
feet wide and almost directly through the
center of the village Within this limit not a
building was left uninjured. Five minutes
after the storm had passed the SUN came
out clear and bright. The total loss is esti-
mated at $4,000. The scene after the cy-
clone had passed b ggars description. The
streets were strewn with trunks and
branches of trees, timbers and broken lunl-
Der, and household furniture OF every de-
scyiptiOn.
TRACKING THE ToRNADoEs.
WASHINGTON, Oct 5.-Lieutenant John
P. Finley, of the Signal Service, who has
made the subject of tornadoes a special
study for about eight years, is certain
trustworthy warnings may soon be sent out
to Inhabitants Of localities which may be
threatened with disastrous visltations. The
result of his studies may be summarized as
follows: t a.
These storms have distinctly marked cha
acteristics, and are by no means to be col
founded with hurricanes, 'sblizzards," cy-
clones or northwesters. Their tracks are
never more than few hundred yards wide,
ana their forces are generally exhausted by
the time they have Travelled forty or fifty
miles. though in this latter respect
they are quite variable, some having
been traced by their lines of devasta-
ton more than one hundred and eighty miles.
Iher rotary motion, which is greatest toward
the center, sometimes reaches the enormous
rate OF two thousand miles an hour, while
west to northwest, ordinarily does not exceed
forty or fifty miles. They are usually unac-
companed by electrical disturbances, and are
| believed to be unintiuenced by electrical
cond tons, though violent thunder-storms
sometimes follow them few miles away.
Inere is distinct and curious relationship
| between the tornado and the general storm
center which is always apparent in their uni
form relative positions, the tornado always
occurring enthusiastically from the center
OF low barometric pressure, and at a distance
OF from one to six hundred miles.
Inc shape of the general storm center, the
direction in which its longest diameter lies,
and the appearance of the upper and lower
clouds, enter, as minor elements, into the
problem out of which the weather experts
nope to work complete system of tornado
warnings. The visits of the tornado are
commonly between the hours of two and six
o clock in the afternoon. Its home is an area
which includes the whole of Iowa, all of Mis-
souri, except the southeastern corner, the
northwestern corner of Arkansas, the north
eastern part of the Indian Territory, Eastern
Kansas, Eastern Nebraska Southern Mime
sofa, southern Wisconsin and Western illi-
noS. Here it's season extends from April to
August, inclusive. 1t is a frequent visitor to
two or three other regions. One is a strip
along the gulf and South Atlantic, which
takes in the central portions of Alabama,
Georgia and South Carolina, with termini in
mississippi and North Carolina, over which
its deyastations are confined to the months of
January, February and March. Another in
Guides portion of southern and central
Ohio, large part of Pennsylvania a small
area in Maryland, a strip across New York.
and corner each of Massachusetts, and Con.
nectlcut, where it is in season only during the
months of August and September
Lieutenant Finley says that nothn
raised by the hand Of man above the SUI
face of the earth can withstand the shock
of the tornado. He advises people in tor
nado regions to seek their dugouts upon
the appearance of the portentlous signs of
disaster, and there await the passage of
the storm. For their property he advises
insurance, so that the losses of the individ-
ual may be shared by his more fortunate
neghbors. The insurance companies which
last year wrote" $40, 100000 in tornado
policies are eagerly awaiting the completion
OF map now in process of making which
will, it is expected, greatly narrow the So
called tornado regions, and perhaps show
that large portions Of them have never ex-
perienced a destructive storm. Upon this
map Lieutenant Finley proposes to show
from the complete record OF several years,
and data as far as obtainable for many
previous years, the average number of tor
nadoes for each locality per annum.