The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1885-08-28
John F. Schultz, in the Scientific

John F. Schultz, in the Scientific
American, sets forth the following REM
edy for checking destructive winds:
more than year ago advanced the
plan to blow up or annihilate those
fearfully destructive tornadoes or whirl-
wind storms by explosions of common
gunpowder. In your issues of Feb. 2.
1884, ETC., short accounts of procedures
are given. Some of the details are that
a kcg or barrel of common powder is to
be kept in readiness to the southwest of
the house or village to be protected. At
the approach of tornado the powder is
wheeled or drawn rs near as possible
into the probable track of the tornado,
by cooi-headed man, who then takes
his position to the northwest about one
hundred yards distant, fires the powder
rs artillerists do cannons, when the tor
nado is near or over it.
I did not then state the reason why
explosions of powder for such purposes
must necessarily be effective, hence
manv have doubted and none have tried
the plan in tornado infested districts.
The remedy is for tornadoes or whirl-
winds loften surnamed cyclones) Of small
dialneters only. and not at all for proper
cyclones, storms of sometimes hundred
or thousand miles in diameter, moving
also generally from west to east. Tor
nadoes are readily seen in the form of an
hourglass or fnnnel-shaped dust or cleo
trical cloud, advancing at the rate of from
40 or more miles an hour. but rotating on
their axis at tile rate of probably more
than thousand miles an hour. The
width of their track varies greatly, from
less than rod to more than mile,
according to whether the funnel-shaped
cloud ls high or low. It must be known
that all tornadoes have four different
movements: l. Generally from the
southwest to northeast. 2. Rotating.
8. Zizgae. 4. Rising and falling. The
last movement controlled will insure
safety from tornadoes.
When tornadoes rise and fall by them
selves, sometimes skipping over one town
in their track, and entirely destroying
the next, it must be evident that lift
given them by explosions of powder
must necessarily make them rise sooner
and higher, skipping over longer inter-
walls. The explosions timely repeated
must keep them on high, spending their
force to no disadvantage to mankind be-
low. Large charges of powder are liable
to destroy or annihilate tornades alto
gether. When in districts favorable to
the formation of tornadoes, powder is
generally kept in large quantities for de-
Tense against them; explosions of the
same at a distance of mile or more from
them are liable to check or influence
the different air currents meeting and
forming tornadoes or wllirlwinds.
In every village or town of the country
there are probably readers of your paper,
who are, of course, the most progressive
in their places. It becomes them to
their townsmen with this tor
nado remedy, 80 promising and easily
1t may perhaps at no distant
lay save their all from destruction. Every
village or town should have its powder
house o'the southwest of it, for storage
If all its surplus commercial powder.
The whole powder house may, when re-
luired, be exploded from dugout near
~, artillery fashion. by means of a long
ord and printing tube, or by electricity
rom the highest house in the town, to
make the tornado at least Jump over the
own, if not to annihiIate it completely.'