The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1885-10-21
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CYCLONES AND TORNADOES.
How the Two Types of Storm Differ.

The awful havoc wrought by tornado
out in Ohio recently, nearly or quite equal
to that done by cyclone on the south
Atlantic coast in August, affords occasion
for noting afresh some of the differences
between the two types of storm. The
tornado, oddly enough, is called a cyclone
more than half the time by the majority
of people, in spite of repeated explana-
tions from weather bureaus.
Besides the accompaniment Of heavy
rain, the two phenomena resemble each
other in that tkey are both whirlwinds.
IL diameter, however, the tornado is to
the cyclone as gas pipe to circus tent.
The former is seldom more than few
hundred feet through; the latter is from
one to five hundred miles across. The
tornado which smote the edges of Phila-
delphia and Camden in August last was
only three hundred feet in diameter, and
another hundred feet away, on either
side, scarcely breath was felt of the
presence of the destroyer. The cyclone
that visited Charleston and Savannah re-
Gently, sucked in the air from an area
fully hundred miles across; aud IL was
small cyclone at that. The violence of
the tornado, however, is much greater
than that Oh the cycione' i'ieutenaht Il in
ley, OF the signal service estimates that
the draft 10 tornado sometimes reaches
two thousand miles an hour; 10 cyclone
the winds usually blow from nifty to q
hundred. The tornado Is purely local.
like thunder storm, to which It IS close
ly akin, and even more ephemeral IL
rarely lasts more than lew minutes or
travels more than Q few miles from Its
origin. IL is IKE the night OF cannon
ball compared with the movement vi
transcontinentai express train. The cy-
clone is enduring, lasts day and night,
and follows path thousands OF miles
long.
Accordingly, practically, no warning
can be afforded OF a tornado. The general
conditions which produce them may be
foreseen; but the precise spot and time at
which they VIII organize cannot be pre-
dicted. Their approach IS Indicated sew
eral minutes, possibly IN advance, by the
attendant black, innnel'shaped cloud,
which, as II comes gyrating along the
skies, drops swaying point IKE an ele-
phants trunk or the STACK OF balloon 10
the earth. put no previous wind OF de'
preston OF the barometer anorus iurtnei
premoniton, ana JUS ne ana pain are too
brief to admit OF Geographic cautions
The coming OF cyclone IS marked py
decided iali ~ the barometer ana increase
OF vino; ana where It's tour 'ies over tue
iand i,s appearance ana course can 90 re-
ported hours u not Gays before u reaches
gwen point. Inc coming OF tne one
winch recently struck Tue ooath htiah,io
coast was strongly suggested oy tue sink-
ing mercury at Jacksonvhle early Mon
DAY morning. savannah ana Cnarleston
were not reached ~ until TUESDAY
morning. Az mdnignt the storm centre
was near Nortoik; and all DAY Wednes.
DAY IL was WORKING up along the Gull
stream toward Newiounaiahu. Inc tor.
nado u.s. more frequently, product OF
temperate ATTITUDES, and usually forms on
land. Over the ocean ana other bodies
oil water y taxes the form OF a water
spout. The cyclone IS born IN the tropics,
aud. like Venus, springs from the sea.
In the Paeiiic, storms OF TINS kind seem TO
originate southeast OF the Philippine
Islands, moving northward or north
westward, either striking the Chinese or
Japanese coasts or coming near TO them,