The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-10-06
ABOUT CYCLONES.
Scientific Study of the Phe-
nOmena of TOrnadOeS
THE CHINESE UP IN OREGON.
"Vive RieI"-Roumelia-T are
Not Chinese-BOycotting
Extraordinary.
About cyclones

WASHINGTON, OClODcI H. 1AC PAOtAN
mena of tornadoes. to the scientific
study of which Lieutenant John Z.
Finley of the signal corps has devoted
about eight years, are now SO well
understood as to warrant the belief that
Trustworthy warnings may soon be sent
ont to the inhabitants of localities
which NAV be threatened with a
disastrous vista ion. Daily precautions
are in fact being made at present,
having begun last year and continued
during the tornado season, and resumed
recently upon the return of Lieutenant
Finley from an inspection tour IN the
west The percentage of variticatlon is
already gratifying. though the predic-
tons are as yet largely experlnen-
tai and are embodied In daily
published bulletins OF the signal
office, only when the conditions favor
able to the creations OF tomatoes
are very pronounced. In such cases
'severe local storms" are noted as pro-
bable.
To a reporter of the Associated Press,
Iieut Finley recently described the
known phenomena of tornadoes, and
the ends towards which the present re-
searches are directed. These storms
have distinctly marked characteristics,
and are by no means to be COMPOUNDED
with hurricanes, billiards, cyclones or
northwesterS. Their tracts are never
more than few hundred yards wide,
and their force are generally exhausted
by the time they have travelled a
course of forty or fifty miles, though in
this latter respect they are quite vari-
able, some having been traced by their
lines of devastation, more than one
hundred and eighty miles. Their ro-
tary motion, which is the greatest
towards the center, sometimes reaches |
the enormous rate of 1000 miles an |
hour, while their forward movement, |
always from the southwest to the |
II Ortheast, ordinarily does not exceed |
forty or fifty miles. They are usually |
unaccompanied by electrical disturb |
ances, and are believed to be unin-
huenced by electrical conditions, though |
violent thunder storms sometimes fol- |
low them few miles away. There is
distinct and curious relationship be- |
tween the tornado and the general |
storm centre, which is always apparent |
in their uniform relative positions, the |
tornado always occurring southeast |
wardly from the the centre of low baro-
meteric. pressure, and at a distance
from 100 to 600 miles. The shape of the
general storm centre, the direction in
which its longest diameter lies, and the,
appearance of the upper and lower
Cloud centre, are minor elements, in
tie problem out of which weather ex-
perts hope to work complete system
of tornado warnings. The visits of the
tornado are commonly between the
hours of 2 and 6o'clock in the afternoon.
The home is in the area, which includes |
the whole of Iowa, all of Missouri, ex-
cept the southeastern corner, the north
western corner of Arkansas, the north |
EASTERN part of Indian Territory, East
ern Kansas, Eastern Nebraska, South
rn Minnesota, Southern Wisconsin and
Western Illinois. Here its season ex-
end from April to August inclusive. 1t
3 a frequent visitor in two or three
regions, its strip along the Gulf and
south Atlantic. which takes in the CEN
nal portion of Alabama, Georgia and
south Carolina, with termini in Missis-
,ippi and North Carolina, over which
Is devastations are confined to the
months of January, February and
March. The other includes portion of
Southern and Central Ohio. a large part
If Pennsylvania, "a small area in Maryland
strip across New York, and corner
ZACH of Massachusetts and Connecticut,
where its seasons are only during
he months of August and Sep
embG. Lieutenant Finley further
aid, while a host of interest
ng scientific questions respecting
he origin of tornadoes, the laws which
govern them and their relationship to
)ther meteorological phenomena, re-
main 10 be answered, the more practi-
al questions as to when and where they
ire likely to appear, seems to be adj
The interests which are subject to dis
ster from tornadoes are alive to the I'M
,ortance of the work in progress. In
ending purchasers of farms apply to
he Signal Office for information res
,eGting the liability of their selected To-
atty to disaster. To such are sent the
ecordS of the past as far as they are
nown. Whenever Lieut.. Finley trav-
Is in pursuit of his studies, farmers
nd villagers press him for information.
% these he says that nothing raised by
be hand of man above the surface of
be earth can withstand the shock of a
ornado. He adYices them to seek
heir dug-outs upon the appearance of
signs. OF disaster and there
wait the passage of the storm. For
heir property he advises insurance, so
hat the losses of the individual may be !
haired by his more fortunate neigh
ors. The insurance Companies which 7
asst year wrote 40 million in tornado {
0licies are eagerly awaiting the COM !
letion of a map now in process of MAX !
ng, which will, it is expected, greatly {
arrow the socalled tornado regions. I
nd perhaps show that large portions i
f them have never experienced de- I
tructive storm. Upon this map Lieut.. j
Finley proposes to show from complete
ecords of several years and data as far i
S obtained for many previous wears.
he average. number Of tornadoeS for
ach locality per annum..
RieI. ego For ~.