The Hazel Green herald. [volume] (Hazel Green, Wolfe County, Ky.) 1885-19??, 1886-01-20

from the southwest; they come into the
great basin that supplies the vast col
umns of heated air which rise from the
bosom Of the Great Lakes. This affllx
to the Lakes produces very large area
of low barometric pressure.
The tornadoes which arise at other sea-
sons move off to the Atlantic seaboard
in the southeast for a like reason.
have spoken of the air which goes
from the tornado. i say that the tor
nado is nothing more or less than a
solid column of compressed air, with
three powerful motiOns-nameiy: A
terrible whirl, or revolution on its own
axis; which, in the main, is perpendicu-
lar to the plane of its flight; an upward.
screw-like motion and the motion OF
flight or translation. These motions are
named in the order of their velocities.
II is hard to estimate the velocity of this
whirl; il can only be matter of con-
lecture. 1t must be many thousands 8
minute. The upward, spiral motion is
not near SO rapid, but vastly greater
tlaf IN the tracs iatory IlG.o1r, wnIcri va
ries within the contour of the country
over which il passes. The contigura-
ton of the land governs this motion en-
tirely; retards or accelerates it, while
the tornado hugs the ground; and often
times switches it off completely into the
upper air. In this manner the rate Of
progression can vary from ten TO one
hundred miles an hour This motion is
thus eTratic in its character. know of
one instance where the tornado re-
traced its course for mile or more and
then shot off at right-angle to its orig
inal direction.
Now, few words as to the character
Of the funnel-shaped cloud: This is only
the manifestation of the crater of the
solid destructive agent below. | have
said that the tornado is a solid column
of compressed air whirling with fright.
full velocity. Some idea may be obtained
of its solidity when it is remembered OF
| understood that several cubic miles OF
| air under ordinary pressure are forced
into a cylinder the size of Washington
monument It is as solid as stone. Air,
by compression, gives off It's acquired
and latent heat The heat, situated in
the column of the tornado, produces two
distinct effects. Itconverts the moisture
| wrung from the atmospheric column into
steam, and throws off vast quantities OF
heat; this, in conjunction with the cleo,
trical phenomena developed by friction
has led many to suppose that the tornado
| was caused by electricity: whereas cleo.
tricity is only the effect. When the pres
sure Is removed, and the air in the col
| umn is allowed to expand, what hap.
pens? Each mOlecule of air is hungry
for its normal quantity of latent heat
and on being released from pressure al
once attacks its uncompressed neigh.
Dor, steals away and locks within
itself part of its neighbor's heat
| Refrigeration and condensation al
| once take place, and the funnel-shapet
| cloud is developed as the core in the
crater of the tornado. and violent rain
and hail-stOrms are bred. In one sense
the funnel-shaped cloud does not pre-
sage the storm. The tornado is in active
operation before the funnel-shaped CLOUD
is manifest. This cloud is harmless
and is only the evidence of the unseen
wonder working, destructive meteor be
! low if.
The path OF the tornado proper i.
very narrow, and no work of man above
| ground has been found able TO with
stand the force of that whirling meteori,
| club within its narrow limits.
The great bulk of the damage along
| its track is caused by the thrush of ali
to the terrible vortex; and, strange as i
may appear, most of this damage is caused
| by explosion 1t is Natures effort IL
restore and preserve the atmospheric
equilibrium. With this rushing col
umn there goes q vacuum, moving
| with commensurate velocity; towart
this vacuum all the air in the neighbor
| hood moves. If it be confined in :
house the house explodes. The safet,
| of buildings near the track of the tor
nado is to have all the windows ant
doors-away from the approaching
storm-Open.
There are many phenomena that car
only be explained by this rush of air t.
the moving vacuum, and which ar,
otherwise inexplicable. There is NJ
| fact better attested than the one o
chickens and other fowls being plucket
clean of feathers during the passage o
| a tornado. The reason is perfectly
simple and obvious. The quill of eacl
| feather contains air. This air in it
movement to the vacuum carries tn,
feather with it. While some of tn
freaks and works of tornadoes are of tn
most fantastic nature, have seen anC
heard of none that can not be explained OF
the theory of the solidity of the moving
| column and the action of the law o
gravity, with the added element of cleo
tricity caused by frietion.-Da,sieI Der
RI, an ST. Louis Republican,.