The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1886-02-19

WHEN lie whirl Is once established
The t0gnado moves toward the pointed
last resistance.
IN this 1ection, daring the cyclonic
period fre0 the lst H- June to the
middle Of July. all our tornadoes come
from the northwest; 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 afflux
to the Lakes produces very large area
Of low bar0metric pressure.
The tornadoes which arise at other sea-
sons move of to the Atlantic seaboard
in the southeast for like reason.
have spoken of the air which goes
from the tornado. / say that the tor
nad0 is nothing more or less than a
solid column Of compressed air, with
three powerful motions-namely: A
terrible whirl, or revolution on its own
axis; which, in the main, is perpendicu-
lar to the plane Of its fight; an upward,
screw-like motion and the motion OF
fight or translation. These motions are
named in the order of their velocities.
II Is hard to estimate the velocity of this
whirl; it can only be matter Of con-
lecture. II must be many thousands .
minute. The upward, spiral motion is
not near so rapid, but vastly greater
than the translatory motion, which va
ries with the contour Of the country
over which it passes The conigura-
ton Of the land governs this motion en-
tirely; retards or accelerates it, while
the tornado hugs the ground; and often
times switches It of 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 erratic in its character. know of
one instance where the tornado re-
traced its course for mile or more and
then shot of at right-angle to its orig
inal direction.
Of the funnel-shaped cloud: This is only
the manifestation of the crater of the
solid destructive agent below. I have
said that the tornado is solid column
Of compressed air whirling with fright
ful velocity. Some idea may be obtained
Of its solidity when it is remembered or
understood that several cubic miles oil
air under ordinary pressure are forced
into cylinder the sire Of Washington's
monument. 1t il - solid as stone. Air,
by compression, gives off its acquired
and latent heat The heat, situated in
the column of the tornado, produces two
distinct effects. Itc0nverts the moisture
wrung from the atmospheric column into
steam. and throws OF 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 III
once attacks its uncompreased neigh
Dor, steals away and locks within
itself part Of Its neighbor's heat.
Refrigeration and condensation Al
once take place, and the funnel-shaped
cloud is developed a. the core in the
crater Of the tornado, and violent rain
md hail-storms are bred In one sense
he funnel-shaped cloud does not pre-
age the storm. The tornado is in active
operation before the funnel shaped cloud
. manifest This cloud y harmless,
md il only the evidence Of the unseen,
understanding, destructive meteor be-
|oWsik
The path Of the tornado proper il
very narrow, and no work OF man above
ground has boen found able to with
Ifnnd TIE force of that whirling meteoric
nl.sla vurstAsu s&c v,nv.wnvr 1sv,ns<.