Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1889-04-05
Z TORNADO FORMATION.
The Question Discussed in the
Light of Scientific Facts.
A Few of the Most Important Theories
Upon the Origin and Growth of Tor
nadO ClOuds-FearfiI NIanifesta-
tions of Natures Forces.

that, strictly speaking, a tornado is a fun
mel or balloon-shaped cloud, accompanied by
most violent wind, intense electric dis
charges, and usually by peculiar greenish
color and an indescribable roar. In fewer
words tornado is the EXTREMIST develop
ment of thunderstorm.
Space allows presentation Of only a few
of the most important theories upon the
origin and growth of these terrible out
bursts. All are agreed that the "power -
of the tornado is to be looked for at some
distance above the earths surface, proba-
bly, not more than five thousand feet, how
ever. AS we have few observations at this
height it is almost impossible to prove or
controveft any theory that may be advanced,
but for acceptance it is essential that a
theory do no violence to any of the facts. 1t
is thought by some that there is a condition
called "unstable equilibrium " in the at
mOsphere, whereby, through an unequal
heating of the air, there is started an up
ward movement which is augmented by the
condensation of moisture and liberation of
latent heat at the seat of the "power.n Air
is so mobile and nearly frictionless in its
motion that it would seem as though such a
state, if begun, would be Immediately dis
sipated by the inflow of air. But even if we
grant that such q state of instability is pos
sible, we find a most serious, if not fatal,
objection to it's permanence, from the fact
that the air stratum at five thousand feet is
moving two to three times as fast as that
near the earth. 1t is easy to see that any
uprush of air would be entirely broken up
in few minutes from this cause.
Again, we are told that, while the lower
warm current is from the south, the upper
current is from the north and very much
colder. The lower heated current has a
tendency upward, but is hindered by the
"cold cover" but at last it finds a vent and
rushes through it, forming the fatal tornado
In the first place, conditions of equilibrium
demand that the colder denser air underrun
the lighter warm air, this is so plain that
some have explained tornado formation in
this way, but it is easy to see that there
could be no instability in that case. In the
second place, the idea of a colder upper our
rent from the north is a myth as any one
can readily determine by studying the mo-
tion of the upper clouds in the tornado re-
gion, which are invariably from the south.
In the third place, it is entirely Incredible
that such an instability once started could
be carried forward at the rate of seventy
or eighty miles per hour and maintained for
more than three hundred miles.
One Of the essentials to the formation of
tornado, according to generally accepted
views, is the existence of partial vacuum
at the center 1t seems probable that with
a cloud not more than three hundred yards
in diameter any vacuum would be almost
instantly filed by the tremendous inrush of
air. IT is probable, moreover that there is
a rise Of pressure at the center No sudden
fall has ever been observed but rise has,
and, if we grant the tornado is a thunder
storm at its best, we now have hundreds of
indisputable observations of rise in press
ure in the latter, and this rise is generally
conceded by all Investigators.
1t is admitted that general storms move
with the upper current, anditis thought that
tornadoes may also be borne along in the
same way. This seems hardly tenable, how
ever, because the ordinary velocity Of the
tornado is double that of the accompanying
storm, and, moreover, the upper current in
the tornado region seems to blow toward the
north, while the tornado moves northeast or
east-northeast.
1t has been generally accepted that in all
atmospheric disturbances the presence OF
electricityls an effect and never cause. All
attempts to explain the presence Of such
large quantities of electricity have entirely
failed. 1t is dangerous for any one to
ascribe any unexplained phenomenon to
electricity, but there seems to be no reason
why it may not be concerned In the lorna
ton of the funnel-cloud. Dry air is almost
a perfect non-conductor; if there be su-
persaturated cloud it may be charged with
electricity to an enormous potential. In
1857 Prof. Blodget wrote on tornadoes (see
Climatology, p. 4O2) "The greatest diff
Guilty exists in explaining the facts in re-
gard to their narrow limits while the full
est measure of violence Is retained, and this
can only be done on the supposition that
electric energy makes up very large share
of the force.n We are just beginning to
learn the possibilities in electric energy,
and one can not well assert that it does not
have much to do with tornado formation.
have space for single illustration; The
apparent explosion of house, Q. g., the
house of Adolphus Isom, at Mount Vernon, Is
brought forward as proof of the vacuum
theory. In August, 1885, an analogous phe-
nomenon came to my attention which was
clearly due to electric action. A house hav-
ing a tin roof and withoutllightning rods was
struck by lightning. The electricity passing
between the Notwithstanding and the plas-
tering, pIoWed furrow in the ground at the
base of the house and disappeared in a pool
of water near by. The weather boarding
was violently burst of on the outside, while
the plastering and clothes in the closet were
thrown nearly across the room on the in
side. There seems to be no reason why we
may not explain other similar phenomena in
this way.
While some form of electric energy seems
an important factor in tornado action, yet
this should serve to allay our fears OF dan
ger. If Franklin, by the simple device OF Ihe
lightning-rod, secured immunity from light
ming strokes, is it too much to expect that
the genius Of these later times viii not dis
cover some method of wardlng on or anne
lorating the evils in this case. 1t may be
that the time is not far distant when, owing
TO the gravity of the problem, we shall see
experiments carried on at great cost looking
to the dispersion of the funnel cloud by dis
charges of ordnance or explosives 1t is OF
the utmost importance that we gain correct
views Of the manifestations, and in this
many can help 1t Is customary to examine
only the immediate havoc produced, but IN
order to study the question minuteiy we