Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-01-24
THE PENNSYLVANIA TORNADOEs.
Looking for the Cause Of Such Storms
In the Upper Regions.

| Looking IOf tne cause OF such storms
| In the Upper Regions.
'The subject Of tornadoes has been painfully
brought to the attention of the whole country
by the recent disastrous occurrences in Penn
sylvanis on January g." said Prof H. A. Hazen.
of the signal service, to STAR reporter to-day.
The causes underlying the formation of these
terrible outbursts are even now little known
| largely because our observations are made at
the earth's surface, while the violence of the
storm is generated at an height of 1000 or
5000 feet. At the same time, as the collation.
| of facts increases, we are enabled to sweep
away many speculations. and we may ulti-
mately hope to elucidate the phenomenon.
Our mild winter has had much to do with the
formation of the storms so far north at this
time OF the year. 1t is not very difficult
| to account for the immediate cause of the
| high temperature, but the more remote
causes are as yet unknown. Ordinarily
when severe storm crosses the country in
winter it is followed by cold wave from the
northwest, but this winter storm after storm
has come up from the gulf bringing great heat.
but there have been no cold waves to lower the
: temperature afterward. There has been fall
OF temperature after the Storm but this has
been back to the average this winter and that
has been abnormally high. This high temper
| AZURE favored the formation of violent storms
| on January 3, which day was about the warm
est with few exceptions that has occurred in
this month.
| ORIGIN OF ToRNADoEs.
One of the most important facts regarding
| tornado generation announced fifteen years
| ago, but its significance is even very little
understood in some quarters. We know that
| these outbursts occur only in the southeast
quadrant OF a large general Storm and at a dis
lance of 800 to 500 miles from its center. In this
| region, as we know by thousands of observations
| OF the winds and upper clouds, there is n gen.
| Reinforcement of the air from the south. extend
| ing up to great height. That there can not be
| any movement from the north or northwest in
| this region. even up to great heights, could be
| told from the fact that the general storm is
| like great hole or deep valley. well
pressed in Thursdays STAR, great "amphi-
| theater," in the general current of the air NOV
| ing toward the east and into the hollow air up
| to great heights. flows from all sides either
| radially or in a direction spirally inward oppo-
| site to the motion of the hands of a clock.
There is an additional reason. however. why
| the upper currents are not and can never be
| from the northwest to the north in advance of
| the tornado. and that is because We know that
the tornado moves from southwest to northeast
in this upper current, at least this is
the ordinary theory, and if the upper
current bears it along, that must be from the
southwest also.
THE RECENT ToRNADoEs.
1.-THE details of the Pennsylvania tornadoes,
as Cleaned from the newspapers, very COM
plete as regards the destruction, but are not
what are needed as regards times of destruc-
ton. 1t is almost universally reported that
| there was a clearing away of the rain and that
the sun came out. 1t is also stated i'll nearly
all cases that the storm was exceedingly sudden
and without warning at each place. The facts
| are all in harmony with those ascertained from
an investigation of a large number of lorna
does. All over the northeastern United States,
70 tba had
warm southerly winds and upper currents,
with great increase Of temperature. Suddenly
as a blow from an enormous club, most vio-
lent and destructive storm struck Pittsburg from
the southwest at about 80 m, creating great
havoc in all that neighborhood 1t is thought
by some that this same tornado traversed the
whole state of Pennsylvania, reaching Will
Transport and Carlisle (about IS miles apart
at $50, Harrisburg at 4, York at AGO.
Reading at 500 and Camden, n. j.. at pm,
besides doing great damage in numerous other
towns.
HOW ToRNADoEs MOVE.
This, however, is not the way in which lorna
does move; moreover, as the path is only few
hundred yards wide the same tornado could not
have struck Williamsport and Carlisle. If we
take the distance travelled between these towns
we shall not find a uniform motion. bat the We
locity between the first two towns named was
more than double that between the last two.
More than this. we find a large number of
towns in this region of country which report no
severe storm on this day. 1t is probable that
there were a large number Of tornadoes III the
state each one moving toward the northeast.
These moved in belts nearly parallel to each
other, and the tornado started later and later
in each belt as we come eastward. Thus the
Pittsburg tornado was formed about 1890 pm.
and moved northeast, while the Camden tor
nado was formed about pm, and also moved
northeast.
THEIR CAUSE.
"Of course, the utmost interest centers about
the cause of these and other tornadoes. As
first said it cannot be due to an upsettng of
the equilibrium from a cold northerly current
overrunning a warm one from the south. Since
there Is little or no friction between air strata,
and since the cold stratum is the heavier it
could not for a moment overrun warm cur
rent. but would descend to the earth. Nearly all
observers are agreed that the first appearance of
tornado is that of black cloud from the
northwest coming on with great speed and
meeting with a second from the southwest.
This is probably a matter of perspective.
However, if any cloud. extending one or two
miles from south to north and moving rapidly
eastward, should be seen, it would often show
the appearance of double cloud to one d.
rectly in front. All the indications are that
tornado is suddenly formed by forces acting in
the upper air. that its generating force
is in the tornado itself, and that it
moves with velocity far greater than that of
able the larger general storm is moving. One
of the most significant facts is the occurrence
with tornadoes of hail and thunder storms. In
the case of the Pennsylvania storms We read of
gas works in Brooklyn being struck by light
ming, and also of numerous hail storms all over
the region We hear of water-spouts being
broken up at sea by the conclusion produced
in the discharge of cannon, and possibly some
thing of the kind may yet be done on the land.
1t is probable that the existence of quite an
extensive forest to the southwest of a town
would save it from the severest force of the
tornado. We cannot hope for much advance
in protection till search for the true cause
of the tornado in the upper regions"
A Dishonest Servant.
WEARING STOLEN DRESSES TO REVIVAL MEET
ING.
Matte Garrett, young colored woman
who recently worked as a servant at the house
of Philip Peyser, on It'll street, is now con-
fined tn Freedman's hOsDitaI under medical