Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-06-21
A JULY STORM.
Storm Waves Throughout the
Year Show Greater Energy.
ONE OF THE HOT PERIODS.
Season Dry and Wet in Spots-A Theory
Promised that Will Explain all the
Phenomena of Tornadoes-Draw-
back of Finley's Theory
Special TO the Gazette.

Special TO the Gazette.
ST. JOSEPH, Mo, June 20.-My last letter
gave forecasts of the storm wave due to
cross the continent from June p to 90. The
next will be due to leave the Pacific coast
about June 30, cross the Rocky-Allegheny
valley from July l to 3. and reach the At
lantic coast about the 4th. There are no
special features about this storm wave, eX-
cept from this on, throughout the year, all
the storm waves will show increased en-
ergy. This storm will take a northern
route, and the weather preceding it will be
very warm, and will constitute one of the
hot periods of July. but will not be of long
duration. Rains will fall only IN spots. and
the weather will be too dry in many places
rains may be expected for the two weeks
following July 10.
FINLEY ON ToRNADoEs, No. 3.
In his book Mr.. Finley points out that
water is drawn out of deep wells: iron
bridges lifted from stone piers while these
piers are left standing; one house out of
cluster is picked up and carried away while
the others are left standing, and that
feathers are all blown off of chickens with
out hurting these fowls. He then declares
that it is impossible for electricity to do
such things. Mr.. Finley correctly states
the facts about these matters, but his
theory as to the cause is not backed up by
sound reasoning.
1t is difficult to understand how wind or
air by suction can be made to draw water
out of any well and it is Impossible for sue
tion to draw water more than thirty-three
feet. Before suction can draw water from
even shallow well the air must be left
free to rush down into the well as rapidly
as the water is drawn out and the front of
"a tornado funnel would need to be very
nicely adjusted to enter a cistern through
an eighteen-inch opening at the top. reach
ing the water with its suction so as to leave
space around the tornado funnel for the air
to go down into the we'll If the tornado
funnel should be large enough to cover the
mouth OF the well so aS to draw all the at
mosphere out of it the water would not fol-
low, for it requires the weight of the at
mOsphere on the water outside of the fun
mel or pump tube to force the water up
through the latter But we know that the
earth is charged with electricity, that cleo
tricity will lift and convey water, and it is
not difficult to understand that if the NOV
ing force OF tornado is a current of cleo
tricity that current is competent to carry
the water out of the well as it streams
forth from the ground.
But still greater drawback to Mr.. Fin
ley's theory is that many cases are on rec
the water out of wells more than thirty
three feet deep. How is he going to make
suction do such worka
Why do iron bridges go from their stone
piers in tornado without lifting the stones
of the piers9 Because electricity takes
hold of iron more readily than of stone. In
tornadoes the bells of school houses and
churches are the first to go, and in the 1886
tornado at Kansas City, Mo-. where so
many children were killed. the iron beams
supporting the bell were thrown from the
school house, and the mechanics testified
that this appeared to be the only cause of
the destruction to the building. The wind
alone theory will not explain this, while
electricity alone answers every demand.
Can it be possible that wind alone can
completely strip the feathers from chicken
and not hurt the fowla Never; but it is
possible for electricity to do this. Place
man Or a woman on an insulated stool so
that the electricity will not pass through
the body to the earth and then heavily
charge the body with electricity and every
hair of the head. even a woman's long hair
will stand out like iron spikes or the sized
hair of the Circasian show girl. No doubt
if the electric charge should be increased it
would drive every hair out of the head, and
this is the reason that so many chickens are
stripped of their feathers by tornadoes.
On page 81 of his book Mr.. Finley relates
that geraniums III pots We're carried mile
by tornado without injury to the plants.
How could wind do thisl Even suction
would nave demolished them. for suction is
push from behind by incoming water or
atmospheric pressure, and therefore the
same as wind, and how could wind with
sufficient force to carry these plants mile
do so without breaking a twig! To evade
such entanglements Mr.. Finley misstates
a fact as to electricity. He says: "a mag
net will only manifest its force in the pres
ence of bodies capable of being mag
netized." 1t is true that magnets will not
attract such bodies, but they will repel
them and electricity will enter ana atomize
any kind Of matter. Pith balls-the pith Of
cornstalks or elder-are not capable of be-
ing magnetized, but if hung in a cluster will
fly asunder when electricity is introduced
among them Feathers do not conduct
electricity, and will guarantee that all the
feathers can be driven from chicken by
charging its body with strong current of
electricity.
After showing up some of the failures Of
the wind theory, / will take up the other
side and introduce to my readers a theory
that will better explain all the phenomena
Of tornadoes. w. T. FOSTER.