Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-07-12
NEXT STORM WAVE.
Our Mr.. Foster Announces Its
Coming and Route.
LAST GENERAL RAIN PERIOD.
The Term "Cloudburst" a AIisnomer-Just
the Reverse of a Cloudburst-Lan-
suage that the Masses Can
Understand.
Special to the Gazette.


ST. JOSEPH, Mo, July 11.-My last letter
gave forecasts Of the storm wave due to
cross the continent from 18th to 10th, and
the next one will be due to leave the Pacl nc
coast about the 18th, cross the Rocky-AIe-
gheny valley from 10Th to 2lst, and reach
the Atlantic coast about the 22d. The IN
portant feature of this storm wave will be
the Inauguration OF the last general rain
period that will occur during the 1871 crop
season. OF course it will not cause rams II
every county in the United States, but the
rains will be somewhat similar to those o.
the first half of June, and number OF those
destructive rainfalls, popularity tefrneu
cIouldoursts, may be expected. ms ram
period will continue at intervals TIL the
close of this month. Deficiencies IN rain
fall will probably occur in those countries
that are both near sea level and near the
sea coast. As stated in my letter year
ago the influences will continue 10 carry the
heavy rainfalls inland away from the sea-
coasts and to the more elevated lands. Tor
nadoes may be expected from this storm
wave as it crosses the Mississippi valley,
and altogether it will be of more than usual
severity. The rain period inaugurated by
this storm wave will largely determine
what the corn crop Of 1881 is TO be, and its
influences on the cotton crop Will be only
little less extensive, for where this rain
period fails to give the necessary moisture
will be in great danger ofdrouth in August.
I have all the time believed that 1891 would
bring q large general crop because great
storm years are almost always great crop
years. Local damages to crops occur from de-
structive storms and local drouthS, but these
will affect comparatively small areas this
year, and will not greatly reduce the crop
products. Later events may have mate
rial influence on the crop Of cotton.
CLOUD-BURSTs.
This term is 4 misnomcr. There is no
such d thing as cloud-burSt. The event is
exactly the reverse of wbatits popular term
applies, for it is coming together of clouds
instead of q parting aSunder. The term
water-spout is also used to indicate 4 SINH
lar weather event, but water-spouts occur
on the sea where the water is taken up,
while these terms, water-spout and
cloud-burst, are properly used TO denote 4
great doWnpour of water 1t Will be i'm
possible 10 change the habit of the daily
and weekly press in the use of these terms.
and as they constitute the only channel
through which to reach the masses, we
must submit to the misuse of the term.
am not writing for the scientists but for the
people, and l must use the language of the
people.
All hailstorms, cloud-bursts and water
spouts are caused by tornadoes, but only
small proportion of these tornadOeS reach
the surface of the earth. Electricity IS the
force of these tornadoes, and its operations
are such as to give TO the tornado storm the
shape of an hour-glaSS; therefore, when the
storm is elevated its lower parts spread out
over 4 large territory, and then we do not
experience great wind force on the surface
Of the earth, but when the tornado is lower
in the atmosphere its middle, that rart cor
responding to the middle Of the hour glass,
is on the earth's surface, and then we see
the tornado in its greatest force.
y great current of electricity streams
from the earth upward, carrying with ii
the atmosphere on the atoms of which the
electricity moves by connection. This lift
ing OF the atmosphere causes other atmOs-
phere to rush in to ill the space vacated, |
and this thrush of atmosphere brings to-
gether vast cloud Accommodations with such
force that they are piled up miles in depth,
and being pressed together by the powerful
inflow of air the water IS squeezed out of
them in such great quantities as to cause
that which is termed a cloud-burst or
Waterspout.
The center of this tornado storm spouts |
the clouds and moist air to great elevations, |
where the mists are frozen, and when they |
again begin to fail to the earth they must |
come back through these many miles of |
clouds, gathering moisture from them as |
they fall, and thus forming the hailstones. |
These conditions must exist before hail can |
be formed, and the greater the upspouting !
tornado force the higher it viii drive the |
moisture and the larger will be the hail !
stones.
Orthodox meteorologists declare that heat |
is the moving force of the tornado, but they |
cannot reconcile with their theory the fact |
that alIvayc r.,,pdrrce h ~