Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-05-01
FURY OF THE GALES
May Be Entirely Neutralixed
in the Prairie States
BY TORNADO EIFFeL-T0wERS
An Unique and Onginal Plan TO Desuoy
Tomatoes - Foster Forecasts the
Weather for THIS Month

st. JOSEPH MO-, ApiA oo.-My iset
bulletin gave forecasts OF the storm
waves due to cross the continent April
q to May /, and May 2-7, and the
next Will reach the Pacitc coast about
May s, cross the western mountains by
the close of May 3, the great central
valleys from May 10 10 IL. and the
eastern states about May I3. This
storm will be At It's greatest force on
MAY or :, while on the Alaskan coast.
The cool wave following II will cross
| the western mountains about May IL,
| the great central valleys about May Is,
and the eastern states about May Is.
BY the middle of May the crouth DIS
tricts will be more clearly defined.
| The drouih will be irregularly dlstrib-
uted, but will affect the states OF the
great central valleys and the Atlantic
| coast more extensively south OF the
fortieth parallel north OF 1t.
Tornado Dessrsysrs.
| have long believed that some practi-
| cal means will be discovered by which
| tornadoes will be dismantled-roebed
| of tneir destructive epergiee-but l
have not yet ventured 10 discuss the
question. The Los Angeles Times, the
| leading daily OF southern California.
| and whose editor is an able advocate of
! electro-planetary meteorology, pub
| lished April carefully written edi-
torial on the subject. 1t is well worthy
of consideration, and | copy 1t. The
| Times says: "On the flrst inst. the most
widespread visitation OF tornadoes
since 1857 occurred IN the middle west
ern states. Tornado conditions had
prevailed for several days previous.
On March &c, devastating storm swept
| over Cerro Gordo, Ill. On March 81 !,
there were tornadoes in Nebraska and
Kansas. On April /, whole family of
| these swirling storms were turned looee.
tearing through Nebraska, Kansas, Mis-
| sour, Illinois and lows. 1t may be
remarked, in passing, that these
| tornado conditions were quite accur-
ately foretcld in Fosters forecasts
| published in this paper under date OF
March Is. Mr.. Foster bases his calcula-
| tions on the electric theory OF storms,
and the almost uniform success which
he attains IN his predictions shows that
he certainly knows good deal about
the subject.
| Persons Are Panfc-strieksn.
"The helplessness of those VINO live
| in these tornado-swept countries Is pit
iful. Nobody except one who has ex-
perienced it can appreciate the abso-
lutte terrorism which prevails among
the people. Whenever the sky Is sud
denly overcast, though il be with the
most commonplace thunder storm, the
| women and children become panic
stricken, and the faces of men bianch
with Apprehension. Many families
are provided with places oil refuge
under ground, called tornado caves, to
which they bctake themselves when
ever they see Indications OF an ap-
preaching eterm. Ard thus far this -
about the only method of protection
that has been devised. But it
is at best only q poor subterfuge-
Not every family is able TO provide
itself with cave, and 1t often
happens that the swirling terror is upon
them before the people can seek refuge.
The wonder grows as 10 whether
there may not be some better pro.
lection against these storms than q
mere hiding place underground. Might
il not be possible to intercept the storm
by some deyice and rob 1t OF its terrors?
When a vessel At sea meets water
epeut which is likely to intercept its
path the skipper. who has had expert
ence with such things, fires cannon
shot through it If possible. Reliable re-
ports may be cited of many instances
in which water spout has thus been
dissipated. The water spout 10 simply
a tornado at sea. which gathers water
up in its vortex instead OF dust and
debris, as II does on land.
Electricity the Moving Agent.
"Thanks 10 the practical science of
| BENJAMIN Franklin, We have n reason
ably sure protection against lightning
by the use of rod uscd TO carry otf
the charge of electricity from the
clouds and thus rob il of it's power for
harm. Is Il unreasonable TO suppose
that we may some day meet the tor
nsdo with some practical device as ef-
fectual 40 the cannon hall of the Davi-
gator or the lightning rod OF
old Ben Franklin? The principal
reason why no efforts have been
put forth in this direction, We
think, IS due to a popular misconcep-
ton of the character of tornado storms.
The scientists OF the United States
weather bureau. who do much more
than anv others in the wsv of mould
ing public opinion in these matters. say
that the energy of the tornado ls de-
veloped from peculiar conditions of
heat and moisture in the atmosphere:
that it is purely an atmospheric phe-
nomena. They hold out no hope that
mankind will ever he able to cope with
this demon uf the air, and the best
that they are able 20 do is TO give plans
for an underground cave and tell pso-
pie which way to run FOR tsfety when
they see q tornado column approach
ing. They will never he able 10 DO
anything better for the public until the
whole theory of tornadoes Is revised.
We believe that the scientists of the
weather bureau are wrong. We be-
lieve that the active principle of q tor
nsse column j. electricity. We think
il is a herolc measure adopted hv ns-
ture for re-sdiustins the electrical
eauipo,re between earth and cloud
when the normal conditions are sud.
denlv disturbed. In other wsrds, we
hold that the tornado - tie converse
of the thundsrboit. In one the sor-
plus charge of electricity dssceBds
from cloud to earth; IN the other il "a.
cends from earth 10 ciond. The lieht-
ming descends in spiral. The tornado
column rlses in sDrsL Both are
manifestations of electrical force.
rawsr Ternsao Twiss~r.
"ff tbs hypeth.sis Is proven. there j,
hope tbst mankind nav yet end sss-
ouatn rnssus Of protection from the de
vastation. of ths tarnsdo. Fer. II u be
pa-safie - catch surplus charge Of
electricity ~ md az 81 sEasll red to
tbs carte. where q a ksrmle~lv DIS