Oxford Democrat., 1893-08-22
south Bridgton. Maine.
DEATH IN THE AIR.
now TORSApoEs CARRY DESTRUCTION
FAR AND WIDE.

now roRNApOEs CARRY DESTRUCTION
FAR AND WIDE.
Tornadoes-what people In the West
call "cyclones"-have been cutting up
arrange freaks lately. But that is way
thew have. Science has for long time
been very anxious to discover reasons
for the yagaries OF these wonderful
storms, but as yet the laws controlling
them remain to great extent unknown.
They have come to be recognized as
among the most destructive OF natural
phenomenal, so that many Insurance
companies are now making II q part OF
their business to underwrite property
against them. Ii has been estimated
that, taking an average, each tornado
costs one life.
No subject In the science of meteor
ology IL OF such absorbing Interest as
that of tornadoes. Their performances
are 90 amazing and the manifestations
by which they are accompanied are 80
terrifying that the mind has difficulty In
grasplng the matter understandlngly.
As rule they give fair warning OF their
approach. The air Is usually very still
and sultry. People feel depressed with
out knowing why. Dark and threaten
Ing clouds appear on the western horl-
ron, and the .sky from west to south
takes on a peculiar lurid or greenish
tinge. This "tornado sky" is q charac-
teristic feature.
From the suspended masses OF vapOr q
sort OF tail 10 seen to project Itself down.
ward. 1t gradually assumes, while APP
preaching, the aspect Of a gigantic fun
mel, with the small end toward the
ground. This funnel moves with enor-
nous rapldlty. Its speed being rarely
under forty miles an hour and sometimes
as much as eighty miles an hour. As 1t
comes nearer an indescribable roar Ia
heard, which has been likened to the bel
lowing OF million mad bulls or the
rumbling of ten thousand trains OF cars
over as many bridges.
still the great cloud advances, black
as night, somewhat resembling an Inn
mense balloon, sweeping Its neck round
and round with terrible fury and destroy
ing everything In Its path. IL whirls
with almost incredible velocity, some
times leaving the earth for moment,
then bounding back to continue Its dire
havoc. The whole period OF destruction
may occupy only three or four minutes,
but In that time towns are wiped out and
fields are laid waste. A few minutes
later the blue sky appears, the wind
turns TO the south and all quiets down.
No one would suppose that terrible
catastrophe had occurred, save for the
L a.. ah IN
cries of the unfortunates.
Ii often happens that the funnel.shaped
monster is preceded by great cloud OF
dust, produced by an Outrush OF air
before the storm, SO that the approach
ing danger Il not seen until II Is lmmedl-
ately at hand. The mighty balloon OF
yapor travels twice as fast as the tenn
pest out Of which II Is engendered. II
Il frequently accompanied by Vivid
display of lightning. The width OF the
destructive path Is rarely over 800 feet.
In the central line all trees are strewu
In the same direction, rs though mighty
river had passed and left them behind.
Just after the tornado usually come tor
rents of rain, which has caused these
phenomena to be called ''cloud bursts"
On one occasion hall was reported AS
having fallen to the depth Of four feet.
The causes which produce tornadoes
are pretty we'll understood. They are
found very often In the Mississippi val
ley, which, as Is well known, Is region
particularly liable to such atmospheric
disturbances. Suppose that the day Is
warm and sultry and the stratum OF
heated air near the earth Is full OF vapor.
A current of cold air flows In above.
There you have situation which Is cal
culated to make trouble. The cold air
being much heavier than the wari1, the
natural place for II to occupy 10 the bot
tom layer, with the warm stratum on
top. SO there Is tendency for the two
to change places. a meteorological
squabble ensues, which produces what
Is calleda storm.
Presently the cold layer OF air sloft
finds place In the warm layer below II,
through which II can make Its way down.
ward. 1t does so, and the performance
Il exhibited to the eye Of the observer
by the appearance Of descending fun
mel of yapor. II whirls around In obe-
dience to the same law which causes a
stream of water pouring through a hole
In the bottom Of bowl to IevOlve. In
cidentally an enormous energy Il devel-
oped. The balloon Of vapor goes sweep
Ing along with tremendous roar and an
accompany Ing electrical display. Il Is
nothing more nor less than highly ex-
aggerated thunder storm. Thunder
storms are brought about In exactly the
same way, save that the cold stratum
above and the warm stratum below are
mingled more gradually, producing less
violent symptoms and forming no whirl-
Ing funnel.
The tornado Il precisely the same thing
as water spout at sea. Water spOuts
have often been disslpated by the firing
of cannon, aud II has been suggested
that explosions OF dynamite might pro-
duce the same effect on the terrestrial
phenomenon. The difficulty would be
to get near enough, aud nobody who
could run away would care to stand his
ground, and, for scientific purposes, ex-
pertinent with explosives on the suscep-
tibility Of a"cyclone." Data respecting
tornadoes are unsatisfactory, because
those who have an opportunity to OBJ
serve them are In such fear OF their lives
that their accounts are not apt to be reli-
able. No photograph Of one Of these
whirllng funnel clouds has been secured,
though many bogus ones have been msn-
ufactured for sale. However, now that
the kodak hend, whom nothing can ter
rify, 10 abroad in the land, IL may be
expected that sooner or later some snap
shots will be obtained. - Washington
Star.