Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1893-11-24
CYCLONE LORE.
A METEOROLOGIST GIVES HIS
THEORY OF THEIR CAUSE.
The Popular Belief That Electricity
IS the Immediate Origin is an
Error-How to Avert
Cyclones.

~ Beutltluuu WIZ -'"'
thirteen years practical ex-
perience as a telegraph manager, and
in such capacity has studied electrical
disturbances and kept a record of them,
because a part of his duties, after
twenty-five years of observation, and
having visited nearly every locality
from the lakes to Utah, is free TO state,
says the Minneapolis Tribune, that no
phenomena in connection with cyclones
had ever come under his observation
that could be explained as originating
through natural causes.
The statement was brought out be-
cause in late issue of the Tribune
there appears a communication from
Mr.. Stone, of Pine City, Minn,, in
which he predicted that the next
generation of man will be compelled
to dwell in caves in order to avoid the
increasing electrical disturbances upon
the esrth-the sO-called cyclones.
"The popular belief that electricity
is the immediate cause of cyclones is
an error" Mr.. Titus said to the Trib-
une. "All chemical action is based
upon the operation of the law of heat
and cold. There can be no chemical
action without heat. A drop of water
coming in contact with piece OF iron
cannot oxidize into the oxide OF iron
rust without generating certain
amount of heat. 1t is the operation
of the law of heat and cold that causes
the ocean currents. Cold water Is
heavier to the square inch than warm,
hence the cold arctic currents follow
the deep sea beds and channels toward
the equator, dispensing and forcing
the lighter warm water to the surface
and to the poles, where i'll turn II be-
comes cooled, returning again 70 the
equator through the deep sea beds.
The same law that governs the water
of the earth governs also the air. Air
and water are both liquids The air
can be seen to how like water by hold
ing a sharp piece of glass in a strong
current of air.
"From the Gull of Mexico to the
North Pole and from the lakes to the
Rocky Mountains is vast extent Of
country crossed by no mountain chains
to intercept or retard the velocity OF
air current. The extent of this coun-
try is equaled by none on earth. Cold
air being heavier to the square inch
than warm air, the cold air, when COM
ing in contact with a warm current
from the south, always predominates,
forcing the warm air into the upper
current.
''The cause of cyclones is the meet
ing of head wind from the North
with head wind from the South. They
meet like two vast armies of men. The
pressure at the point of meeting is so
great that the air, by compression, be-
comes heavier to the square inch than
wood, or the human body, hence either
one will float in the same manner that
wood will float in water-it floats be-
cause it is lighter to the square inch
than water. Place water in an ordin-
ary wash bowl and remove the plug
and it will be observed that in passing
out the water forms acircular reaction.
Air being liquid does the same IN
passing either upward or downward;
hence the funnel-shaped spout of the
cvclone center. When two immense
bodies of air coming from opposite
directions meet, the only egress is up
ward and sideways, and in passing up
ward it forms the funnel the same As
water passing out of wash bowl down
ward. The theory that cyclone forms
A vacuum is absurd Withdraw air
from a glass jar with an air pump, and
a feather within the vacuum formed
will drop with the same velocity as
lead. or, on the other hand, you can
compress air until it is heavier to the
square inch than wood, in which case
wood will float in the air. The lifting
power of cyclone is caused by the /
compression or density of the air, and |
second by its velocity Combining /
the power of density with that oil
velocity, which occurs at the center or
funnel, no power can resist 1t. The /
feeling of suffocation or difficulty in /
breathing when near the track of a /
cyclone is caused from the compression
OF air.
Several years ago a cyclone picked
up man and his wife, each having a
child in their arms. They Aosted along
together for the first mile or two and
then separated. The husband was
dropped to the ground lightly without
the slightest injury either to himself or
child. while the wife drifting into rari
fed air, dropped with great force and
was killed Had they been carried IN
consequence of the velocity of the
wiad they would have been carried at
a speed Of not less than 100 miles per
hour. and destruction to both would
certainly have followed. They simply
fIoated in consequence of the density
of the air. In olden times unexplained