The Yellowstone journal., 1893-08-08


ph.r- IN ,ari"u. SECTIONS.
The signal achievement of the gov
.rnnent weather bureau in pretiic..n.
rhe disastrous torna,loes in Iowa "A
hours in at.vauc" IF their awful vista
ions bruught ,.io new prominence the
remarkable accuracy with which III
these days of advanced sc,encea weather
forecast can be made.
The prediction of the Iowa tornado
oti ers a noteworthy -x.lnple of the value
of the government bureau AN! Illus
tratcs the perfection Of the system ii en-
ploys. but the forecast in point of aeon
racv is du heated daily. II isn't every
day that /; to. .l..do starts ON "A wild STAN
pede but the weather sharps are expected
to keep the cities and towns of the conn
try posted III advance in regard to the
weather. The daily forecast has become
an all important element in all calcnla
tions. whether of pleasure or Of business,
and could no more be dispensed with
than tho telegraph or any Of the oihcr
agencies which have revolntioA0ki
affairs.
Several ,cars ago "A couple Of young
army lieutenants who saw tornadoes III
every cloudcap kept the western farm
ers dodging in and out of low ground
cellars until they became round sholil-
dered and neglected their crops. but the
young lieutenants' experience is now one
of the amusing traditions of the Office.
1t is told. too, possibly as a joke. that
the colored janitor who had rheumatism
and looked upon his left leg as a reli
able gauge did the prophesying business
when the lieutcnants were invited to
some swell function.
Things are run differently now, rs the
reliability of the predictions and the
able administration of the bureau at
test. 1t is doubtful, moreover. If any
country on the globe has IA better equi,,
ped service. This is due III some ineaS-
ure to the opportunities of study offered
by the diverse climatic peculiarlties of
he United States. These peculiarities
make the work of weather prophesy ing
. mere most difficult task. requiring the
employment Of men of wide experience
and learning. Ii Is bv no means AN un
common circumstance for the weather
bureau to chase half dozen different
varieties of storms over the country III Il
day 1t may be hailing III North Da
koia. "A tornado may he making sal
havoc IN the western farming belt Il
wint!storm may be bowling along the
Atlantic coast. imperiling shipping, and
four or five thunderstorlns NAV d.
creating alarm in as many different sr.'-
tlons.
With all these complications. IA short.
/ 'hick-et man, with gray eyebrows am.
gray mustathe. calmly looks over III,
maps which are made ON the report, oi
every one of the government Observer
throughout the country and figures uuf
Iust the kind Of weather that NAV b,
expected IL every state and section
This short. thickset man. with gray
eyebrows and gray mustache, Is tn"
official who, on examining the maps u,
the night of July .. paused for n mo.
ment. and then. 10 the surprise of hi>
assistants murmured This looks like
IA tornado"
Mayor Dunwoody was the officer who
read the signs Alright. The government
observers at sioux City, Des Moine..
threatening atmospheric conditions. and
their reports when reduced to tracinys
on the maps showed that the center o;
the atmospheric disturbances was al
CHEYENNE. with the winds racing FROM
all four points of the compass toward
the Wyoming capital. Major Dun.
woody has had an Intimate acquaint-
ance with storms for years. and this
tornado didn't fool him by pretending 10
rendezvous at Cheyenne. The major is
an old army officer. who understands al!
about flank movements. and he began to
figure ont where the main attack might
be expected.
He was sitting on a high stool in the
forecastinK room at the weather bureau,
calculating on the tornado's probable
evolution. The major read the report Of
the storm sentinels at Sioux City and
Des Moines over again and then drew
circle. with the center at Cheyenne and
the circumference toward the east.
touching Davenport. The majors ex-
perience Taught him that the most
trouble might be expected in the south.
east segment of the circle. and before 9
o'clock that night all the observers who
furnished the alarming reports were in
structed by wire to send out warnings To
cities and towns on the respective sec
tiOns, and orders were also given to em-
ploy every means to inform the country
districts Of the impending peril.
Hours before the storm broke with its
terrible fury express trains running
through the isolated communities had
carried the bureaus intelligence. and
those who lived far from the railroad
station were warned by whistles which
were blown according to an established
and well understood code
How quickly all this was accomplished
illustrates the efficiency of the govern.
nent system AS directed by Chief Har-
rngton. At IS O'Clock on the night of the
9Th tine observations were made. and All
hour later Major Dunwoody, with quick
Judgment based on long experience, had
n L.