Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1893-12-15

the disastrous tornadoes IN iowa "a
hours in advance Of their awful VISTA
lions brought into new prominence the
remarkable accuracy with winch III
these days of advanced science weather
forecast can be made.
The prediction Of the Iowa tornado
offers u noteworthy example of the value
of the government bureau and Illus
trates the perfection of the system 1t en-
ploys, but the forecast in point OF accu-
racy is duplicated daily. 1t isn't every
day that tornado starts on wild stam- !
pede. but the weather sharps are expected
to keep the cities and towns of the coun-
try posted in advance in regard to the
weather. The daily forecast has become
an all important element in all calcula"
tons, whether Of pleasure or of business,
and could no more be dispensed with
than the telegraph or any of tho other
agencies which have revolutionized
affairs.
Several years ago q couple of young
army leutenants who saw tornadoes IN
every cloudcap kept the western farm
ers lodging in and out of low ground
cellars until they became round shout
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 q joke, that
the colored janitor who had rheumatism
and looked upon his left leG as reli-
able gauge did the prophesying business
when the lieutenants were invited to
some swell function.
Things arc run differently now, as 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 better equip
ped service. This is due in some meas
ure to the opportunities Of study offered
by the diverse climatic peculiarities of
the United States. These peculiarities
make the work of weather prophesying
here most difficult task, requiring the
employment of men of wide experience
and learning. 1t is by no means an I'M
common circumstance for the weather
bureau to chase half dozen different
varieties of storms over tho country in a
day. 1t may be hailing in North d.
kota. a tornado may be making sad
havoc in the western farming belt, a
windstorm may be bowling along the
Atlantic coast, imperiling shipping, and
four or five thunderstorms may be
creating alarm in as many different Sec
tiozs
With all these complications. short,
thickset man, with gray eyebrows and
gray mustache. calmly looks over the
maps which arc made on the reports of
every one of the government observers
throughout the country and figures out
just tho kind of weather that may be
expected in every state and section.
This short, thickset man, with gray
eyebrows and gray mustache, is the
official who, on examining the maps on
the night of July 5, paused for mo
ment, and then, to the surprise of his
assistants, murmured, "This looks like
q tornado"
Major Dunwoody was the officer who
read the signs cright. The government
observers at Sioux City, Des Moines,
Keokuk and Omaha had all reported
threatening atmospheric conditions, and
their reports when reduced to tracings
on the maps showed that the center of
the atmospheric disturbances was at
Cheyenne, with the winds racing from
all four points OF tho compass toward
the Wyoming capital. Major Dun
woody has had ca intimate acquaint-
ance with storms for years. and this
tornado didn't fool him by pretending to
rendezvous ut Cheyenne. Tho major is
an old army officer, who understands all
about flank movements, and he began to
figure out where tho main attack might
be expected.
He was sitting on high stool in tho
forecasting room ut the weather bure:u,
calculating on tho 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 ut 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 tho circle, and before 0
o'clock that night all tho observers who
furnished the alarming reports were in
structed by wire to send out warnings to
cities and towns on the respective Sec
tons, and orders were also given to en-
pioy every means to inform the country
districts of the impending peril.
Hours before the storm broke with its
terrible fury express trains running
through tho 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
ment system as directed by Chief Har-
rington. At s o'clock on the night of fine
9th the observations were made, and an
hour later Major Dunwoody. with ouicl,
Judgment based on long experience had
located the storm and had sent out n
forecast to the threatened community.
tellifgof the dangers to be feared. How
much greater might have been the dam
age to property and how much greater
the loss of life but for the WARNINGS,
The weather bureau did not announce
that a tornado might be expected, as
tornado predictions went out of favor
with the young army lieutenants. The
warning, as sent out. was to the effect
that severe local thunderstorms were
threatened, and the farmers knew full
wen what was meant. As interpreted
by them it signified that ground cellar