People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1894-01-26
TORNADO PROTECTION.
A Scientific Devics to Destroy the Fun
mel shaped Cloud.

mel shaped Cloud.
The "para-tornadoes," or tornado
destroyer. is the namo Of a machine
or continuance which may we'll take
rank as one OF the most ambitious
inventions OF the age. The power of
this new weapon against a terrific
enemy has not been tested yet First,
because it has been scarce q month
since the brain OF its inventor de-
signed it, and, second, because there
have been no tOrnadoes available in
his locality to destroy.
1t is the invention Of Eugene Tur-
pin. a man recently released from a
French prison. He says Lieutenant
Findlay. OF the United States weather
bureau, confirms Faye, or at least
he declares that nearly all tornadoes
are formed in the upper layers Of
atmosphere.
The records OF the United States
weather bureau show that the tor
nadoes in America always travel
from the southwest to the northeast
This being established, it is com.
paratiyely easy to face the enemy,
because you know from just what
direction he will come.
The dangerous extent is only an
eighth of the points of the compass,
says the Kansas City Journal, that
is, If you protect a town on its south
west boundary for one-eighth of its
circumference it will be tornado
proof.
1t is awell known fact that a water
spout at sea collapses instantly if a
heavy gun is fired. This is so we'll
understood that nearly all ships in
tropical latitudes carry cannon for
this purpose. A tornado on land,
which is phenomenon OF the same
nature, can be dissipated in the same
way.
His plan in a nutshell, then, is to
establish aerial torpedoes, fixed on
high towers. and, like the electric
light towers used in some American
cities, and so placed that the explo-
sion can only take place by auto
matte action of the tornado itself
The apparatus which | have de-
signed, and patented few days ago.
is SO constructed that a wind OF tor
nado intensity will by simple me-
chanical means discharge the power
full explosive with which the maya
zine is loaded.
81 am acquainted with explosives
and | do not exaggerate when ! say
that the apparatus which have in
mind will keep in perfect working
order without attention for about a
century. | should use about 200
pounds of the most powerful explo-
sive in each tower or pylone. The
explosion would develope an immense
amount Of gas under enormous pres
sure, quite capable of destroying
any tornado in its vicinity. At the
saNe time the explosion taking place
12O feet or higher in the air would
do no damage to buildings or other
property lower down.
1.-The number Of these towers or
para-tornadoes necessary would de-
pend upon the area or Importance OF
the town or buildings to be protected.
To furnish absolute protection it
would be necessary to place them
from fifty to 100 yards apart-the
minimum width OF the path Of tor.
nadO-within the dangerous octant.
Take, for instance, a town three miles
in diameter The dangerous octant
would be about q mile along its
southwest border. | would place
sixty para-tornadoes in four rows
along that section OF the clrcumfer-
snce. That would represent an ex'
pcnse Of about $500