Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1896-06-18
THE VARYING POWERS OF lorna
DOES, AND THEIR FREQUENCY.
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! Perhaps the most Important distinction
to emphasize is that between the appear
ance of u thunderstorm and IL tornado
since, If this can be defined much need
| less fear at the approach of black but
/ harmless thundcr-storms can be avoided
When not combined with tornado mani
| festations the thunderstorm sends aloft "A
narrow line of black clouds in advance,
which rcmains high In the air. At the
right and left the black clouds seem to
reach the earth. but this is caused, not by
a descent to the earth. as in "A tornado,
but by distane edges of the high black
clouds receding below the horzon-linc 1t
is one storm. which spreads to the left
and right. There Is no splitting up of
clouds with the formation of a different
storm at another part of the horizon.
The tornado is easily distinguished from
this perfectly plain edge of black with its
lighter raln-mist extending to the earth
Whether the funnel Is yelled by rain or
not, 1t Is ordinarily so black that as It APP
| proaches it appears as a column of dense
darkness. narrowest at tho earth with
| light breaking through on either side of II.
The most marked trait or an Is that other
clouds seem to be approaching. others
moving at right angles, and Il distinct
storm of light hue is coming up from the
southwest. This is all caused by the tor
nado, which Is drawing clouds and air cur
rents toward itself from great distances
As the tornado funnel comes nearer. with
its dark mass of rubbish reaching to the
| earth, the roar is frghtfu giving the OBJ
server 10 minutes warming The south
west corner of the cellar, If the tornado Is
approaching from the south or west. Is
the safest place of refuge. The tornado
carries the wreckagc to the north and east,
and If the funnel Is seen in the north or
| east 1t need not be feared because IL VIII
almost certainly move away. OF 600 tor
nadoes specially classified, all but 80 moved
from southwest to northwest, and nearly
all the 30 moved castwardly
| The tunnels have a rotary motion from
right to left, ana this motion is not due to
electrical action, but to accclcration of
conflicting air currents. Lieut.. Finley
shows that the lightning supposed to be in
the funnel Is really in adjacent thunder
clouds. The broken and withcrcd buds,
bruised by the action of the air, are cvapo-
rated by the sun after the tornado, causing
| the foliage to look scared, giving rise TO
tho error that the tornado manifests burn
ing electrical power 1T has been demon
Strated by study of wrcckagc that as the
funnel leaves the earth and rises into the
air its force slightly dimirishes. and that
this bounding motion causes the funnel to
spare one building and demolsh another
The funnel with its small end to the earth
spins like top, moving along at an aver
age rate Of about 20 miles an hour, but the
velocity of the spin is incalcuablc. 1t is
like the motion of air impeled by an ex-
ploslon.
Tornadoes generally occur between 3 n.
m. and p. m, and not more than one i'm
a thousand takes place between 10 y m.
and noon of the following day. | have
heard of only two Instances in which the
tornado occurred between midnight and
morning-one at Hokokus. New Jersey.
and another In southern Michigan, which
caused slight loss of life. Since these are
only two in about 1000 cases, the danger
from tornadoes ut night is so small that IL
need not be considered