Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-06-05
The st. Louis Tornado.
Now York HeraldD

Not since the tropical hurricane Of Au-
gust, 1898, drove the waters OF the Allan
tic over the Sea Islands on our southern
coast sweeping nearly LOO lives TO de-
structlon, has anything In American
storm-annals been comparable In its IA
tally with Wednesday afternoons ST.
Louis tornado. In The popular magma
ton "the storm IS the child OF the
ocean,; no sentiment Is shocked by a
tempest on our maritime borders. But
the spectacle OF great city in the heart
OF a continent rayaged by tornado
strikes the public mind with indescribable
horror.
After the spring equinox Is well passed
the general storms Of the West and South
west decline in force, and as the season
advances they rarely develop any great
energy. The storm reported in the Mis-
souri, Valley on Wednesday morning was
not a marked exception 10 this general
rule though as the day wore on the at
mospherc conditions las reported by the
local Weather Bureau officer at st. Louis
gave some premOnitory indications OF
dangerous whirlwind. The barometer fell
a quarter Of an inch, and the sky became
mautled with dark thickly cumulated
stratus (cloud), which commenced 10 as
sumo a light-green color In the north
east" which color slowly advanced from
the northeast and spread more to the
west and NORTH" while the wind (Which
had long been southerl) became "varia-
BILE with "A tendency toward a noriherly
direction" These interesting observations
apparently show that the centre OF the
general cyclone. within which the deadly
tornado was formed, had passed 10 the
eastward OF the meridian or 81. Louis
shortly before the tornado burst upon the
city. But such data. however, would az
ford no adequate basis for a scientific and
timely forewarning Of the storms scope
and violence. To have prognosticated
tempest so exceptional as that OF Wednes-
day proved over large portions OF Missou-
ri and adjacent States knowledge or
something more than the changes going
on in the lower atmosphere would have
been Indispensable.
The Invisible Currents I'm the upper
aerial ocean must play controlling part
in the origination OF the terrific whirls
which so easily cut broad paths Of de-
struction throughout well-built western
cities, wreckng the stanchest strdc-
lures, and are even able las was shown
In Wednesdays storm TO tear away
and throw down tons upon tons OF solid
masonry on the eastern end OF the great
Eads bridge spanning the Mississippi
The winds that owe their origin TO off
ferences OF barometric pressure are or
limited force, easily measured by the
thermometer. Severe as they at time be-
come, they take on nothing OF super
natural prowess. But the velocity o.,
tornado winds, defying all ordinary in
strumental measurement, can be traced
to no agency certainly known 10 physics.
unless 1t be the high equatorial current
which has often been observed. by means
of the theodolite at Professor Rotch's
Blue Hill Observatory. near Boston, ira
Yelling l25 10 $50 miles an hour, and In
winter attaining a maximum velocity OF
2Ss miles an hour. IL sweeps, therefore,
perfectly evident that until meteoro-
logists have devised some metrod OF sys-
tematically observing the tremendous
movements going on in the high air and
occasionally extending TO the surface OF
the earth, In our ATTITUDES. IL will be i'm
possible to make any decided advance IN
giving timely forewarnings Of toraadoss.
While patiently waiting for the time
when the mysteries Of the upper atmos-
phere viii be more fully revealed. those