The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1896-09-05
DISTINGUISHING : FORBADE.
symptoms Ly which to Knew c

symptoms Ly which to Knew n ~
clone fro.a q Thunder Storm.
Perhaps tie most important dis
tinCtiOn to tIlrnaSiZp ia that between
the appcarus.:o of a thunder storm ana
a tornado. since, if this can be defined,
much needless fear at the approach or
black but harmless thunder storms can
be avoided. When not combined with
tornado manifestations the thunder
storms send ai0ct narrow line or
black clouds in advance, which re-
mains 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 tornado,
but by distant edges Of the high black
clouds rcccding below the horizon. 1t
is one storm which spreads to the left
and right. There is no splitting up OF
clouds with the formation of n differ
ent storm at another part of the hor-
Zon.
The tornado is easily distinguished
from this perfectly plain edge of black,
with its lighter rain mist extending to
the earth. Whether the funnel is
vciled by rain or not il is ordinarily so
black that as it approaches it appears
as Il column Of dense darkness. mar
rowcSt ut the earth, with light break
ing through on either side OF it. The
most marked trait OF al IS that other
clouds seem to be approaching, others
moving ut right angles. and distant
storm Of light hue is coming from the
southwest. + his is all caused 10y the
tornado. which is drawing clouds ana
air currents toward itself from great
distances. As the tornado fUuncl
comes nearer, with its dark mass of
rubbish reaching to the earth, the roar
Is frlghtful, giving the observer fifteen
or twenty minutes warming. The
southwest corner of the cellar, if the
tornado is approaching from the south
or west, is the safest plucc Of refuge.
The tornado carries the WrGckagc TO
the north and east. and if the funnel is
seen III the north or east it need not
be feared, because it Will almost GER
tainly move away. Of coo toTnadoCS
specially classified ali but thirty-tivc
moved from southwest to northeast,
and nearly all the thirty-EiTe moved
ea$tWardly.
The tunnels have n rotary motion,
from right to left. and this motion is
not due to electrical action, but to &c
celeration Of conflicting air currents.
Lieut. Finley shows that the lightning
HNIt''NN" ~ ~ III tIi' i4A+AltI II itElilN
in adjacent thunder clouds. The
broken and withercd buds, bruised by
the action of the air. are eyapOrated
by the sun after the tornado, causing
the foliage to look scared, giving rise
to the error that the tornado manifestS
burning electrical power. 1t has been
demonstrated by study Of wreckage
that as the funnel leaves the earth and
rises into the air its force slightly di-
miniShcS, and that this bounding mo-
ton causes the funnel TO spare one
building and demolish another. The
funnel, with its small end to the earth,
spins like a top. moving along Mt an
average rate Of about forty miles an
hour, but the velocity of the spin is in
calculablo. 1t is like the motion OF air
impellcd by an explosion.
TornadOcS generally occur between
. p. III. and . i. M, and not more than
one III Il thousand takes place between
10 p. IN. ana noon OF the following day
l have heard Of only two instances in
which the tornado occurred between
midnight and morning-One at Hoha-
kuS, y. j., and another in Southern
Michigan. which caused Slight loss of
life. Since these are only TWO IL about
1000 cases the danger from tornldocs
at night is So small that il need not be
Observation-Disclosures Weekly.