The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1896-06-06
The storms in sac West.

From Philadelphia Ledger, May D.
The recent disastrous tornadoes in the
West and Northwest came almost without
warning, like bolt from the blue sky,
and, whatever may be the triumphs of the
science of meteorolgy, it has not yet been
able to fix, with protective precision, the
time and place, when and where such por-
tentous visitors may be expected. Dan
gerous storms are frequently predicted for
large areas one or more days in advance
of their coming, but the unwelcome visit
ors appear with startling suddenness, and
usually find their victims totally unpro-
tected. 1t would be unsafe to say that
science will never be able to forecast the
path of the tornado and the cyclone with
greater precision, but then course can
never be calculated like the orbit of
planet. They belong to the hayward and
eccentric forces of nature, whose laws are
perpetual escape. There are other
wind storms of different character almost
equally destructive whose course may be
predicted.
II has been suggested that the reduc-
ton of the forest area may partially ex-
plain the phenomena, but his is scarcely
tenable. The storm record was not kept
with any approach to accuracy in former
times in this country, but in the first half
of the century a number Of disastrous tor
nadoes are recorded. There was vista
ton of the kind in 1910, by which as
many persons were killed and injured as
were killed and injured by all the lorna
does which have swept the Western coun-
try thus far this year, previous to the one
which struck St. Louis yesterday. In
June, 1912, Adams county, Mississippi,
was visited by tornado which killed 800
persons. The fatalities nearly equaled
those chargeable to all the cyclones and
storms which visited the entire country in
1894, and exceeded the storm casualties
of the country in 1895.
The tornado is more likely to appear in
May and June than in other months, but
it seems to have all seasons for its own
On the 9th of February, 1884, there were
sixty of these disturbances, distributed
over the territory of eight States The
resultant deaths were 800; persons injured,
$500; buildings destroyed, estimated at
1000. The storm which directly caused
the greatest loss of human life during the
century was that which devasted the Gulf
coast of Louisiana in October, 1893, when
1000 persisted. The greatest money loss
inflicted by violent wind storm was that
suffered by the residents of Wisconsin and
Minnesota in September, 1884, the esti-
mate reaching 81, 900, 900. The Middle
and New England States are not included
in what is scientifically designated as the
tornado region, but these States have not
been exempt from such callers.
The loss of life resulting from tornadoes,
cyclones and lightning in some years does
not equal that resulting from falling build
ings and other preventable causes Of dis
asters 1t is more than probable that
many more persons will be killed and in
iured this year by their own carelessness,
or by the malice or carelessness of their
fellows, than by those terrifying forces of
nature which have recently manifested
themselves in the West. The fall of the
bridge at Victoria, B. c., on Tuesday, by
which probably 100 persons lost their
lives, is an immediate illustration of the
daily peril of which we scarcely take note
us we 90 about our affairs.