The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-30
DANGER TO THE WARSHIPS.
WEST INDIA CYCLONES MAY BREAK
UP BLoCKADEs.

the Origin and Movement of These
Destructive Storms Warnings
That Come In Advance of the
GaIes-HOurs of Anxiety Ahead.
Six weeks from now the navigating off,
| GERS of the American squadrons blockad-
ing the ports of Cuba will have a new
danger to confront. The enemies they will
then have to watch for and be at all times
prepared to overcome will not be those OF
the Spanish feet, but the more destructive
ana vastly more powerful ornaments Of
nature. The season of storms will then
be upon them.
The birthplace of cyclonIc disturbances
is near them, and their vessels lie direct
ly in the well-worn paths over which the
most destructive tornadoes Of the past
have swept with resistless fury. Eternal
vigilance viii be their safeguard For
four months they are likely to be called
upon at any time to face a West Indian
storm, with a velocity of a hundred miles
or more, off hostile country, the shores
Of which are lined with half-submerged
reefs of coral and limestone.
| Upon the knowledge of the officers of the
vessels of the squadrons of Sampson ana
of Schley viii depend their safety. The
cyclone does not come like thief in the
night. Its approach is indicated by rella.
bic signs. Knowing these, it is often pos
sible to get beyond the sphere of acutest
danger, to reach the open sea, where there
is ample room to ride out the terrific
blasts. But even with the utmost vigi-
lance there will always be the danger of a
repetition of the Samoan disaster, of some
gallant battle ship cruiser gunboat or
torpedo boat being swept upon the rocks
and dashed TO pieces. Given the alterna-
tive, every officer would doubtless prefer
an engagement with the guns of Cervera' s
fleet to fight for existence with a cy-
clone such as every summer brings forth
from their breeding places not far from
where the Spanish feet is said to have
been entrapped. Savannah has felt part
of the fury of a cyclone and can appreci-
ate what it would mean for the war ves>
sells to be caught in the vortex of such
storm.
NTH. B. Boyer, weather observer at this
! city, is a recognized authority on cyclones.
| Mr.. Boyer was stationed al Key West for
| thirteen years. and while there devoted
! himself to an analytical study of the West
India cyclone The result of his long and
careful observations were put In pamph-
let which was issued by the main office at
| Washington and circulated throughout the
world. 1t is a standard authority to-day
on the subject and has won Mr.. Boyer
we'll earned commentator from many
countries. Speaking of cyclones yester-
day with especial reference 10 the Amer
lean fleet. Mr.. Boyer said:
There are four months when cyclones
may be looked for, July, August, Septem-
Der and October. AS rule they occur in
September and October, and in those
months they are most violent During the
early part of the season they appear to
confne themselves more TO the eastward
of Cuba, working to the eastward of the
| Bahamas into the Atlantic During Sep
| TENDER and October they keep we'll to the
southwark over the Caribbean sea, and
passing either over Cuba, or through the
! Yucatan channel to the Gulf and then on
UP the Atlantic coast, occasionally, as Sa-
Vannahians know from experience, doing
| much damage in this country.
The greatest danger 10 our fleet of
| blockading vessels viii come toward the
end Of the cyclonic season, in September
and October, when these storms will work
to the southwark and westward A little
! explanation of the origin of these lorna
does will make the matter more inteli-
! gible TO the public. They develop in the
vicinity of the Windward islands, in about
! latitude 10 degrees north. A comparatively
small area becomes super-heated in the vi
cinity of the belt of calms, which runs a
little to the north or south of the equator
according 10 the season. This superheat-
ed area sets up an ascending current of
heated air To till the partial vacuum thus
created the air from the cooler regions
surrounding moves in. This sets in a vorti-
cal or gyrdtory motion. The ascending
column of air near the center cooling as
it arises, condenses the atmospheric va
por or moisture, liberating latent heat
which is the life of the storm. At it's in
ception the storm is of small diameter
In the tropics it may be but one hundred
miles wide and of fearful intensity AS it
moves in a para oolic path to The northwest
and then curves to the northeast it in
creases in diameter sometimes to over one
thousand miles. on the Cuban coast the
storm would be in all probability in its
first path to The northwest"
which of our fleets would be in the
| greatest danger, one operating on the
north coast off Havana or Matanzas or
one on the south coast of the island off
Santiago" Mr. Boyer was asked
The greatest danger, | should think
would be to the vessels on the north coast
| There are two reasons for this In that
locality The winds first ushering in a hurri-
cane OF cyclone would be from the north
to the northeast For a blockading feet
off the south coast this would be an Off
shore wind, and the vessels would have
room to maneuver in. But on the north
coast these winds would be on shore,
would be of terrific violence, and the yes
sells would be hampered by lack Of sea
room 10 weather 1t out in. They would
be surrounded by the Florida reefs. the
coast of Cuba and the Bahama Islands"
Are there no warning indications of the
approach of one of these storms, that
could be noted in time for the vessels. to
reach a place of safety?"
Eyes, the appearance of a cyclone can
be told by the movement of the clouds
long before 1t can be discovered by any
other system. l have detected the center
of such storm four hundred miles from
a station by the clouds In cyclonic or
ganiZation as we term 1t, the clouds
taken up from the surface clouds to the
highest, range themselves in regular
angles with reference to the vortex OF the
cyclone. 1 have seen, counting surface
wind. five different currents all, in differ
ent directions, in one cyclone. And vet IL
the organization is perfect they will all
be regular and in accordance with the di-
rectiOn the center Is bearing from the