The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-09-01
THE CYCLONE SEASON.
What an Expert Says We. May Look
for This Season.
From the New York Herald.


From the New York Herald.
The recent occupation of tropical ISL
ands by the United States lends unusual
interest to the hurricane season in low
ATTITUDES. Though it occasionally happens
that year passes without more than one
or two violent cyclones In the trade-wind
seas, commanders of all vessels in these
waters must now prepare for such storms
and use the utmost vigilance In keeping
out of their tracks. The last issue of the
Pilot Chart by photographic Office warns
the mariner that tropical cyclones are
probable.
Great variations in the number, inten-
sity and time of development of West In
dian cyclones in different years are we'll
marked, though no physical law govern
ing the variations has yet been clearly
discovered But, as solar heat Is the prime
and most powerful motive force disturbing
the earth's atmosphere, 1t is peculiarly in
terestng to inquire what effect the we'll
known cyclical variations of solar energy
are likely to have upon the formation and
translation of our great August and au-
tumnal storms
1t appears highly probable that some
phenomena of hurricanes-e. g., their rate
OF translation in the belt of trade winds
are considerably modified from year TO
year as solar activity decreases or III
creases decidedly. Astronomers generally
agree that the sun becomes somewhat not
ter and more powerful after sun-spots
have been very numerous, and weaker
when the spots are few las they are in
1883. Balfour Stewart forcibly said,
Whenever the suns heat is most power
ful both trades and anti-trades should be
most powerful likewise" Conversely, when
as now, the solar power Is diminished,
the trade and anti-trade winds would as
rule be weak. During much of the
present summer reports of steamers cross
ing tropical seas have frequently indicated
weak trade-winds Similarly, the anti
trades (the westerly winds of the United
States and Europe) have apparently been
weak this summer, as suggested by The
frequent complaints of stagnation of the
air during the oppressive heat waves. It
may be anticipated from this enfeebied
condition of the surface winds in the pres
ent year that tropical hurricanes-which
are as eddieS in the general trade wind
current.-will travel slowly and perhaps
may undergo less development than in
years of great solar activity.
But, whilo these conditions may charac-
terize a majority of this years autumnal
cyclones, the mariner exposed to them
must be ready to encounter individual
hurricanes moving rapidly and Develop
ing on a gigantic scale. Among modern
West Indian hurricanes, those of August,
1873 and August, 1898, both extremely de-
structve, occurred in years of great solar
activity. But, on the contrary, that Of
August, 1886. the sca-waye of which over
whelmed Indianola, Tex. the Guadeloupe
hurricane of Sept. 6, 1866. which developed
the low barometer Of 2795, and the hurri-
cane of Oct. 5, 1874, that moved at double
quick from Cuba 10 Newfoundland in two
days, were all generated when the solar
energy was much run down.
Such apparent exceptions to the sup
posed law connecting solar changes with
terrestrial whirlwinds seem, however upon
further study, to prove that the law really
holds good. Paradoxical as 1t is, unusual
ly powerful solar radiation falling on the
tropical ocean would necessarily in early
summer and midsummer, evaporate ex-
cessive quantities of water, and the vapor
condensng as 1t rises would form unusual
ly heavy clouds-whlch for time would
minimize the storm-breeding action of the
sun in our lower atmosphere. On the other
hand, in a year like the present, when
generally there Is a decrease of the suns
radiation of heat, and hence also of his
evaporative force in the tropical seas, the
must be thinner ana more diathermanous
than usual-permitting the sun, OCCASION
ally at least, to exert an exceptionally
great disturbing force.
Our seamen in tropical waters must
therefore take 1t for granted that the sea-
son viii not pass without the occurrence
of some severe hurricanes. And the
question which most concerns them is how
best to elude these monster storms AS a
ships greatest peril Is incurred when she
is directly on the hurricanes central path
in the tropics and In its front, 1t Is all-im-
portant that the mariner thus situated
should discover his danger In time. This
can be done by noting the irregularity and
partial reversal of the trades, a slight fail
Of temperature (of or degrees Fahren-
heiO, an unusual increase Of cirrus clouds.
and a long, heavy ocean swell forerun-
ming the storm-all of which signs usually
far precede the barometer's decisive moni-
tons. AS in nine out of ten cases the
cycEone while In the tropics is advancing
slowly In a west-northwesterly direction
safety will often lie with a steamer direct
ly in its front In running TO the south
westward.