The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-06-19
CYCLONES AND TORNADOEs.
Prof. GarriOtt, of the National
Weather Bureau, Discusses Them.

Prof. GarriOtt, of the National
Weather Bureau, Discusses Them.
Prof. Z. B. Garriott Of the weather
bureau at Washington. in discussing the
recent cyclones at New Richmond, Wis,
and Herman. Neb., advises people when
they see funnel-shaped cloud approach
Ing to throw open every door and window
In their houses and wait for the storm
to pass over. The chances of escape about
equal those of destruction
Your furniture will probably be dam
ageu by the heavy rain that usually ac-
companies a tornado" he says, ''but your
house will not be carried into the next
county, nor torn to pieces by the fury
or the winds. The velocity of the wind
causes vacuum in the atmosphere
When the cloud reaches a house with all
It's doors and windows shut the four
walls of the building must give way in
that vacuum, or the house Is lifted from
its foundation and carried with the wind
When the destructive cyclone visited St
Louis few years ago many large and
substantial houses were blown down. In
the path of the storm were many fraiI
houses and sheds. These places escaped
without the loss of a shingle. The nu-
merous openings permitted the air to es-
cape freely. On the other hand, where
the buildings were large and securely
closed the confined air caused destruction
There was a similar incident Just outside
Chicago few years ago. There storm
wrecked large barn. Within a few feet
of the demolished structure was a work.
shop and corncrib which escaped without
damage.
at Is difficult to forecast tornadoes-
or. rather, to predict where one will strike
1t is like attempting to foreteIl where
lightning will hit The only thing to
be done when tornado visits your neigh
borhood Is to throw open your doors a-a
pray that the storm center will not strike
In your neighborhood. The chances of es-
cape about equal those Of destruction
The storm may hit miss YOU It is
purely matter Of chance
The Northwest has Jared as well this
year as any other section in the matter
or destructive storms" continued DIR.
Garriett. THAT section has been a ia
VCr1tc stamping ground for tornadoes.
These centers are caused by the contact
of warm air and cold air. which general
ly meet in Minnesota. Southern Wiscon-
| sin, Illinois and Michigan. The REPORTS
or storms as may be expected, increase
yearly as the population in the North
| west becomes more dense. Heretofore
| the storms have swept over the section
Tor years and years, and nothing was
| heard of their severity while their force
l
cities and towns are being built every few
miles, the path of the storms Is obstruct
ed by houses, which cannot be DESTROYED
without the reading public learning of it.
Tornadoes travel from west to east
and are more frequent in the Northwest
| and Middle West, where there are miles
Of prairie. In the winter the storms form
| on the Pacific coast and In the gulf
states. The summer tornadoes come out
! OF the Rocky mountain region, and are
| mild until they come in contact with the
warm air Of the valley states. The com
bination of the cold air in the original
| storm and the warm air meeting and
mixing at different angles forms the CIV
clonic force which causes the destruction.
Tornadoes are broken by obstacles and
cannot exist in mountainous country.
The storms form at a low barometric pres
sure. The storms go in groups, and their
area at times will cover several states.
The cyclonic force Of the disturbance ia
| confined generally to the eastern section
OF. the storm, and sometimes is so high in
/ the atmosphere as to cause no damage.
The cyclonic forces remain a mystery.
and while the causes of the phenomena
| are known, we are not successful in fore
casting the storms"