The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-01

OF course, most unuSuai case Out very
frequently the West Indian cyclones cross
the Atlantic ocean after leaving the North
American coast.
While these hurricanes are never more
than few hundred miles in diameter, yet
the long paths which they pursue distrib-
utes their force over large territory, and
they are thus the most powerful while not
the most intense storms which we have.
There have been long lists compiled of the
West Indian hurricanes and the destruc-
ton which has marked their paths; and
II has been computed that the energy eX-
erted by the hurricane Of October, 1874,
would not fall far short of 1000 900. o00-
horse power, and this devastation was ex-
pended on path but 90 miles wide.
Enormous Rainfall.
The amount of rain which falls as an
accompaniment of these hurricanes =
enormous. being frequently upward Of ten
inches. The wind movement IN hurricanes
is seldom over fifty or sixty miles an hour.
out the furious gusts Of wind must have
Ye!oelties OF eighty OF ninety miles an
hour in order TO create the havoc caused
by these storms.
The time which 1t takes for a hurricane
TO pass over given pace lying within its
path depends,sof course upon the diam
eter Of The hurricane ard its velocity Of
translation, and varies from a few hours
10 a day or more. 1t must be remembered,
on me contrary, that toruadoes seldom last
more than a few minutes
As the hurricane approaches any one sta
tored in its path there is to be noticed a
falling of the barometer. a slight lowering
Of the temperature and a rapid increase in
the winds velocity. But the direction of
the wind remains quite constant. This may
continue for four or five hours; then sud-
denly the wind dies down and there is a
calm for from half an hour to an hour,
which signifies the passage Of the center Of
the storm then, at the rear of this center,
the barometer rises. the temperature in
cleases and the wind blows with great VIC
lerce from direction nearly opposite to
that In which 1t was blowing before the
calm. After three or four hours the wind
dies down, the Clouds dispense and serene
weather prevails over the storm-devas-
tated country.
The successful prediction Of the West In
dian hurricanes is q matter of great dif-
fculty on account of their limited extent.
especially in their incipient stages, for then
no characteristic signs of their appro ach
precede them al any very great distance.
This condition is thus in great contrasf to
that existing In the ordinary cyclones I'm
the United States. II IS true that cirrhus
clouds appear all around the central region
of the hurricane, and as far west as Ha-
vana the cirrhus clouds precede this cen
ter by four or five hundred miles but even
in the most favorable cases they might not
give a days warning in advance For
their prediction in approaching the United
States IL is necessary that telegraphic
news of their actual existence be received,
and it will not do to rely on the obser
walton of the natural forerunners of the
hurricane, the clouds and the ocean swell.
A New Order of Things.
This condition is abundantly fulfilled by
the new order of things which has given
us the necessary telegraphic communica-
ton. After the storm center has on"e
been located, II usually moves so slowly
that 1t may be several days after its an
nouncement before II reaches the coast wa
ters of the United States. The successful
prediction of the storms movement. after
il has entered the region covered by our
daily weather maps, is a matter of great
difficulty, for its exact direction of motion
is too uncertain and It's rate Of progress too
variable to foretell its exact location at any
future time These last points have been
very practically Illustrated in the case of
the hurricane now in progress. The general
prediction of these hurricanes is of meal
culable value to The navigators of our
coast waters, and this is very distinctly
shown by The appalling loss of life which
accompanies the appearance of the CORE
spending typhoons on the unprotected
shores of China and Japan
Sixty or seventy years ago the West In
dian hurricanes had been very carefully
studied. and their attendant phenomena
formed the basis of original theories pro
pounded by such meteorologists as Dove
Piddington, Redheld and others, and caife1
forth the violent and then celebrated con-
troversy between Redheld and Hare. Pa
DIRE Vines of Havana devoted long years
10 their study, but probably the most i'm
portant recent contributions to our knowl-
edge Of West Indian hurricanes are the
monographs Of Lieut.. Hayden, United
States navy.
There can be no doubt, however that
with our increased interest in the East an :
West indies. a more careful study than has
vet been made of these storms viii be
considered necessary for the protection Of
our shipping and other interests in those
countries