Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-07-08

ATTACKING \ TORNADO WITH CANNON.
cannon, purchased by popular subscrip-
ton from the condemned stock at the
New Orleans arsenal. on the four sides
of the town. each gun under the care of
watchful attendant during the cyclone
season. The cannon were designed TO be
fred into the face OF an approaching hur-
ricane in the hope of breaking its force.
When the news reached Ucnnessy that
q tornado was sweeping southwark over
the prairies east of the Rockies, it was
feared That when it reached the Cinna-
mon river it would swerve from its track
and follow the course of the stream, as
was done by the hurricane that killed sew
en- people there in the autumn of 1897, a
sharp bend in the stream then throwing
the storm over the peninsula upon which
Hennessy is situated.
The cannon to the west, where the
town is partly protected by the Wichita
mountains. was accordingly withdrawn
and placed on the northern border as an
additional protection. Unfortunately,
however. on the approach of the funnel
shaped cloud the western gun was fired
= couple of seconds too soon, swinging
the storm toward the east, so that the
shot froIa tbs other gun did not take full
effect. The combined effort 50 changed
the tornadO's coJrsc. however, that only
the extreme eastern edge of the town
was touched, but there the one house
fully in its path was complrtey demo
ished, and the cannon which guarded that
end of the peninsula was blown from its
carriage. carried fully 500 feet and bur-
led in a sand bank. The attendant at the
gun and the inhabitants of the solitary
i Il.
to escape with their lives.
The tornado district proper lres be-
tween meridians 50 degrees and 101 de-
grees and includes parts of Kansas, Mis-
souri,, Iowa, Illinois and the eastern edge
of Indiana. In an official paper on this
subject Lieutenant Finley of The wealth
er bureau says: Il map prepared to show
the entire topography of that portion of
the United States included within the
meridians OF 50 degrees and 101 degrees
would plainly Illustrate an important
truth il the tornado problem-viz, that
there is not another section of our vast
domain wherein there exist opportuni.
ties so unlimited for the unobstructed
minsling and opposition of warm and
cold currents and currents highly con
srasted in humidity. AZ an area OF low
advances 10 the lower Mississippi val
ley warm and cold currents set in toward
it from the north and south respectively.
which, if the low pressure continues
about stationary for some time ultimate
ly emanate from the warm and moist re-
gions of the gulf and the cold and com
paratively dry regions of the British pos
sessions. Here lies the key to the mark
ad # rap,rara nd ,,onict,-rn
invariably foretelling an atmospheric dis
turbance of unusual force, for which this
region is peculiarly fitted by nature and
in apparent recognition of which it mas
received the euphonioUs title Of the bat
tie ground Of tOrnadoas. 1t cannot be
disputed that 50 far rs the history of
tornadoes is concerned the majority have
occurred over this region, and why? Be
cause of its peculiar typography. From
the gulf northward to the central portion
of the lower Missouri valley and from
the British possessions southwark TO the
same locality there is permitted an en-
tirely free movement of the air: nothing
In the shape of earth or walls exists to
modify its character, except. perhaps, to
intensity the contrasts of attributes Sim
llarly conditioned are the states of Iowa.
Nebraska and the eastern half OF Dallo-
IA. West of the one hundred and first
meridian We md a rugged and abrupt
country traversed by great mountain
chains, which defect the course and mod
ify the temperature and moisture of the
passing currents. On the east side of the
eighty-ninth meridian the great lakes III
troduce an equally important factor ia
the modification of passing currents"
When the tornado begins, il is tcmpu-
rarily small, but it grows rapidly and
sucks air from farther and farther away.
A cyclone is an immense tornado, with