Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-07-28
T0RNAD0Es.
How Cities and Towns Can be Pro.
tected Against Destructive Winds.

The Eubiolned paper on tornadoes IL
from the Los Angeles Herald OF re-
cent datei
Il note In your paper under date OF
June a. an article on "Tornndooa-
Cause and Cure" and while the article
Is very interesting and suggestive. II
umita 20 give the cause or method 81
prevention, but Il does state facts ~ TO
mountain rangss-ospecinlly those COM
tanning large amounts of mineral ores
as being free from such storms and II
lH IN this connection I wish 10 make a
Huggcatlon which may lead 10 beneficial
results
As long ago nH 1855 began the study
OF atmospheric phenomena. and studied
In various ways the atmospheric cur
rcutH electric and otherwise. for q
number Of years with view OF cstab-
fishing a weather bureau.
I'm the year above roforrod 90. was
On Minncsoin and observed ono 0f these
electrical storms In operation. II was
on the west N the Mississippi river. and
had evidently come from a long dis
lance. Il passed through a primitive
forest NJ Immense growth Just before
reaching the river, and every tree Tor
nearly loo foot Wide and a. fnr aH I
could see was lrvelrd 10 tho ground M
completely ana oyonly 40 though fellpl
by the Wuudmnn'H AK. I also noticed
that this storm ala not cross the AllsHlH-
sippi, but whom Il reached the stream Il
disappeared timber on tho other
all.
In my studies since that time have
been more ana more convinced that
whenever these electrical storms rrnch
large bodies N water. they become dIs.
alpated-thu electric current being
broken up In tho water. I have knotn
small streams tp be- entirely dried up
and the water taken from them. when
the current
Observations from that day 10 thls
have led me Go conclude that partial
" not run protection 60 cities and towns
can be obtained by the erection ON IA,
west and southwest ut large conner 6r
other metal CONDUCTOR, strung UNION
steel or Iron poles, ana al Intervals 10
sink deep Into the cnrth-whrro water
can he reaChod-=thcse heavy electric
oonduotor preferably OF copper When
an electrical storm strikes these cone
ductprh II viii DO taken up. as lH often
the case IN telegraph lines. where /
have known dozens % poles 90 DO torn
90 pieces by one fash OF llghtnlnr
which II made ~ steel and 0crnfiuuulIy
connected deep into One earth with tgl.
ter the current would have been car
rel away ANA lhr damage aNpual.
Another, ana perhaps NOR. effective
method OFF carrying on these great bod.
leH W electric currents. contained In
what o. known uH "WhlrlWlnds." which
Form tho worst Kind ~ cyclones. Womb
hr to bond che rails " railroads WIN
copper thr sumo lH electric rullWnyI
Tor return uurrcnt-=Hnd uccHHl1naUy
sinking hundreds uf feat into tho ,urth
200 needs De- 90 reach Waterl large clp-
p.i ur other metal CONDUCTOR TbIa
could easily Dee done without Injury to
a. railway, perhaps nt tho oXpenCs OF
ihy 'lly Hr zach county or state. Tho
railways running On u Inc nearly north
anu south would Dc most likely 90 abs
surh these currents nH nearly $40 tor
nudups come from either the west or
sputhWcat aud whore crossing these
lines would De absorbed and conducted
silently and hurmlcsHly Into the enrth.
Scarcely any railway extends "a very
long distance without crossing plthsr
bodies VI water or points whore water
can be- reached, ana " conductors from
wgll bonded rails reached water. oven
miles from the point where uu electric
storm strikes the charge would DO al.
sprbed ana carried 10 that point. hut
the more freq lntly water could be
reached the more effective would be-