Evening star., 1902-05-31

would be no danger Sometimes Il is de-
nected or broken by natural objects at the
earths surface The dark clouds above
the funnel bear little significance They
are spread out by the less dense atrros-
phere The width OF destruction cotre-
spends TO the width OF the funnel Once a
tornado has attained fun formation and
heaoway nothing has been known TO resist
Its force. Tornadoes are almost always
preceded or followed hya frightful peltinE OF
haiistones and attended by a downpour OF
rain.
The tornado invariably travels to the
east or northeast and never has been
known 10 take another direction. Its path
OF destruction is always clean and well de
hneu and varies from few feet TO two
miles. The greatest damage is always done
on the south side OF its center extending
sometimes TO a distance OF quarter Of a
mile. while on the north OF the center the
damage seldom extends beyond four o. five,
hundred feet. Beyond these limits one may
storm. fe
The awful demonstration of the mower ,,f
these monsters OF the air has been Wit
messed on many occasions-hardly "A year
passes without one or more being recorded
Their yisitations to the larger cities of the
west are spasmodic and there generally are
many years of interval
The most destructive tornadoes on record
IN .hls country were those which occurred
at Louisville. KY. March % Is:a in each
OF Whlcn there was great loss OF life, while
stroyed.
Tornadoes have been known to occur I'm
many places on the same day, with only a
limited extent OF country separating them
lhey also have occurred IN Virginia Ken
lucky, tennessee, North and South Caro-
INA, georgia. Mississippi and Illinois
ABOUT eight hundred persons were reported
Killed, more than two thousand wounded
ana several thousand houses were o,.-
struyed.
IL was supposed at first that the violent
rotary motion was the only cause of de-
suaction attending tornado action. But it
WAS demonstrated that many houses had
tf5ir roofs, side walls windows or doors
blown out. while the furniture and hric-a-
| prac WAS left practically undisturbed This
showed that some other force played an Ina
poflant part in the work of demolition.
A Mystery Solved.
Now. it had been reported frequently that
reports like explosions were heard during
the passing Of the storm. This information
and the peculiar damage done TO some #
the buildings soon led TO The solution of the
mystery. and it WAS found that. as the
vortex of the storm. which IS a martial
vacuum, passed over any place all the
surrounding air was suddenly drawn into
H. ieaYing the buildings without exterior
support. Inc air on the inside of the build
lnSs then, eXerting the greater pressure l,y
expansion would blow OF roof side walls,
doors or windows. with the noise of an ex-
plOsion.
The reason for the majority of tb.s.
storms occurring in the states mentioned
Is IN all probability due to the great eX-
pahse OF open country. While they might
develop In smaller areas, they could not
gather the force necessary to MAXI tb.,n
tne Things Of terror they are in the west
Mouhtalns, hills and tall buildings tend to
prevent the formation of preliminary con-
dluons- Thus we find thunder storms in the
large cities of the east which are nracti,al-
ly incipient tornadoes. But they fan II at
IAN their proper formation and therefore
little damage results.
TOrnadoes are no more nraUala,. ,,,y
than they We're in former years But there
are more people to r, port their occurrence
ana iacllities for gathering and publishing
their formation. Hence We hear abott
more Of them nowadays.
loFhddoes require a vast amount Of heat
radlated quickly for their formation This
can be obtained only over a great extent If
!eVei ground. without mountains. hills or
alton.
These storms never have been known to
form over a city where there are naV,d
streets, With the houses built of brick or
stone. for the heat there is rot radiated as
II is IN the open country the stone retain
ing the heat long after the maximum heat
OF the day.
Exaggeration of Stories.
further 1t must be considered that ninety
nine out of every 100 houses DESTROYED are
frame and fiimsily built. The number OF
and destructiveness of toruadoes has been
greatly exaggerated. Thunder storms. dust
Whirls and ii seems. all local winds have
been classed as tornadoes. greatly to the
INJURY OF the states subject TO these storms
frightening many from taking up home
steads and materially injuring commercial
and industrial enterprises.
The statement has been made that no less
than S.,tt tOruainqS Iar in .3f
years from 1873 to 1SS3 an average of fifty
five year and that S25S1S. Goo worth of
property was destroyed by tornadoes from
1859 to 1898.
There is not sufficient reliable information
OF these storms or Of their resulting dam
age to justify such a statement Not satis-
Ned with this effort in computing the num-
Der OF tornadoes and placing losses I'm the
millions there is a further prediction from
the same source of permanent and even
more disastrous affiiction TO befall the
states already suffering from these storms
1t is said that. as towns become more
numerous and as population becomes more
dense. greater destruction will ensue from
the. same number of storms
Weak and nervous persons who have read
this statement must suffer physical agony
on the approach of every gust of wind /
am fully justified in saying that the state
ments and figures are ill-adVised cauuot he
substantiated and are disproved by a knowl-
edge of conditions. The prediction of
greater destruction and loss of life with the
upDulidlng or towns and cities and an in
creasing population is at variance with all
facts and knowledge concerning these
storms.
If as declared, $50 lorna does had swept
the western states in fifteen years that sec
ton of the country would be completely de-
populated All the people would either have
been killed or would have emigrated to
other climes in fear of being killed. The
fact is that. although tornadoes are the
most violent and destructive of storms
those doing any great damage are few and
far between. while those of a less violent
nature come oftener. but do little damage
and then only to frail structures Natures
workshop is not likely to turn out any
power greater than that has been expert
enced and with the upbulding of cities
there will be chance for the formation of
the tornado.
The Sweet Girl Graduate