The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1905-06-02

the inSsteriens connection betHccn 4,
condition. ~ The sun and the ptcvnirttc
OF toiuadoes
This seems one OF the uncxplainthl
-phenoncn., of uature the recurrence on
witch puzzles The scientists. Re,en
tornaaoes IN Kansas. Missouri. Art.n
siS. TEXAS. and other pure OF the wesr
and south are inonitory OF the h, y unlue
OF The storm season, and on the lees
OF this comes the announcement thtI
a New sun spot period of unusual nc
tiNlty Is also under way.
Pronounced Disturbances.
y prominent official OF the United
States signal service says that. white.
it is Impossible to accurately forecast
the effect of the disturbances on the
sun upon American weather. 1T is likely
to be more pronounced than during any
IKE period within a generation.
II is an interesting fact that the tor
nado is an American speciality, and its
occurrence is rare anywhere else on the
globe. Even in this country it operates
within certain definite limits.
The tornado belt begins nca, the
western edge of the continental plateau
and follows the Missouri and the south
ern states, particularly Alabama.
South Carolina and Georgia. Tornadoes
never occu: on the Alieshanies. and
seldom in New York or New England.
The greatest center for these storms
seem To be the plains of Kansas and
around the junction of the Missouri.
Ohio and Mississippi valleys.
How Tornadoes Are Born.
Tornadoes usually occur along the
southeastern border of an area of low
~baronletic pressure, because only in
such Il situation is a warm. moist wind
likely to force its way under a mass of
cold ain LOCO or more feet above the
earth.
n prevailing winds are from the
south and are usually laden with nlo!s-
ture from the gulf and the Atlantic
This brings into play the tornado max
Ing forces. The warm, moist air. being
lighter than the cold aid above it.
seeks an outlet, and when a weak point
is found it begins to pou through and
spread out like oil on water. TO take
Its place the surrounding air rusles in.
In Opposite Motion.
Then for some reason which has
never been satisfactorily explained,
but which probably arises from the in
fiuence of the cyclonic winds them
selves sweeping circl.larly around the
center of the storm, these currents of
warm air, rushing toward the point
where the rise is taking place. are de-
Elected from their course in such q
manner as to draw spirally inward in
a direction opposite to the motion OF
the hands of a watch.
The more air that rushes in toward
the center the greater the velocity of
motion at the center itself.
At length the whill at the center be-
comes so swift that a "semi-vacuum
is formed, through which the warm
air rushcs upward as through a tall
chimney of a factory. Thus the to.-
nado is born.
The thrush of air sometimes attains
a velocity of 200 miles an hour. and
when it reaches the center ascends
vertically with a suctional force which
is sufficient to draw up TO a height OF
hundreds, or thousands of feet the
heaviest objects-farm implements.
fragments Ct buildings, limbs of trees.
heavy timbers, cattle and human be-
ings.
characteristic Funnel Shape.
The central funnel of the storm. ow-
ing to the condensation of moisture
going on within ii as the hot air rushes
swiftly up into colder regions, and
ing also to the quantity of dust and
debris of every kind tina is sucked up
from the ground, becomes quickly of an
intense and even inky ~blackness.
Not only does the tornado wind whirl
With tremendous velocity. but, at the
same time the funnel of the ornado
itself. sweeping II dragging along the
ground, and sometimes resembling the
trunk of Il gigantic elephant With its
head in the cloud, also moves swiftly.
usually from southwest toward north
east. Sometimes the motion is almost
directly eastward. but it seldom hap
pens that the path of a tornado is to-
ward the southeast, and it is never to-
ward the west.
Cellar the Only Refuge.
The speed with which a tornado ad-
Vances varies from twenty to fifty milhs
an hour. The path of destruction. that
is to say, the width of the tornado fun
mel Dt tho JNnint how ~
ground commonly varies from 100 to
800 Yards.
Thus such a storm may sweep through
a town of considerable size, making AZ
marrow pathway within which every
building has been DESTROYED and tba
short distance aside from the path little,
destruction may LAY been wrought,
Inc length of a %tornado's path varies,
from a mile to fifty miles or more.
Oppressive Temperature.
Persons who live i'll the tornado belt,
are well acquainted with the charac-
teflstic state and appearance of the at
mosphere when a tornado is imminent.
The sudden quiet. the oppressive tenn
Derature, the hush, the apparent wait
ing of nature, all these things arei
phenomena that have often peer OBJ
served.
lnasmuch as the course of a TORNADO
- SONNstIu III Ills Or ItlA
northeast, it is possible for the inhahi-,
tants of a threatened point who have
seen the gathering of the cloud on the
horizon of the west of them to know in
advance whether they are in danger.
The only safe refuge in case the fun
mel cloud is sweeping down on the point
occupied by q spectator is furnished by
the tornado or cyclone cellar.
Shows Up Threatening.
There is a record of 5000 people killed
in the United States by these storms.
since observation began. The last greats
period was in the late '7Os and the early,
SOS. Some of the storms did miliions
of dollars damage. For several years
past they have been comparatively in
frequent. blu this year they have,
started in a threatening manner. and
more may be heard about them. NOT
only during the next few months. but
lor several years to come.
Since several populous cities now lie
within the tornado belt, the Interesting
arises whethera tornado is
likely TO lay its pau across a great
city. and If so. whether its power of
destruction would be as great as in The
open country.