Panama City pilot., 1908-09-17
SCptem mber Hurricanes.

service sent out a warning of the be-
ginning of tropical hurricane in the
region of the West Indies. 1t was
then at and about Turks Island, and
travelling northwestwardly, and had
already reached very destructive
power as was evidenced by the dam
age done at Turks Island on that
day.
This is the first of these tropical
storms of which the Weather Bureau
has given notice this Fall. They in
variably originate in the Caribbean
sea, caused by excessive heating of
the surface at the originating point,
resulting in the cooler air rushing in
from all sides, producing cyclonic
conditions.
These storms then start on a west
northwest course at speed averag-
ing about 500 miles each "a hours,
though this varies, and with a rotary
motion which results in winds from
90 to 200 miles per hour.
At their inception the vortex or
eddy is small, possibly but a few
miles across. AS they progress the
area of low barometer accompanying
the storm widens, and is often from
300 to 500 miles in diameter.
Sooner or later they turn north,
and then eastwardly, being parabolic
in their progress. The so called Gal
weston storm was first located on
September 1st, 1900, in the Caribbean
sea south of Porto Rico. BY the 9Th
it had reached point off the south
west coast of Florida. 1t reached it's
climax at Galveston on the evening
of the Sth. Soon after it turned to
the north and east passing out of the
st Lawrence valley on the 18th.
The course of that storm is not
fairly illustrative of the majority of
them, as but few ever reach a point
so far in the west Gulf before turning
to the north east. Many never touch
the Florida peninsula at all but near
the Bahama islands turn north, and
north east, causing the terrific gales
that are often met with at this season
of the year off the Atlantic coast.
Prof Garriott, an eminent writer
upon this subject says:
"AIl portions of the West Indies
are subject to hurricane visitations
in September. The hurricanes of this
month are, however, somewhat more
frequent in an area which embraces
Santo Domingo, Haiti, and eastern
and central Cuba, where they average
about one in three years. The smaller
diameter of the vortex of hurricane
renders it improbable that any To-
cality in the area referred to will ex-
perience a hurricane Oftener than
about once in fifteen years. The
hurricanes of September sometimes
recurve north and northeast along
the Atlantic coast of the United States
and disappear over the Atlantic east
of Newfoundland, and others pass
west over the Gulf of Mexico.
In the United States the most
iii POI ldHI olOIHlS VI september du-
vance from the West Indies and the
Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic and
Gulf coasts. Storms of this class
commonly possess great strength aud
on an average of about one in two
years they are destructive to shipping
and coast industries -
The warnings now sent out by the
Weather Bureau render it possible to
care for the shipping, and but few
boats are caught out on the Gulf in
one of these hurricanes. These warn
ings also permit of much being done
to save property along the shores of
the Gulf. With the completion of the
telegraph to this point the Signal
Service will have warning signals
on the G. G.. ID. Co.'S
dock. 1t is to be hoped that the rail
way company, will, in the interest of
our sea faring population, at once
complete the telegraph line and put
in Instruments, 50 that storm warn
ings for these Fall storms may be
displayed here.
At this season of the year many
timid people look upon all stormy
weather with alarm, which is in
creased by the prOgnOstications of
almanac sharps, and the many others
who live upon the superstitions of the /
human race. Owing to its being the I
time for September gales many looked !
upon the stormy weather of last week !
with fear, thinking it was the fore
runner of a tropical hurricane, where
as the barometer was steadily rising
with cooler weather and northerlv