The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1912-07-04
Observation on the Cyclone.
By an Eye Witness.

Observation on the Cyclone.
By an Eye Witness.
Editor Times:-Having noticed ar
article in your last weeks issue rela
lively to cyclones and their cause, (o1
to be more accurate, in quotation, the
author seems to class these electrical
and fearful disturbances as "torna
does, y l am prompted to make a
few observations that appears to be
pertinent in this connection.
In the first place, l would class a
tornado" as straight wind" and q
''cyclone" as a "twister," nothing
more and nothing less in principle
than is seen in the common little sum.
mer "whirlwinds' that are so familiar
to every one.
AS take it that every one has no.
ticed them, but only in general
way.
Now, what causes the "summer
whirlwind" causes the "cyclone, "
only on larger scale, and the ques-
ton arises, what are they?
just last summer as | was helping
a neighbor haul some hay out of the
field did l have a chance to see into
one of these whirlwinds. l looked
down into it from the top of the load
Of hay, and what saw was a round
hole which looked like the holes spi-
ders make at the rear of their webs,
or the swirling holes we have seen in
the water. 1t was about three-quar-
tiers of an inch in diameter, and to all
appearances the air was not in hole,
but was condensed around its walls,
and it was taking up grass and fod-
der to what appeared to be two hum
dred yards high, and then the con-
tents were to be seen sailing around
in a gentle manner over quite an
area.
Now, these phenomena do not oc-
cur except from a we'll defined cause.
What is that cause?
In the first place, it is admitted by
all authorities that hot air will rise, a
common demonstration being seen in
the little devices that are made to
turn by being placed above a hot
stove, on account of the upward rush
of the hot air.
In the second place, it seems that
cyclones do not occur except with a
Glow barometer, (which really means,
as l understand it, a close, humid and
hot atmosphere, caused by a great
pressure from a cold strata of air
above. The greater the pressure,
the greater the humidity. And right
here it might be observed that heat
is caused by friction. The suns rays
piercing the atmosphere causes the
heat. So the more dense the atmos-
phere, the greater the volume of
heat, and as the air is always more
dense at the surface of the earth, it
also follows that the greater volume
Of heat is to be found there, and it is
but natural that if an extraordinary
1enseness of the atmosphere is pro-
luced, an extraordinary amount of
heat is sure to follow, and it is just as
rue that it will hasten to make an
equilibrium of natures forces by ris-
ng to a higher and colder strate.
Now, what were the conditions
hat existed here on Saturday after
loon, June 18th? Every one will
that it was close and ex-
raordinarily hot, with but little air
stirring. Horses at work in the field
lad to be rested every round. was
where l had a clear view of
he west.
About 5 o'clock l heard distant
hunder, but could not descry cloud
N the horizon from which it could
ONE. Another round and the heav-
ms were beclouded, and l thought it
would rain before could get to the
nd and take out, but the cloud veered
D the northwest and went around.
Evidently the one that carried the