Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-08-20
Tropical Hurricanes



The most terrible tempests known 20 man are those
which develop In greater less abundance near the
equator Immediately after the hottest season Of the
year. Those with which Americans are most familiar
generally In August September october. and
make their first appearance In near the West
Indies AZ this period the trade winds have caused an
accumulation OF hot surface water at the western limit
OF the IN low ATTITUDES and out OF this steaning
caldron whose temperature ranges from 20 70 IS de-
grees. generated storms like that which has Just
almost annihilated Galveston.
These hurricanes show disposition TO follow GER
tain typical track. At first their movement is nearly
westward under the influence the trade winds but
they seek TO push northward and, having done So
they caught by the great eastward current
OF atmosphere and turned In almost the opposite drec
ton. The curve described IL gentle one, and -
sharpest in about latitude 30 degrees. Sometimes
the storm continues on It's westward way until IT
reaches the Gulf OF Mexico, but OFTEN II re
curves TO follow the Atlantic from Florida
TO Hatteras. Thence. a rule swings away toward
northern Europe. following the gulf very
closely.
In exceptional cases these tropical hurricanes
diverted 20 the left hand sufficiently to be felt seri
ousy the New Jersey and Long Island coasts
Sometimes the center keeps just inside the coast line
Again. the recurvature occur far to the east
ward that the Bermudas suffer and the United States
IL entirely exempt What known the Nova
Scotia cyclone" and what Greedy described the
most destructive storm Of this type known TO America
occurred in 1870, and did practically damage
land but e destroyed less than 12S vessels of diff
ferent kinds and caused the deaths of GOO people.
The chief characteristic OF tropical hurricanes
their high wind velocity. No storm Of temperate lat-
tudes ever develops such appalling fury. There arc
few places IN the interior of the United states where
the wind blows than forty fifty miles
hour but In West Indian cyclone veocites OF eighty
ninety and 100 miles not uncommon and in 1897
NJ Cape Lookout. N. c.. the anemometer registered
1881 At this means the destruction OF small
sells and often proves fatal large ones on land 1t
means the demolition OF weak edifices ana damage
crops and where the contour favors such
operation continued gales OF exceptional force
up the sea five, ten and fifteen feet higher than
usual
During the early stages Of their history tropical
cyclones rarely advance than eight miles
an hour At that time their diameter small gem
orally between 100 and 200 miles After reaching higher
ATTITUDES and recurring they expand somewhat and
their progress Is more rapid. Eight full days elapsed
after the recent hurricane detected to the south
OF Porto Rico before Galveston felt IT, Another Pc
cuarfty of this class disturbances s the remark
able fail In the barometer that accompanies them.
From the outside to the center EYE OF the the
distance may not be more than fifty miles. and yet
the barometer may fall during the passage OF the
hurricane over a given spot from the vicinity Of 80
inches TO a6 Greedy mentions IN which the
barometer at Guadalupe fell from @.s to Hs in
seventy minutes Much lower readings than this have
been observed, however Few storms OF temperate
attudes ever affect the barometer greater extent
than half inch. even this change is far more
gradual than with a hurricane owing to the much
greater breadth OF northern depressons Torrents OF
oitoh ainoununB 10 tnree -FOUR inches
and sometimes even more usually fall while tropical
storm Is prevailing
West Indian hurricane lie circular in form Hence
Pfddngton applied to them the name Cyclone de-
rived from the that found IN bicycle
some fierce discussion have been conducted over the
direction OF the wind with reference 20 the center
Pddinston and Redfield thought the wind blew In cir
cles around the latter Espey held that Il aimed
straight for the center The lies between the
two suppositions. The air in an inward spiral
and its course forms considerable angle with tan.
gent TO the circle. Eliot who carefully studied the
storms OF the Indian and Toynbee the British
naval service have made very careful computations OF
this angle
The typhoon Of The orient is an own sister of the
West Indian cyclone IL is In tow attitudes
late In the summer OF early In the autumn at the
western edge OF the Pacific. not from the Phlip
pines II begins Its by moving westward hut
IN time returns TO the coast OF China and Japan
storms OF precisely the character devotion IN th,
North Indian ocean and assal the eastern coast oe
Hindostan often advancing up the Bay Of Bengal ~
calcutta The southern hemisphere also has such a.
turoances. They are or unknown IN the south
Auanuc, but are common In the South Indian ocean
ana south Pacific. Their is at first westward
put IN recurring TO higher ATTITUDES they swing around
10 the southeast. not the northeast Again An ,hat
part OF the world IL Is when this coun,r -
having winter Hence tropical hurricanes there a.
most numerous in February and March o