Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-04-30
TORNADO EASON is UNDER WAY
BEHEDEltIC }. HASI<IN.

WASHINGTON. d. c., Apr 2a.-Thc
tornado season is we'll undevay. The
Mississippi Valley liz just rdining it's
equilibrium after siege OF irms that
took heavy toll OF life auIproperty.
The dazed people arc now gagged in
adjusting insurance claims q rebuild
ing their dwellings. Yet thtext week
may bring another dcstroyg gale.
Although the tornado Isl familiar
occurrence in the Missss pi Valley
and the Southern States throughout
the period from April to s SLENDER SO
swift and dynamic is its atoach that
1t always finds many unI(pared II
is the one kind OF atinosplJc disturb
ance that Is impossible tofedict. The
government weather burcJmay warn
the people that heavy sturi are head
cd in their direction, butte tornado
is so largely a matter of}cal occur
renee that the specific in{ations are
usually apparent only M minutes
before II happens. Thun6Etorms arc
frequent in this section ofle country.
but the tornado accompan} ent is only
occasional II is. thercfoi unreason-
able to suppose that at l first sign
of every thunderstorm IN people are
going to leave their vaHIs occupa-
tons and seek seclusion ibaves dug
oets or cellars. Yet thsN ould seem
TO present the only absolh means OF
safcty
The day on which ttado occur.
is always calm and sultr!the air hot
and moist by the end the after
noon. usually great uuarties OF this
moist hot air have rIser,nd formed
dense clouds. But as is air rises,
the gravity OF the ear IL pulling
masses OF cool air from tfftrata above
the storm clouds to its Efacc. This
rising and descending | air causes
an energetic eddy Of air Srcnts form
ing whirlwind or n ;otdo. In tho
case Of tho whirlwind. thjotnting mo-
,ion is usually horizontal while In the
case of the tornado II iicrtical, TAX
ing the form OF q funre shape cloud
which writhcs and twid as II slides
along the earth's surtad
Funnel Cloud IndIcad Tornado.
The appearance Of tlIfunnel cloud
is the obvious indicatij Of tho tor
nado Just before II fojs, the coIuds
almost always show an hinous green
ish- black tint, movingknd whirlIns
about with great rapidiJ Then comes
the black funnel cloudI omewhat re-
senol'ne an elephant strunk. droop-
ing un:i1 IL touches II earth's sur
lace where 1t begins thdhrling dance
that leaves wide p& of destruc-
ton.
Five minutes genera marks the
period OF the tornado activity. al,
though il may be amytere from one
second 10 twenty minuJ The funnel
shape cloud is the pctnality Of the
tornado. II has all Il sardonic I'M
NOR, malicious coqucttiness and vim
dlctivc imnS nation OF ;icnd. II drives
straws into wood, boaIs through tho
trunks of trees. casts Icnificd bo,,ld-
erS weighing over a tn from their
ancient resting placed divests fowls
of their feathers, and transports va
rious things, including cattle. horses
roofs. stccplcs and SOM ines men ana
women, long distances 1.-THE al, js M.
cd with flying dcbrid Some things
disappear altogether al are never re-.
covered. year later man is AMI ia
mud his piano in the hi Sc OF family
living nifty miles ava while his oven
house is probably adorld with articles
which were left in hi front ward nv
the passing tornado.
I'm the big tornadoihat struck (,
Louis in 1896 i, wd noted Lv ono
newspaper that all u churches had
nccn stricken aud alihe saloous lcft
ui''""cn"n Ihc sannkcepers were
disposed TO attach abrophetic s,pni-
hcancc 10 this distinJbn. bu - scien.
tific explanation wa also published
BESIDES It's wind vel9ty, the tornado
has an explosive a,pn, due to the
sudden decrease in hrometric pres-
sure. Fourteen or dccn hounds ucr
square inch is the ajragc baromctric
pressure Now, whcithis pressure is
suddenly reduced half. seven
pounds per square len is added 10
the interior OF bulings containing
air for which there no rapid means
oil outlet. Thus ic windows Of
churches and other Ventilated places
arc pred outward bJhe mower Of the
heavier air within.
Peculiar TO Ufcd states.
The tornado. Wild by the way. is
Spanish word mSIing "whirI," is
peculiar to the Cned States, being
practically unknown Elsewhere except
in modified form in Few places where
there are frequent nd violent thun-
dcrstorms. The thty has been ud-
VanCed that torna4S occur oftcncr
Of late years than til did in the past,
but This is unlikely. pc only difference
being that now thc{Ire reported. and
then the" were mol Some years OF
course there arr 4vcr than others.
On February 10. Isl. North Carolina.
South Carolina. Nirlia, Georgia, Ala
bama. mississippi. Tennessee. Ken
lucky. Illinois and Ifiana were devas-
tatcd by sixty toruabcs or more This
Time the funncl-slS,cd cloud killed
500 people. wounded $500 left $1,000
persons homeless. destroyed 10000
buildings and hundits Of horses, hogs
and cattle.
In September OF tho samo year
Minnesota and Wishsin were visited
by tornadoes in WIFI six people were
killed. seventyhvc BOUNDED and 49,
000.0 600 in property tstroycd.
Winds Mig y Power.
Again i'm July OF a, I;rcildoun ra,
was attacked by q tfnado which Killed