Evening star., 1923-04-07
HOW WT0RECOGN|zE
ANDAVO|D TORNADO
Prof. Moore, Former Head of
Weather Bureau, Gives
Points to Remember.

The cellar Of a frame house is the
safest place to be when a tornado
strikes, according to Prof. Willis l..
Moore, former chief of the United
States weather bureau, who arrived
in Washington yesterday from Flor
ida. Prof. Moore spent this morning
at the scene Of the tornado at Silver
Spring, Md.
The safest place is the cellar of a
frame house. with the exception OF a
cyclone cellar, not usually found in a
city" the former head of the weather
bureau declared. when a frame house
collapses the wreckage is compare
lively light, and does not fall through
on those in the cellar. On the other
hand. those who seek refuge in the
cellars Of brick houses are likely TO
be killed by the falling of the heavy
brick, or smothered to death by the
debris
There is no record of a single per-
son ever being killed in the cellar Of
a frame house when it was struck by
tornado Prof. Moore continued.
How TO Recognize Tornado.
How to recognize a tornado when
one comes your way and how to get
away lTUHl IL was
for the benefit of Star readers by
Prof. Moore, who was chief of the
weather bureau here from 1895 to
1913
In the first place. Prof. Moore ex-
planned, keep on the watch in the
spring or summer when the weather
bureau announces that conditions are
favorable for severe local storms u
Then If a storm comes up in the
late afternoon, from out Of the south
west. with black edges, look out
some more, and then II you hear a
noise like 100 railroad trains" look
sharp,
While Prof Moore believes there
is little danger from tornadoes in
the District, he feels that people
might just as well know the simple
earmarks OF the creature and know
the best means Of evading it.
Don't Try to Run Before Wind.
Whatever you do don't try TO run
away from a cyclone straightway.
warns Prof. Moore. If you can get
into a basement or cellar OF frame
house, do so. That is the safest place
IF You hear the noise and see a
funnel-shaped cloud. as you can, il
you loo!: sharply enough, IL not able
TO get Into a cellar, run in O north
west or southeast direction, TO Gu,
away from the path of the tornado
1t is better to run northwest than
southeast. because there is stronger
fndraft from the southeast side OF
the tornado. Above all, never run to
the northeast"
Fall Flint in Ditch.
things" Prof. Moore continued, fall
! tiat in a ditch. a ditch a 100. deer
| Will do. If lacking ditch. fall fiat
| on the ground. Above all things
| make no attempt TO cling to a tree
or to post, because when you and
the tree are uprooted il will just
make. you all the heavier when YOU
Prof. Moore declared that the
weather bureaus weather map for the
District Thursday showed the District
| 10 be In the southeast quadrant of ar
extensive cyclone, with high temper
ature In the quadrant-in fact. with
all conditions ripe for a tornado
which may be termed the offsprlne
| haps thousand miles broad, while
+, the tornado. which arises from the
| area. is but two or three hundred
yards wide, as was the one that
! more than 1.000 feet wide
There was very likely a number oil
f, tornado whirls in the vicinity of the
! District Thursday, the speaker con.
| tinued, but none Of them touched the
| earth and left it's visiting card ex.
|
Even this one only touched" the earth
/ at a few points.
| A tornado is the result of the run.
ming together of air masses Of wide
ly varying Temperatures, Prof. Moore
| explained. They Invariably come
| from the southwest direction, he said
| He reiterated his belief that the Dis
| trict is not likely to be hit by one
| and If It did II would be only a littl.
twister." he said.
"A real good western tornado could
tear down the Capitol building easily.
Prof Moore declared. stone. bricl
| and steel will not insure stability.
| believe a real tornado would reduce
| the Capitol to a mass of ruins"
| The weather bureau here. under
Prof. Moore. forecast the destructive
| twister of May 27. 1896, which STRUCK
ST. Louis, destroying huge amoun
of property and killing many. Tor,
nado forecasts were made from thi:
city for all Missouri. and particularly
! for st. Louis, where the school chill
dren were dismissed at noon.
The precise foretelling of the locali
| ties, however, Prof. Moore said, spread
| SO much terror among nervous anC
| i'll people that he felt constrained tc
issue an order stopping the precise
| forecast and limiting it to a forecas
reading something like Condition.
| favorable for severe local storms"
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