Evening star., 1924-07-13
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

Washington has suffered severely
in the past from summer storms, some
of which have
WASHINGTON Hit cost heavily in
damage to prop
by a Tornado. erty and even in
loss of life. One of these visitations
| was experienced on the evening of
Independence day fifty years ago. &C
cording to The Star of July 6, 1874;
"One of the severest windstornis.
accompanied by heavy rain and thun-
der and lightning, that has visited
this section for years occurred on
Saturday evening. The first indica
| tions of the approaching tornado were
| seen in the northwest, almost direct
| ly under the comets position, where
few shimmering flashes of light,
resembling heat lightning were visi-
| BILE, unaccompanied by thunder.
| Shortly thereafter threatening and
| singular looking clouds rapidly arose
from the horizon and soon overspread
the whole northwestern sky. Almost
before the wonder at their shape and
rapid movement had ceased the rush
ing of wind was heard like the ap-
proach of an angry food and the
storm burst upon the city in all It's
| fury shortly before s o'clock. raising
| immense clouds of dust in it's prog
ress. Then followed a scene OF terror
and confusion. The scampering and
shouting of returning picnic parties
| was heard, accompanied by the noise
of falling chimneys. rattling glass,
| flying branches of trees and tin roofs
and crashing timbers, and above all
roaring of the wind. What added to
| the CONSERVATION was the fact that
nothing could be seen for the blind
ing clouds of dust, and no one knew
the locality or the extent of the dam
age that was being done. Children
were lifted from their feet in some
cases and whirled into corners and
down areas: strong men buffeted with
dust and wind in a vain attempt to
compelled to seek the nearest shelter
| under stoops. basement doorways. etc.
| The lightning soon began to shoot
through the murky air made by clouds
| terror to the scene. 1t was positive
| relief when finally the rain began to
fall in torrents. purifying the air and
clearing it of dust. In every quarter
windows blown in. housetops went
| bodily through the air for whole
squares and dropped down on the
| premises of neighbors, who were not
cate covers to their domiciIes, Chin
| neys made fraternal visits to neigh
boring back yards and front flower
gardens and interchanges of all kinds
of building materials were free and
| impartial"
! Then follows a two-column account
| of the various items of damage done
| by the storm which. fortunately,
caused no deaths locally, though sew
eral lives were lost in neighboring
sections.
| The approach of a comet close to
the earth fifty years ago gave rise
| to much speculation
| A Theorv as to the possibility
Of a collision" and
oI Comets. resultant happenings.
The nature of comets. too, came in for
much discussion. In The Star of
July II, 1874, is an editorial analysis
of the theory of Prof. Lorenzo Rank
of Chicago, who held that comet
was the first organized state OF a
planet and that 1t actually has no tail
but that what appears to be tail is
produced by the rays OF the sun pass
| ing through the nucleus of the erratic
| traveller. The comet, said Prof. Rank,
is body of atmosphere, a transpar-
ent globe, and the rays of the sun
striking 1t, instead of being absorbed
or reflected, pass through and by the
| friction thus undergone they become
heated and consequently produce light
and become visible. In this heated
| condition, said Prof Rank. these rays
| leave the comet and pass off into
| space, remaining visible so long az
"This will do" says The Star. ''un-
til the. next cometic theory In
broached-"