Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-13
EASY TRADE Winds
. START HURRICANES
Weather Experts Explain
"The DoIdrums" OFF Africa.
Path of Havoc Forecast.

old sailors along the coast OF Africa, are
the parents of the destructive West
Indian hurricanes which imperil ship
ping and destroy life and property
along the West Indies and Gulf and
Atlantic coasts of the, United States.
These gentle winds. Weather Bureau
scientists explain, are responsible for
1.-THE doldrums"-a region over the
ocean of the west coast of African
which most OF the hurricanes originate.
The doldrums. 1t Is explained, Is the
unsettled region over the ocean between
the northeastern trade winds of the
Northern Hemisphere and the south
eastern trade winds of the Southern
Hemisphere.
When the doldrums move northward
for they change with the seasons
what is known as the hurricane sea-
son" is imminent. The season for these
storms is ordinarily from June to
October or November although August
and September are the real hurricane
months" The shifting of the trade
winds, low pressure areas and other
natural phenomena account for the
northward movement of the doldrums
late in the year. There are no hur-
ricanes In the South Atlantic Ocean.
75-MiIe an Hour Winds.
Hurricane itself is a derivative of
Carib word, meaning high wind, and
until wind reaches the velocity of rs
miles an hour it is not regarded as a
hurricane by the United States Weather
Bureau.
The hurricanes follow trough" of
| low pressure area, to the westward,
sweep across the West Indies, and, TAX
! ing various courses-depending on the
high pressure areas around them, which
fhnfV =, ord
along or off the eastern coast of the
United States, or enter the Gulf of
| Mexico, to wreak havoc in ports along
its shores
These hurricanes can be seen" or
rather anticipated and their path ac-
curately predicted. The day before the
disastrous storm struck Belize, British
Honduras, last week. the Weather
Bureau Lere sent a warning that its
center would be a little south of, or
directly in, the City of Belize.
Its center struck the city, wrecking
buildings, taking lives, and leaving a
wake of havoc.
A hurricane map clinches the accu-
sation against the doldrums. and the
Cape Verde Islands. near which the
doldrumS often are located. Paths of
large percentage of the hurricanes are
traceable back to the Cape Verde area
by this map, and paths of many others
start directly weSt-between the Cape
Verde Islands and the West hides.
A few. hurricanes originate in the
western third of the Caribbean sea-
it was pointed out by Mitchell, Weather
Bureau forecaster. but these few are
as nothing compared to those starting
from the doldrums.
Many Lost at Sea.
In the past decade or more. possibly
hundred storms Of hurricane inten-
sity have been reported, with the &C.
companying low barometric preSsureS.
although many of these never got to
land.
Two particularly disastrous storms
struck gulf ports in 1915. Apparently
these two had taken the Southerly
course, probably because Of an advanc-
ing high-pressure area in the Southern
United States and of the East Coast
On August Is, 1915, one of them struck
Galveston, Tex, causing enormous
property damage and loss of life A
month and a half later New Orleans
was swept by similar storm, with cor
responding damage.
A hurricane can scarcely be found
IL hours after it strikes land They
blow themselves out" in a short dis
! lance
One. of the most disastrous hurri-
canes Of recent years struck Corpus
Christi, Tex, during the early part
| of September, 1919. 1t, too had taken
| the southerly course.
The high wind and storm was first
| discovered at st. Kits. in the Leeward
Islands, on September 3, taking the
| usual course westward and apparently
from the doldrums On September 10
it had reached the Florida Keys and
was proceeding with undiminished in
tensity. Moving westward across the
TENDER IA, after wrecking shipping as
1t passed. Hundreds were killed.
1920 Louisiana Hurricane.
Louisiana was swept by a hurricane
which crossed the State from south to
north before blowing itself out, in Sep
TENDER. 1920. Its center followed an
almost straight line across the State.
The years 1922, 1923, 1924 and 1925
saw numerous blows which reached hur-
ricane velocity. High air pressure areas
to the north kept some of these from
striking
In 1925 more than 100 persons were
killed when storm swept into Florida
from the Atlantic, striking Miami and
in 1928 that city, as well as Jackson
Vile, Palm Beach and West Palm Beach,
SIIdlleSIOH anu OILltE ClIleS dlOIlB IIlc
coast were again struck
The 1928 storm, originating in the
doldrums, swept across the Atlantic,
hitting San Juan and San Felica,
Porto Rico. causing death and destruc-
ton. After sweeping the Southeastern
United States. it again passed out to
the Atlantic Ocean over the Virginia
Capes.
Tampa Fla, was struck in October
1921, by storm which was first dis
covered southwest of Jamaica. and
which passed through the Yucatan
Channel before centering near the
Florida city. The year previous to this
the West coast of Florida was raked
by a destructive storm.
Nassau, in the Bahamas, was swept
by storm which had originated in the
Cape Verde Islands late in September
1929, and proceeding westward. DAM
age in both Nassau and Fort Lauder
dale. Fla, was large.
Florida seemed immune" during the
last half of the last century.
The island of Porto Rico has suffered
from seven hurricanes Of disastrous
proportions in the last century.
BANDITS lMPRISON TRIO