Popular Science Monthly 



693 



When the Winds Go on a Rampage 

 a Continent Is Too Small 



TERRIFYING and disastrous in its 

 effects as is a cyclone, it is nevertheless 

 wonderfully impressive — unless one hap- 

 pens to have real estate or other interests 

 in its path. But to be able to take any 

 pleasure in it, you should watch it from a 

 great enough distance to be able to get the 

 impression of its vastness and power with- 

 out being harassed by the sight of the suf- 

 fering it causes, as the meteorologists and 

 Weather Bureaus do. 



The map below shows how the great 

 tornado of 1906 looked in perspective as it 

 tore across the country, leaving a narrow 

 diagonal strip of land from California to 

 Maine swept clean of houses, trees and 

 other evidences of life and civilization. 

 The storm began its cross-country rampage 

 on the coast of Southern California and 

 traveled almost due northeast, curving 

 slightly in the center of its course. While 

 the havoc it wrought was appalling, the 

 area affected was comparatively small, on 

 account of the thinness of its path. 



The unusual feature of the tornado was 

 the length of its course. Generally such 

 storms are more or less confined to 

 one locality. 



The Torpedo- Boat Destroyer Is 

 Defenseless against Guns 



EVERYONE is familiar, of course, with 

 the ordinary torpedo boat, a swift 

 vessel of from four to six hundred tons in 

 displacement, carrying no defensive armor, 

 but armed with tubes for discharging the 

 deadly torpedoes. 



To counteract these wasps of the sea 

 a type of vessel was designed of about 

 double the size of torpedo boats, a little 

 greater speed, and in addition to torpedo 

 tubes, armed with rapid-fire six to twelve 

 pounder guns, for the avowed purpose of 

 destroying torpedo boats. Lately all the 

 great nations have stopped building torpedo 

 boats, as originally designated, and are 

 building torpedo boat destroyers. 



Recent engagements have developed the 

 fact that torpedo boat destroyers are used 

 almost wholly as torpedo boats. So, they 

 are really battleship destroyers. To defend 

 the capital ships from torpedo attack the 

 dreadnoughts and battle cruisers are armed 

 with secondary batteries of rapid-fire guns 

 from four to six inches in diameter. One 

 well placed shell from a gun of that size 

 will ordinarily put a destroyer out of 

 business, as the destroyers have no defen- 

 sive armor whatever. 



Starting on the coast of Southern CaUfomia, the great tornado of 1906 swept a thin diagonal 

 path across the entire country, leaving it cleared of houses, trees and all traces of civilization 



