July ii, 1S90.] 



SCIENCE. 



17 



would give practically the same final comparisoa, but it is 

 absolutely essential that we adopt some scale. 



Authorities. 



The most complete general description of tornadoes is to 

 be found in the Monthly Weather Review, published by the 

 Signal Service. In addition, we have descriptions of violent 

 storms in our newspapers, and publications by Lieut. Finley. 

 The most complete list of tornadoes has just been finished 

 by Lieut. Finley in the American Meteorological Journal. 

 This contains only the date, time of day, width and direc- 

 tion of path, and gives us no idea whatever of the destruc- 

 tion, which is by far the most important characteristic, and 

 the only one that concerns us here. It has been found im- 

 possible to use this list, and the original authorities have 

 teen studied in making out a final description of tornadoes 

 for this discussion. The method adopted for this list was to 

 form as clear an idea as'possible of the amount of violence 

 and loss that should be given to each division of the scale, 

 and then to put each tornado and violent storm rigidly in 

 its proper place. If any doubt occurred as to whether the 

 storm came, for example, in (3) or (2>, it was indicated by a 

 minus or plus sign, as just described. It was found neces- 

 sary to begin the list with 1873, and it ends with 1888. The 

 total number of tornadoes during these sixteen years was 

 2,321; or, by scale, 48 (3), 988 (3i, and 1,185 (1). In the 



Resume of Tornadoes, 1873-88. 



accompanying table are grouped tliese tornadoes in the sev- 

 enteen States in which they are tiie most frequent. A careful 

 study of this table will reveal most interesting and unex- 

 pected results. That Ohio, New York, and Pennsylvania 



should stand so high in this list is largely due to the fact 

 that tornadoes have been so thoroughly reported in those 

 States. A severe storm in any one of these States is noticed 

 far more than in States where local storms are more abun- 

 dant. An attempt has been made to determine the total 

 tornado loss in these States. Outside of the forty-eight most 

 destructive, scale (3), it is impossible to get an accurate esti- 

 mate of the average loss. In two instances where the news- 

 papers had reported great loss by a funnel-cloud, a careful 

 examination revealed the fact that such a funnel-cloud 

 had reached the earth; but the total damage in one 

 case was $200, and in the other $75. Whatever may be the 

 estimated loss, we have here the figures giving the number 

 of tornadoes, and we can easily determine the true loss if at 

 any time we find the average loss. After a careful study of 

 the reports, it has been decided to place the average loss by 

 tornadoes, scale (2), as $20,000 each, and by (1) as $3,000 

 each. There is no doubt at all that this estimate is at least 

 ten per cent too great. The figures in the last column of 

 this table give the total loss in each State. Taking the total 

 number of tornadoes from 1873 to 1888, or 2,221, and divid- 

 ing the total loss, $32,965,000, by it, we obtain $14,843 as the 

 average loss by each tornado. 



These figures are very significant, and will bear the closest 

 scrutiny. We may make an interesting comparison with 

 the only other list that is at all complete. This contains 

 2,435 tornadoes as having occurred in this country, with a 

 total loss of $941,282,500, or a loss by each tornado of $386,- 

 564. Taking the forty-eight tornadoes in the above list, 

 scale (3), we find the total loss, as carefully determined, 

 $9,650,000, or a loss of $201,042 for each; that is to say, if 

 the former estimate has any value at all, this country has 

 been visited by 2,435 tornadoes, each of which was nearly 

 twice as destructive as each one of the forty-eight tornadoes 

 known to be most destructive, It is safe to say, that, were 

 our Western States subject to such appalling disaster as this, 

 they would have been depopulated long ago. We have just 

 seen that from 1873 to 1888 the average loss by the 2,221 tor- 

 nadoes was $14,842, with a margin of at least ten per cent 

 too great an estimate; or, in other words, the actual loss 

 from tornadoes in this country is one twenty-sixth, or only 

 four per cent, of that estimated in the list above. 



It will be distinctly understood that there is no desire in 

 all this to make out that there is no danger from tornadoes, 

 or to minimize their effects. It is of the utmost importance that 

 the true facts be established ; that the people understand that 

 entirely unnecessary fears have been aroused; and that the 

 extremest exaggeration has occurred from, it is to be feared, 

 an unfortunate desire to influence their actions in regard to 

 tornadoes. The worst is bad enough without exaggeration. 

 Fears have also been engendered from an extreme agitation 

 of this subject in the line of protecting lives from these out- 

 bursts. The protection of life is the most important of all, 

 but there is no necessity of going to the expense of having a 

 so-called tornado cave constructed, and, above all, of spend- 

 ing hours in such a cave, as we have frequent reports of 

 persons doing because of terror inspired by improper reports 

 It is probable that no tornado ever visited a place without 

 giving ample warning by the great roar (in some cases re- 

 ported as thirty minutes, and even more, before the outburst) 

 or by the unmistakable funnel-cloud. A cellar under tlie 



