THE STORMS OF JUNE AND JULY, 1877. 277 



leaves had this appearance immediately after the storm. Tooley says of the 

 jS'atchez storm, "the effects of the storm upon the leaves and buds of plants 

 was to sear them so that they crisped. Some very thrifty grapevines were 

 entirely killed — even the succulent morus multicatdis appeared as if an 

 Eastern sirocco had passed over it." The same phenomenon has been often 

 observed in different localities as attending tornadoes. A sufficient cause 

 must exist that produces it. * * * * * ^ 



Upon the hypothesis that it is electricity, we encounter no difficulty in 

 the way whatever, provided we are familiar with electric laws, and versed 

 in the principles of electric science. * * * >!=: 



Two great principles are only necessary to be mentioned here: 1 — That 

 any insulated matter when charged, will by induction evoke an equally po- 

 tent charge of the opposite electricity upon the nearest point of adjacent 

 matter, instant communication between these two opposite points taking 

 place, so that these charges mutually obliterate each other. The earth 

 alwa3"8 is negative and the clouds positive. Hence a cloud in propor- 

 tion to .the intensity of its positive charge evokes from the earth be- 

 neath it an equally intense negative charge, even though the latter were 

 devoid of negative electricity. Hence communication between the earth 

 and the cloud is instantly established in order to obliterate the charge on 

 the cloud. The tornado is the effect of the act of communication, thus es- 

 tablished. 2 — The other principle is that electricity cannot pass between 

 two'points except by one of two ways, (1) by conduction where the two points 

 are connected by continuous matter ; and (2) by convection, where the points 

 are insulated or where the matter is discontinuous. Those who have any 

 doubt about this may consult the works of the late Professor Magnus of 

 Eerlin, or those of Professor Schelen of Cologne, the world-renowned spec- 

 troscopist. The latter says : "The electric current requires a material 

 conveyor for its transmission from one point to another. It cannot 

 pass where there is no trace of either gas or vapor." He might have 

 stated that where there is neither a trace of gas or vapor in contact with, 

 or free matter upon the discharging pole to give electricity convection, it 

 improvises a conveyance by disrupting matter from the pole, whether that 

 pole be of metal or any other substance and throws it across the interven- 

 ing space upon the other receiving pole. 



The hurling of matter into, and up through the vortex of the tornado is 

 hence only a discharge of electrified matter conveying electricity^ from the 

 earth to the clouds; the gravity as it is called of the matter affected being 

 overcome by the attraction of the cloud above which gives it a pull in front, 

 and the repulsion of the earth below which gives it a shove in the rear. 

 This action can be simulated in the laboratory. Paste a piece of paper upon 

 any good conducting substance and pass a charged conductor rapidly above 

 it ; as the conductor passes \)j, the more rapidly the better, the paper in- 

 stantly leaps upon it. This principle explains the whole mystery of elec- 

 tric action in the tornado. 



