TORNADO THEORIES. 263 
any one should have an opportunity to observe the effect of a tornado upon 
water. Mr. Ferrel, I think, in his description of a tornado, states that we have 
a rising of the water, forming a sort of cone in the centre of the tornado ; the 
effect being, of course, ascribed to the diminution of pressure which is known to 
to be there. In the cyclone proper, where we have a large area, we have a 
storm-wave as the principal element in the case, and there is an upheaval of the 
water in the area of low pressure. In the tornado it seems to me very questionable 
whether that occurs. I base that upon this observation : A smaller wind-whirl 
which was observed by myself in northern Missouri, which was rather violent 
though not destructive,— a column of dust several hundred feet high being raised, 
— passed out upon a pond of water five or six feet deep, and a depression was 
formed in the water, extending to the bottom of the pond, — an immense cup. 
The water was revolving rapidly ; and it was thrown into rotation with a centri- 
fugal effect, — the same effect as when a vessel is whirled. It seems to me that 
this is an element which has not been considered as it should be. If the whirl is 
small, and you have not only a diminution of pressure in the centre, but of the 
whole body of the water, the friction producing a rotation of the water, if the 
result is sufficiently small you might get a depression instead of an elevation. 1 
call attention to this, so that those who may be fortunate enough to see a tornado 
on the water may not take it for granted that it is all known. 
As to the remarks of Professor Rowland in regard to the possible electrical 
origin of a tornado, I know that he was very careful to say that he did not think any 
of the destructive effects could be ascribed to the action of electricity. I gathered 
the idea that he thought a tornado might originate in that way, — that two electri- 
fied clouds will attract each other, and come together ; and he calculates the 
energy of the attraction which bodies can have for each other in air. It seems to 
me that the simple observation that was made by Mr. Hoy, together with another 
fact which we know, — that when the discharge passes between electrified bodies 
they are almost wholly discharged, — would show that when that happens the 
cause for that motion has disappeared. When these two clouds approach, a 
spark passes, and the whole thing is gone. So long as there is no spark passing, 
we know very well that the attraction is very much less than the maximum attrac- 
tion of y\j-% of an ounce on the square inch. I think, perhaps, that is a matter 
Professor Rowland did not consider. It does not seem to me at all likely that 
any such origin can be ascribed to the tornado. When it is developed, you may 
have a rarefied column which may be very highly rarefied, connecting the earth 
with the upper regions, which is precisely the reason that the lightning which was 
observed in the case of the Racine tornado was not accompanied by thunder. 
Professor J. T. Lovewell said that it occurred to him, from his observation, 
that a good deal of care is necessary in order that the observer may know exactly 
what he sees. It was my fortune, said he^ to witness a small whirl at a distance 
of three of four miles. I saw the funnel-shaped cloud descend toward the earth, 
and it looked to me as though there were a column of water. Many people who 
saw it spoke of it as a waterspout. It might have been water, for aught that we 
