they-Know \u25a0 tnat

-tne storm : win -' not

be :a particularly, severe 'one. ja So 1greatisithe

'merit^didread

'of fa)hurricane •in-

somef of;the ;^West rIndianislands Iwhen^one?has^ approached Wand^u'haspassed ;'away/ without <serious I-the ? people", flockI,to the •churches,; sins-ing\Te r,Deums iand ?giving* thanks ; toGod: for:theiri escape. VvThepe 'are ]many j

hurricanes on whicri<have iwlbedout? thousands ;of;lives- in;a. few.jhours.-besides" destroylngfrowns.l villages ;and

•'

shipping;: :Not^infrequently,^the*hurri-;canej' generates ,<h uge -..waves • which $do

-tremendousTdamage.vleltiwasUhe'.waye^fromvjaS hurricane £ which J..:demolished ;

Galveston, ,Texas,v ay few:;>years vXago, '!spreading :;havoc

•for,miles v along the \u25a0

shore' and; costing; ;'mariy,:lives. :.: \u25a0

''•;*\u25a0.

'

i'Alnithet.hurrUane In the Bay of Ben-jral^ln|October,; 1865.,1thei water 1rosasixteen andY a 'half >feet.

-,In:the :Back-

ergunge; cyclone,'; on »the iGanges ;delta.lni;lB76,:.thei water- rose the -landfrom -ten; toIforty»flve^ feet; drowoina:wer.HOO,ooo.> people.;

- ;. .-\u25a0 ;_..•\u25a0. ;-.\u25a0/.iS.iThe^all.'of •:the.; barometer Kis;one ofthe most; lnfallible signs of a hurri-cane. ,The falliis :often both rapid andgreat,;4 and : tho ;;rapid /and % thegreater r;it

'Is;the >worse v.will\u25a0> be / the

storm.*r;.The '^lowest ,",of

whichIcan find*record .was .that ',riotedby^the*:mercurial \u25a0 barometer \of*a :Brit-ish*;ship) in the Bayiot1Bengal .a!fewyears- agor; when S the s mercury fell solow iln.iIn.the glass :that .the scale failedto register; it. The •: last'sreadiric • ob-

-\u25a0word that best describes It..Frightfulgales, a heavy sea, sometimes madeworse by the cross sea that 13 foundInmany. parts of the stor:n area, and a.wild appearance of the sky all con-tribute to as awful an- experience asthe seafaring man is apt to encounter.

Through the Hurricanes.Ihave personally t>een on the out-

skirts of three hurricanes and throughthe center of one. The worst parts. ofthe three were avoided by maneuveringunder the guidance of. the 'laws ofstorms, and nothing vrorse than fright-ful gales and heavy seas were met. Theother, fortunately, was a comparativelymild hurricane, and Iencountered -itwell north of ? the West indies,^not; farfrom Cape Hatteras, after Ithad spentmost of Its energy. "However, :it wasbad enoughl A\ hard gale had beenblowing from the southeast for somehoura .and during; the * night•It-

grewworse. The;ship—7a;sailing ship—wasunder close-reefed topsails, fore storm

-staysail and" storm mlzzen. Itwas/evi-dent that we were right In the storm's'path, but: the proximity of land; andother considerations ;made It Impracti-cable to run out of it. About daybreakthe wind suddenly fell;completely. Itbecame dead calm. .• The general ,aspectof the sky: and; sea was; dramaticallyawful. Over to the southeastward werethree huge waterspouts, surmounted byInky;black clouds. .In other .directionswere turbulent masses; of dark .clouds,with fast :flying "scud" beneath.* s Thescene was wild, weird, yet picturesque.KnowingHhat r we were;, right in thestorm center, ,theL captain ;called allJiands on deck;: hatches were batteneddown;the ship was :,

4"scantlllzed.'V thatis, every, stitch \of canvas was taken 1 offher except .thelsmall pieces :of

*topsail \u25a0

left af ter. the yards .were lowered; rightdown to 'the" lower/caps.; After,]abouthalf. an hour.of waiting for the renewalof the^ blast/ It came; .; The? wind'sud^denly; came; from!*the"northwest, -ini;aviolent squall, and %it?;blew fgqodi; andhard for,about 'three

-hours,* but thensteadily, moderated.' «The hurricane hadpassed; u5.,.;,We J

(made*sail; set ;'; our

course, and soon after made port safelyand with-afalr 4 wind. \u25a0*.\u25a0',: ' ;'"

It \u25a0is a icurlous fact Ithat;electric >dis-plays ";are -almost falways » absent % froma*violent jhurrlcahe.>;. In the --West In-dies, ". when'- the'r signs*' of"an":approach-ing hurricane"" are -^manifested £andthunder; and^ lightning'are inoted/>theresidents- breathe "a sigh;of;relief,jfor'\u25a0':''

"\u25a0 \u25a0-">:•\u25a0 .- >\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0:\u25a0: :'>:\u25a0'-\u25a0\u25a0": ..;.":Jr: \u25a0\u25a0>: \u25a0 '.'\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0 :'

on the eastern side of the center they,will,blow from the southward,, and: onthe western side from the northward.In the Southern Hemisphere the circu-lation of the winds is just the opposite.As West Indian hurricanes, China ty-phoons and the Indian Ocean stormsarc all In the Northern Hemisphere,only Northern Hemisphere conditionswill be dealt with here.

The laws of storms have become wellunderstood by mariners In"recent years.Every competent navigator can tellwith accuracy when a hurricane isthreatening him, and he can, if •howishes to, avoid the violent winds nearthe center by maneuvering his ship soto keep her away from the- center.He knows that certain signs foretell ahurricane; he knows froTn the direc-tion and changes of the wind in whatdirection the center bears from himand In what direction It is moving, andhe can tell by the rise or fall of thebarometer whether the center is ap-proaching or receding from him. Thecloser one gets to the center the lowerthe barometer. r •

The first signs of an approachinghurricane are very interesting. Thesky is unusually clear; the barometerIs abnormally high; the sunsets arehighly colored, or lurid. Next, thebarometer begins to fall; light, feath-ery, cirrus clouds appear in the sky,radiating from a point In the sky overthe storm center. . The sky then be-comes hazy; halos surround the sunand moon; along, low swell sets Inonthe ocean, coming from the directionof the storm center. The barometerstill falls and the wind freshens stead-ily. If the wind remains in the samequarter the observer knows that he Isdirectly in the path of the storm, whichis approaching him. Ifit shifts, hecan

'tell.In what direction the storm

is moving relative to his position. Ifit shifts to the right or to the left heIs able to learn upon, which side of thestorm's path he Is, and may maneuveraccordingly.

As the storm gets closer the sky,from.what is .known among sailors* asa "greasy" sky,.becomes overcast, anda drizzling rain sets', In. \From now,on the various symptoms of.the =hurri-cane become intensified. The, wind getsstronger and stronger; the sky, iscloudy and threatening; ;the 1

barometersteadily." falls. Unless he .has managedto run- out of the storm,, area,: themariner \ will now;encounter "the

'hurri-

cane in ail its ": fury, and fury.i3the

Arthur H. DuttonLate or the Division of Marine Metcor-

•o'.ogy, U.S. Hydrograpbic Office.

rRO"the data at hand at the time

of this writing H would appearthat the hurricane which cre-ated such havoc in the Caribbean

Sea and in some of the We£t Indiesduring the latter part of October, whileunquestionably a' severe on<\ was by

ho means as severe as many others.whiojihave occurred in the -same ro-"gion, even in late years. Others winch

have occurred in the past have beenfar more destructive of life and prop-

erty.~i West Indian hurricanes are the mostviolent tempests known. They aresimilar to the typhoons of the ChinaSea and those other ryclones which attimes visit the Indian Ocean and thecoasts of British India. By some theyhave been not inaptly termed gigantic\u25a0whirlwinds, covering- a vast area, theirInfluence being sometimes felt hun-dreds and even thousands of miles9.way fronj their -renters.

These kurricanes belong to that greatcla«s of -storms known as "rotary,""circular" or "revolving" storms. They

their names from the fact that"the winds they generate blow approx-irrtately in a circular manner about thecenter. As a matter of fact, however,

it has been shown by modern researchthat the winds do not blow around thetenter in a true circle. They are morelike an Jnblowlng spiral. At the re-mote outer parts of the disturbancethe wind blows directly toward the

.center, the spiral becoming more near-ly-circular as the center is approached.In the center there is a dead calm.This calm center is one of the mostpeculiar and Interesting features of ahurricane. A shin may b« encounter-ing' the most frightful gales from, say,the southeast, when suddenly th»* winddrops entirely." The air is bo still thata lighted candle may be carried with-out being extinguished. This calm

•area varies in diameter, sometimes be-ing but a few miles across, at other

as much as ten or twenty milesprross. Then, when It has passed, thewind,suddenly buists forth again withprcat fierceness from another direction.Generally speaking, the closer one getsto the center the more violent the gale.

The Hurricane Path.Hurricanes have a motion of trans-

lation along a path which Is usuallysomething like a parabola of more orless irregularity. Starting in the trop-ics, well to the eastward usnally, thecenter moves westward and then witheteadily Increasing "northing" to itscourse. In time recurving, moving tothe northeast and thence finally pass*Ing into higher latitudes. Increasing inarea but commonly lessening in force.The typical hurricane track of theNorth Atlantic Ocean begins ordinarilyin the neighborhood of latitude 19north, longitude 40 west or thereabout.Itthen moves westward until Itreachesthe West Indies, when H recurves

and passes off to the northeast, some-times going entirely across the ocean

'und dying out in the neighborhood ofthe British Isles.

The winds of the cyclonic storms inthe Northern Hemisphere blow spirallyInward and around, in a directiontgainst the hands of a watch. That Is,

talned . shotred but 2C.33 Inches. Afrightful gale ensufd. In^the hurri-cane of;Guadeloupe, "West* Indies, inJ SG7», the; barometer at Marie Gahantefell from 59. 63 -to 27.95 In one hourand ten* minutes.

' •"LThe study of cyclonic . storms has

been closely followed by both' seafar-ing men:and. scientists for over half acentury. \ Lieutenant M. F. .Maury ofthe United States Xavy was one ofthe* pioneers- In the study and he diilwonders in acquainting seamen withthe. nature of these great tempests, liewas' followed by others. . notably byProfessox Ferrel of the United StatesCoa3t, and Geodetic Survey; Meldrum,tho British .authority: Heverendo Padr«Benito Vines, the SpanhCi .hurrkancauthority of Havana, and others ofnote. The.United States HydrosraphliOffice has for many years been collect-ing data concerning storms from allover the world, and publishes Its pilotcharts of the Pacific and the Atlantisoceans, descriptions of notable stormsand Instructions as. to. how Jo avoidthe centers of such storms as may beencountered.

A recent issuo of a hydrographlc of-fice pilot chart contains the followingregarding tropical cyclonic storms:

The Western Pacific Typhoon."The typhoon of the western Pacific

Ocean is. in .many respects the coun-terpart of the West Indian hurricaneof the Atlantic. Both classes of stormshave their origin in \u25a0 the' vicinity oftropical groups; of islands and undersimilar barometrical conditions: bothundergo the same slow developmentand exhibit the: same ter«l» ncy .to're-.curve upon reaching tho northern limitof the r><-.? theast trades. B9SOI

,•\u25a0 "Atropical cyclonic storm Is due pri-marily to • the ;appearance of a localai*ea of low -barometer, brought aboutby the Inequalities In the temperatureconditions of the atmosphere. In itsIncipient,' stages the deficiency of at-mospheric

-pressure .throughout • ©is

area may be slight,,amounting to onlya few. hundredths ;of an inch. Ac-cording, to varying1 conditions, such adepress'nnj. either, may -be dissipatedor it may deepen and ultimately-de-velop into a well denned storm cen-ter, giving rise to winds of hurricaneforce. At

"the center and during \u25a0 the

height of the storm . the barometriopressure may fall, as ;low as 23.50Inches.. The space, however, over whichthis ,exceedingly low barometer {pre-vails is generally small, sometimes notmore than a few miles in extent.

fAround this central low, which con-stitutes, the heart of 'the storm, thawinds circulate In*a direction* contrary'to the motion 'of the hands of a watch,not sin;circles,'. however, but in spirals,.which continually approach the center,'the; curve described^ by the -.air. 'beingsimilar hin

"many'; respects to the fa-mlllar path followed .by, the water. Inescaping a from a basin :by,"acentral \u25a0 openingjn- the bottom.; .To the"north*of the storm center, we thus haveeasterly ;"and '-.northeasterly .winds;;,tothe south; .westerly and \u25a0 southwesterlywinds; east: of the center, "southerlyandIsoutheasterly winds "will„prevail;wes^T of the' center, northerly andnorthwesterly. .The .strength of thewind.diminishes as we go outward,, thewinds of typhoons force rarely^ extend 7Ing,; farther than 300 miles ,from. thestorm center. Kpß

\u25a0"-x I'lt>theT storm center remained sti;tlohary 'a^vesiel 'hove;to .under storm:canvas Vwould '§experience no :"\u25a0>' steadyshift -of> the ;> wind, ;but ywould r simplyfeel the -force of the gale Increase until

us full violence was attained, aftewhich it would gradually blow Itselout, all from ope quarter. Such, however; Is never the case. In addition tthe movement of- the air around thstorm there is a progresstvmovement of the center Itself, carr?Ing with It Us circulating system ?winds.

\u0084 "The velocity of the progressive mo-tion of the atorm center varies. With-in the tropics It rarely exceeds teamiles an hour, being her^ much moreregular than in higher latitudes, wherethe velocity ranges from zero, the cen-ter at times appearing to become allbut stationary, up to forty miles aahour. .• "The present theory of tropical cy-clonic storms requires that tnere shallexist at the center, toward which theIncurving surface winds are directed.a rlsing~coltimn of warm, moist air.Upon reaching: the higher levels of theatmosphere the water vapor borne aloftby this air i3condensed Into clouds,

which are carried by the now outwardcurving rrlnda away from the centeron all sides. These c!oud3, then, whichare form<?d at a great height and areof the cirrus type, radiating: In longfeathery streamers from the region ofthe ascending column, constitute forthe sailor the best indication of theapproaching typhoon, sometimes mak-ing their appearance when the stormcenter ia 1500 miles distant. As thecenter approaches the der.mty of thecloud canopy deepens until the beltof nimbus, from which torrents of raindescend. i3attained. The "width ofthis belt In front of the center Is, Ingeneral, about 150 miles; In the rear it

ia less."A vessel warned by her barometer

and by the character of the winds andsea that a typhoon Is approachingshould. If sea room permits, seek toavoid It by running. In general termsIt may be said that the semicircle ofthe storm toward the equator 13 the lessdangerous, as storm centers In"bothhemispheres show a decided tendency

to constantly move toward higher alti-tudes. A vessel, therefore, in thi3 semi-circle is free from the danger of againmeeting the hurricane after recurving.

"Ifthe fait of the barometer and theshifts of the wind are slow it meansthat the storm Is yet at a distance, anda swift vessel, westward bound in loirlatitude, taking advantage of the in-creasing .favorable winds, may manage

to outstrip It and thus escape the lossof time incidental to heaving to orseeking the -southern semicircle. Avessel, however, borne to leeward bythe temporary surface currents pro-duced by the storm winds, will in gen-

eral-be compelled' to cross the stormtrack. Inorder to avoid the center. Inboth of these ;maneuvers the windshould be kept well on the starboardquarter, the effect of this being tocarry the vessel constantly from,thestorm center. In the vicinity of a ty-

phoon the vessel should never run forany length of time with the wind deadaft.

"Itis. however, only In the outlyingportions of the storm that itl.s possibleto carry sail. Near the center tha ves-sel must be hove-to under as lltle can-vas as possible, and much depends uponthis being done upon the proper tack."• Hurricanes do not occur in the •win-ter time. They 'are most frequent InAugust. September and October. Therehave been a few cases on record of hur-ricanes occurring before June, but theyare rare. From June untilNovember itbehooves the navigator traversingtropical waters to be on his S guardagainst hurricanes. In the

-southern

hemisphere, of course, where the sea-sons are reversed, the months, of the»ear in which violent cyclonic stormsmay be encountered are ths Reverse ofthose In the northern hemisphere.

In conclusion, Itmay be said that theWest Indian hurricanes and their, coun-terpart.-the typhoon of the China seas,are the worst storms in the world.' Butthe 'increase in our knowledge of theirnature and the advances in naval archi-tecture and in seanranshlp have les-sened their dangers to a wellifound,.well managed .: ship. :A skillful,navi-gator, win avoid them. .or *the .worstparts of .them: a Rood, stanch

- shipmay. eveji weather. them in safety, pro-vided she ;has enough sea room ia whicijto maneuver. '

THK --SAN: :;FRANGISGO: -SUNDAY1 GALL.

ROBBING HURRICANES AND CYCLONESOF THEIRTERROR