Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 July 1875 — Dust-Whirlabouts. [ARTICLE]

Dust-Whirlabouts.

In the’dry and elevated valleys and basins of the Rocky Mountains and of the Cordilleras of Mexico the phenomena of the whirlwind are actively exhibited, “In the deep basins of Mexico,” says Prof. J. W. Phelps, “ where there is no prevailing current of air, whirlwinds may be seen in the warmer hours of the day, spinning spirally on their axis, throwing up large columns of dust several hundred feet in height, and as stationary as the sleeping top for a long time. Further north, in the Rocky Mountains, where the southwest breezes prevail, these whirlwinds are generally borne along with the wind. The rapidity of the whirling motion in both cases is altogether too great to be attributed to any power short of electrical agency. The air outside of a stationary whirlwind is generally quite still, while with the moving whirlwind it Often loiters along, only as a five, ten or fifteen mile breeze. Thus, while the motion of translation of the whirlwind may be only ten miles or so an hour, its whirling velocity is often 100 miles or more an hour.” The general form of these whirlwinds observed by Prof. Pheips was of a tube of dust of from one to twenty feet in diameter and several hundred feet in height. They were generally perpendicular, although one was noticed to ascend in a zigzag direction, and another, after mounting vertically for a short distance, moved horizontally for a space and then assumed a vertical course again. The motion of the whirlwinds was sometimes with the hands of the watch, and at other times in an opposite direction. From_ the journal kept by Prof. Phelps, we, read that July 10, 1859, a whirlwind threw up the sand in a hollow tube two or three feet in diameter and moved with the hands of the watch. Twice rings or nodules of dust were noticed whirling up the tube, and once portions of dust were spun oft’ from the exterior of the cylinder as if by a downward breeze. Aug. 13 the whirlwinds were numerous, and seemed to leap suddenly into the air from a state of perfect- stillness. They formed small, crooked tubes, rising to the height of several hundred feet. April 28, 1859, a whirlwind twenty feet in diameter was observed turning against the hands of a watch. On one occasion a newspaper was caught up by a whirlwind to a height of about 200 feet, and there oscillated back and forth acrosS the track for some time, while accompanying the onward movement of the column. Another day two whirlwinds, within fifty yards of each other, were turning in opposite directions. June 5, a whirlwind about fifteen feet in diameter crossed a stream of water -without any apparent loss of force. Again, a whirlwind was observed to pass through a battery of artillery of brass guns, from one flank to the other, with no evidence of being affected by the adventure. June 10, a whirlwind was remarked that had several small whirls spinning around on its circumference. The whole together described a circuit about 100 yards across. These phenomena occurred at a height of between 4,000 and 5,000 feet above the sea, where the dry atmosphere contained little vapor tcMnterfere with the action of the electricity.