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The general course of this typhoon was N.N.E. curving more to the Eastward after passing here.
The greatest fall of the Barometer in one hour was 0.44 inch, and the total fall was 1.01 inches.
I will now briefly state a few of the theories afloat regarding the origin or cause of Circular Storms, (Typhoons.) Although none of the scientific men who advance these theories pretend to say that they are correct—or even approximately so—there is nothing positive known about the origin or cause of typhoons, and the theories at best are only probable ones. Thus Mr. Redfield seems to think they are produced by the conflicts of prevailing currents in different strata of the atmosphere, giving rise to circular movements, which increase and dilate to storms.
Colonel Reid thinks there may be some connection between electricity, magnetism and these storms.
Mr. Espy, an American Philosopher, has published a work (entitled “Philosophy of Storms”) in which he gives one of the causes of storms as follows:—Upon any partial heating of the air at the surface of the Earth, it rises in columns more or less charged with vapor, condensed into clouds or rain. Next, in this changing of state the vapor communicates its latent caloric to the surrounding air, which also expands, is cooled itself by that expansion, but also gives heat to that part of the air in which it then is, and becoming lighter, is carried farther up. So that which Mr. Espy calls an upmoving column is always thus formed before rain is produced, and the air rushing in to supply the partial vacuum at the base of this chimney-like column forms thus the centripetal streams of air which he affirms is the true motion of the wind in all storms, and especially in typhoons; and according to his theory the winds do not blow in circles, but are straight lined and blowing from the circumference of a circular storm disc towards the centre, rushing up an immense moving chimney of any longitudinal shape, the draught of which is occasioned by an extensive condensation of vapor above.
He accounts for the production of clouds, the rise and
