Additional objections to Redfield's theory of storms / by Robert Hare.

  • Hare, Robert, 1781-1858.
Date:
[1842?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Additional objections to Redfield's theory of storms / by Robert Hare. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    severe part was from one hundred and fifty to two hundred and fifty miles. Thus it may be assumed, that in order for an ob- server to be exposed successively within the severe portion on the southeastern and northwestern limbs, the storm would have had to move at least one hundred miles, requiring nearly four hours. Hence if the storm in question were a whirlwind, instead of the change having been sudden, several hours would have been re- quired for its gradual accomplishment. 68. To prove therefore that a sudden change ensued from one violent wind to another of the same character blowing in an op- posite direction, is to demonstrate that the storm in which it took place was not an extensive whirlwind. Yet this characteristic is universally admitted to belong to hurricanes, and especially to those upon our territory in which a southeaster is followed by a northwester. Hence the seaman's saying which Mr. Redfield sanctions in quoting, a northwester does not remain long in debt to a southeaster. 69. But if the storm above alluded to moved from southwest to northeast as Mr. Redfield's doctrine requires, and the velocity of the wind on the southeastern and northwestern limbs of the whirl were as great as described, that on the southwestern side must have been more than a fourth more violent, having the general motion of the storm, superadded to its appropriate gy- rating velocity. Yet there is no evidence that any such supe- riority existed. On the contrary the violence of the southeaster and northwester seems to have been preeminently the object of attention. 70. Agreeably to Mr. Redfield, hurricanes have a diameter va- rying from one mile to five hundred miles, the diameter of the severe part of the storm of August, 1830, being from one hundred and fifty to two hundred and fifty miles. Of course a portion of the eastern as well as the western limb of such a storm might be comprised between the Alleghany mountains and the Atlantic shore ; and in no case would the inner portion of the southeast- ern and more violent limb be beyond the cognizance of our mer- chants and insurers. It would be a matter of course that in ev- ery violent northeast gale, arising as represented from the pro- gression of the northwestern limb along our coast, fears would be entertained lest vessels, inward bound, should be met by a much more violent southwester. But experience shews, that every