Signs of the Times
Illustration★★★National Geographic Magazine reported the account by author William Manches- ter of a man living on Long Island in September of 1938. He became frustrated with the new barometer he had ordered a few days earlier in New Y ork. When it arrived, the needle was pointing to “Tornadoes and Hurricanes. ” He thought the barometer was faulty, so he took it to the post office to mail it back. The author wrote, “While he was gone, his house blew away. ” The hurricane of 1938 was bearing down upon him. The warning sign told him bad weather was coming. But he ignored it. About 700 people died in the Great New England Hurricane.
The point
A barometer reading 'Tornadoes and Hurricanes' was ignored by a man until his house blew away in the 1938 New England Hurricane, killing 700 people. Powerful warning about heeding signs of danger.