William Redfield 17891857

1
William Redfield (1789-1857)

• By
• Greg Sherman
• December 6, 2004

2
Hurricane Winds

• Great September Gale of 1821 (CT)
• Damage suggested winds blew out of the NW
• But damage 40 miles north suggested winds blew
  out of SE!
• What did he determine?
• Winds in hurricanes are whirlwinds (spin
  counterclockwise)
• A hurricane is a low pressure system
• Thought the winds of a hurricane cause the low
  press.
• WRONG!!!
• Differences between adjacent pressures Bob
  Sheets
• Redfield formed The Law of Storms

3
The Law of Storms

• Made up of three ideas from Redfield
• Winds move in spirals, not horizontal circles
• Velocity of rotation increases from the margin
  towards the center of the storm
• Whole body of air moves forward in a path
• Although individual air particles move at
  variable rates, they move w/ velocity lower than
  velocity of rotation
• Used by Will Reid in 1841 book The Law of Storms

4
Other Accomplishments

• One if By LAND
• Plotted railroad route between Hudson Miss.
• Eventually became major railroad between NE MW
  via Mid-Atlantic
• Harlem, Hartfield New Haven Railroads
• Street Car railroads (with James Brewster)
• Two if By SEA
• Established line of safety barges (between NYC
  Albany)
• Transferred line into system of towboats for
  conveying freight

5
Honors

• 1839 M.A. from Yale
• 9/1848 Founded American Association for the
  Advancement of Science
• Elected First President
• 1876 Mount Redfield in Adirondacks (NY)
• Led expedition in 1837 to find makeup of the land
• Lat/Lon 44.09N, 73.95W, 4600 ft tall
• 1988 Redfield Collections (CT. River Museum)
• Represents life in CTRV during 19th century