382 MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. AUGUST, 1903
HURRIaANE AT MARTINIQUE, AUGUST, 1903.
The following account of the passage of this hurricane over
Martinique is communicated by Dr. k Lahille, chemist in
charge of the meteorological observations for the chief of the
sanitary service at the Military Hohpital a t Fort de France:
During the night o f August 8-9, 1903, a cyi:loae coining from thc north-
east-north-northwebt, pas+erl oyer llartinique.
The 1)arometric pressure which, with nuiiierouy cihcillaticin5, liad f a l l e ~~
during the clay of the tith, had neverthelesh rruiitined as 1
millimeters, or al~ove, until d n u t !J 11. iu. F~IJIU that tiinp, h
pressure fell rapidly and reachd ilh niiniuium, 7% niilliniet
a. m.
ing to the pasage of the conter of a cyclone. recommenced blcming from the south~soutlirast. .iugu+t 9. at 2 3 I )a . I I I .,
the preshure was 753 niillinieter.s, and a t 4 a. 1 1 1 .. 756 iiiilliitieti~r~. The
amount of rain \$hic*li fell during th+* night frlilii I.( 11. 111. to X a. 111. \\as
160 millimetrr6.
The maximum x elocity of tho wiul. as ~ci~oiilcd 11s the aut~iiic~iiii+i~r,
was 35 meterb per beennil.
From 1!2:30 to 12:G a. 111. a relatiw calm silt-ceeiled,
At 12:45 the
FIG. I-Harograni from the Richard I)arograph, large llllJ&~, a t tltp
meteorological station, Military Ho>pital, Fort de Francr, tluriug
August 7, 8, 9, 1903. The time scale ~irobal~ly relates to Inca1 iuean timr,
THE RESIGNATION OF H. SOWERBY WALLIS.
It is well known to meteorologists that the great sjsteiii of
rainfall htations and publicrttions, known as the British Rainfall,
was organized b y Mr. (3. J. Spons. and that a t his death he
left his house and other property as an endowiuent for the
pernianent continuation of this iniportant iv( )rk. His assistant,
Mr. H. Sowerby Wallis, mas designated by him as his successor,
but we regret to learn that i t has become necessary for hiin
to retire. Under clate of September 1, 1903, Mr. Wallis sends
the following letter to the Editor:
DE~R SIR: After thirty yearb absociation with my late friend, G 6. Symons, in the development of the rainfall organization, by liib desire, I took up the burden of his work with grave misgivings that niy health
would not long support the strain. Frequent illness now prevents iiie giving it continuous attention, and
for me to remain in charge could only be a source of ~eakuehs. T there-
fore feel that the time has come for me to pass ou the control o f the work, and I am glad that so able a successor ab Dr. A1111 ib ready to take
up the onerous tabk. I am handing over to him all the records and
instruments, and leaving this house, that lip may cnntinue the organiza-
tion, without a break, at the old aildress.
Dr. Mill had devoted much attention to rainfall, ani1 for three years
we have conjointly carried on the work while hr acliuirerl that intiinate
knowledge of detail so essential to ensure continuity on the lines ap-
proved by experience.
In thus taking leave, while naturally regretting the terniiiiation of a life long labor with which many 1)leabant nieuiorie.: are awwiated, I would cnngratolattp the uat iim on possesing a body of private individu-
als who have, for i i t .~l g half a century, kept up a national work of the firht importanc.e, and who may be trusted ta) irlaintitin it in prrprtuity.
H. SOWERBY WALLIS.
Tllur.., vcry truly,
~-
RETIREMENT OF PROFESSOR NEUMAYER.
We learn that Prof. (&urge voii Nenmayer, director of the
Deutsche Seewarte :L t Haiuburg f i x niang gears past, lias been
retired on account of advanced age aurl ill health, and that
C'aptaiii Herz, of the imperial navy, has been appointed his
successor with the rnnk of rear n h i r a l . The Seewarte has
hitherto been clistinpishecl for its devotion to the scientific
aspect of iiieteorology, while not neglecting the practical
app1ic:ttioiir;. It has in fact intrvducerl so innch accuracy
into the Iuaqetic, iueteorologio. mil geographic work of the
(terninn Navy that i t uiny be said to have tlemonstratecl that
science is eminently 1mwtica1, and that the highest science
must 1)e assimilated by the navigittor if he woulcl do his own
special work iu the most satisfactory manner. With such an
eminent scientific iuan as von Nenmager a t its head the See-
warte hab beeu an inspiration to Geriuan navigators.
Our conttwporarj-, Nature, states that the appointment is es-
plained ou the theory that a man of science a t the head of the
esecutix e ofice is so overburdened with aclininistrative work
that he lins no time for scientific iiivestigatio>. But one might
:LS well say tliiit a lwtctienl inan a t the head of 11 large oEce is
1iitl)le to lw so overburdened that he has no time for his pri-
vate affairs. The ~l i c ~l e cluestion is siniply one of orgnniza-
tion. The chief o f :t bureau iiiay SO select his subordinates,
nshign their duties, and ecoiioinize his own time as to find
oplmrtuuity for any special personal work that he is specially
qunlifiecl to perform. Nen of energy and business ability are
t o 1)e found among scientific inen quite as frequently as among
iiiilitary oficers, a t least this is the experience in England nncl
America. All nioderu arts, inclucling the art of war, are appli-
mtions of nioderu science, :%ad as a general rule the practical
scientist is R safe lea~ler.
LOCAL STORM IN BALTIMORE, MD.
DIr. Edward 0. Easton, Observer, temporarily in charge of
tlie station at Fdtiinore. Mcl., reported, on July 14, on the storm
of Sunclay, July 1'3, in that city, from which we make the fol-
lowing extra&:
The time of tht. greatest clamage allpears t o hav!: k e n alwut t.hree
rninutes itftrr iiaoon. No damage ( iirrrrl i n tlie vi,-iuit,y of the ofice of
the Weather Bitrcnii, a t the ,Johns pkins Uliiversity. ]Jilt a heavy thun-
drrst,orni was pxperiencetl there. There were two areas o f extrenw se-
verity. the 1700 1,Iot.k~ o f Fiilton avenue, Mount xt.reet,, and C'alhoun street., the
r i ~l estruilecl from Eager street. and Broatlway eaatwilrd for G I,locks,
was fronl 3 IIllwlis tal less than x llluclr in wicltli, narrowing irregu-
In t.lir first named area a Piinnel-sliaped clr~ud WRS distinctly ob-
I:)$ a niiiilher I I ~ the re,sidents, but. no wry definite account of its
r o f flori1iatil wax olkaine~l. In t,he se~iond district, where the
damage was greatest,, more rsplicit iiifnrmnt,ion was nlrtainal~le, of which
t,ltr following is the substailce: h heavy storm (.loud approached from
the uort,liwest, anrl anot,her froni tlie southwest; they apparently merged
at Eager and Broaflway, wheri? t,lie destruction abruptly began. The
fiinnrI-shape~-l clcrud was sreu by many, and a heavy roaring sound was
omplet,e tlarkntlss as the storm burst. The upper
ngiiishithle. however, with its narrowing extension
downward. t. r appearing t u lag slightly behind the nmss above
in it,s nioveu tward. The whole traveled with almost incredible
ea-1,) unly n few seconds elapsing between t.he time the
ClOUd descen he housetops a t Ea,ger and Broadway until it rose into t,he air again t i blocks to the eastward.
I n h t h diht.rict.s the nnturr o f t,he dest,ruction point,ed clearly to the
claims niede that the cit.y I ~t d heen viait,eil by a tornado. Some walls
were Illown outward, iis tht)ugh 1.1s sudden expansion of cnnfined air
The first,. 1irotmlily, in ~irdrr of oc(;urrenw, enihraced niuch
AUGUST, 1903. MONTHLY WEATHER REVIEW. 383
within, but fully as many fell inward. In one case the four walIs bulged A little consideration will show, however, that such a deter-
outward, and the roof lay within about half way down to the floor of the mination of the outline would not be correct, since the ad- second story, while not far off roofs had been lifted high into the air and carried a block and a half away before being deposited in an alley. jacent edges of any two gores must be of equal length, and * * * * * * * this length, in degrees of IL great circle, is 90 - b, where
of the eyes Professor Henry had been taken to the University
Hospital for treatment for rcclisplacement or falling of the
retina of the left eye. We are happy to add that he is im-
((1).
1~0dr.
1)ibtancr froN 900 - b.
- -~____
0 0 , proving and that there is good reason to beliere that lie mill
return to duty in a month or six meeks.--C. B. 9 44 17 I? 41 5s
.>; s i 29
45 u 0
-~
NOTES UPON ECONOMICAL SHAPES FOR CUTTING 3fi 19 (I i
ENVELOPES OF BALLOONS.
In all, several hundred houses were unroofed or otherwise badly
wrecked. The money loss has been estimated at $200,000.
Lagthof gore
3 1  ~~~~~~
central gore.
94.4
9:. 3
bR. 3
6.1 5
0.0
ILLNESS OF PROF. ALFRED J. HENRY.
~~
Districts.
~ ~ ~~
New Eo laud hfiddle It.lautic: 1: :::: ::::: :: :: :
-
sin h = d (sin 45) + (sin 45 tan a),
ancl a is the clistanc,e in degrees from the 1)ole to the point
through which the length of any mericlian of the gore is to
~
L1
0
I -m
m a
P .2
s m
2
a3
~
14
East Golf ........................ \Vest G o l f .. ..................... Ohio Valley and Tennessee.. .... Lower Lake. ....................
PRESSURE.
The distribution of mean atmospheric pressure is graphically
shown on Chart IV and the average values aiicl departures
from normal are shown in Tables I and VI.
The mean barometric pressure was high over the eastern
half of the country and on the north Pacific coast, with the
highest reading 30.05 inches in southwestern Washiagton.
The readings were low over the middle ancl southern Plateau
regions, with a minimum mean of 29.72 inches at. Puma.
The mean pressure was above the normal in New England,
the eastern parts of Pennsylrniiia and New Pork, western
Kentucky, southern Tennessee, parts of the C h l f States, lower
Missouri and upper Mississippi valleys, parts of the northern
ancl middle slope regions, eastern North Dakota, northwestern
part of the upper Lake region. ant1 on the immediate coast of
Washington, Oregun, nncl northern Califoriiia; elsewhere the
mean pressure was below tlie normal.
The pressure diminished from that of ,July, 1903. in the
Pacific States, the Plateau regions generally, the Gulf and
South Atlantic St,ates, central Mississippi Valley, an11 the ()hi0
Valley ancl Tennessee.
TEMPERATURE OF THE AIR.
The distribution of masimuni, minimum, ancl average surface
temperatures is graphically ~hown by the lines on Chart VI.
The mean temperature WVRB above the norinal in the middle
Plateau and slope regions, generally over the southern half nf
the country, escepting on the Pacific coast and in portions of
southeastern Texas. Orer North Carolina, southeastern Teu-
nessee, northwestern Texas, New Mexico, eastern L4rizoiia,
north-central Utah, and north-central Uoloraclo the departures
averaged between +2.0 and +3.5 per clay. As R rule the
departures in the region where t8he temperature was below the
mean mere more marked than the plus departures, averagiitg
9
7
11
8
from -2.0n to -6.4 per day from Montana, South Dakota, and
Nebraska eastward to the Atlantic Ocean. The greatest defi-
ciencies in temperature were reported from New England, east-
ern New York, and about western Lake Superior.
The average temperatures for the several geographic districts
and the departures from the normal values are shown in the
following table :
Average tenweraturea and devarturea from normal.
hliddlr Sloue .................. ....... ....... ...... ....... Ncirt.h Pacific.. .................. Middle Pacific.. ................. south Pacific. ...................
6
G
13
8
12
7 5 4
......
Southeru XIope*. ......... Southern Plat.eau * ....... Middle Plateau *. ........ Ntmtberu Platau*. ......
~ ~~
Average tempera- tures for tlie c 11 r re u t mouth.
~-
0
12. 4
ill. !I
79. t i
s2. !I
X l . U
411. !I
i 5 . 4
13;. x
63. I 1
6:;. 9
71.U
71.8
1;;. 5
i 5 . 5
StI. :j
77.4
R9. 9
lii. 4
lill. s
63, 4
io. !I
~~
___
*Regular Weather Bureau and select,
~.
)e artoret P,r the :u r r e n t
month.
~. __
0
~
4. 4
~
1 .4
+ 1. i
+ 1 .5
+ 1.5
I 11.3
+ 0. 5
- 2.6
- 3. n
- 2. 5
~
1 .7
~
1 .2
- (I. Y
+ II.!I
+ 1.6
+ I). i
-- I). 4
~
0. 4
- 0.6
~
1 .3 - 11.1;
Accumu-
lated iepartures
since January 1 .
~-
0
+ 4.4
t 7.8
+ 4.i
+ 6.:
- 6. , -10 2
+l o . 9
+ 2.n
5.0
t 1.9
- 1 .1
- 4.9
- 9.n
-11.3
-20. 6
I 1.7
~
3 .5
~
h. 6
- 5. 5
;,;
roloutarg stations.
Average
lepartures since lanuarg I.
0
+ 0.6
+ 1.0
+ 0.6
+ 0.8
. 0. s - 1.3
+ 0.4
+ 1.0
+ 1.4
+ 0.2
+ 0.6
+ 0.2
- 0.1
- 0. G
- 1.1
- 1 .4
- 2. 6
+ 0.2
- 0.4
- 1.1
- 0. 7
111 /!cr/int?n.-Prof. R. I?. Stupart says:
erittiire was l~elow the awrage thri~ughout the Dominion from
to the Atlantic o w m s . The lar;;.eht negative departures,
to from :P to IP, w ~r e recurdell in Ontario and Quebec. In
tho Maritime Prnriiil*rs they were from 3 to 40 Lelow, British Co1unibi.l
:md the Noithweht Territories from 23 to 4 helow. and in Manitoba,
Lake Siiperii~r, an11 tlir ~iorthrrn piwtioii~ of Untario from 10 to 20 below.