The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1839-04-24

the rain may become general for man
storms which commence in the West IL
dies very narrow, are known to move fro'
the place Of beginning several thchsan
miles, widening out and increasing in siz
until they become many hundred mile
wide. See Bedfeld and Reid, and Oh
Reports of Joint Committee.
II these principles are just, it will folio"
when the mir is in favorable state, th'
the bursting out Of a volcnuo ought to pre-
duce rain and such is known to be u
fact; and I have abundant documents i
my possession TO prove It.
So under very favorable cireums sta nee
the bursting out Of great fires ought to pro
duce rain and I have many facts in m.
possession rendering il highly probable,
not certain, that great rains have some
ZINES been produced by great fires.
II is general opinion in parts Of th
country where great fires frequently taxi
place, that those fires produce rain. Now
this opinion could hardly have originated
without some circumstances besides mer,
coiucidepce attending them, such as rela'
ted in the following account. Mr. Do
brezhoffer, missionary to Paraguay,
speaking Of the tall grass and bulrusbes 90
fire, says myself have seen clouds and
lighting produced from the smoke, as II is
flying of like whrlvind so that the In
disns are not to blame for setting fire to tue
plains in order to produce rain, they hav-
iog learnt that the thicker smoke turns in
to clouds, which pour forth water." Ac-
count of Abiphones, volume Sd, page $50.
Mr.. Lapice Of Louisiana informed DR..
8. Calhoun Of this city, "that the confla.
grafton Of the long grass in the prsifivs Of
that State covers every thing with its cin-
ders for miles around, and that rain fellows
it shortly, according To immeDorial obser-
vation in that country"
"Very extensive fires III Nova Scotia, 10
the woods, are so generally followed by
heavy floods of rain, that there is some rea-
son tn believe that the enormous pillars of
smoke have some share IN produciDg them"
Mug. Nat. Hist. for Dec. 1886.
The bad philosophy Of surprising that
smoke WAS turned iato cloud and produc-
ed rain, does not weaken the evidence of
the main fact.
If the principle il, correct, that clouds are
should expect to find, in favorahc states Of
the uir, that clouds would form over large
cities aud manufacturing towns where
much fuel is burnt, and SO We find it 10 be.
Extract Of n letter to me from Benz
Matthias, of Philadelphia" in the course
Of last winter, while in England, I visited
Manchester fur or five times, aud on each
day it rained. Several Of The inhabitants
assured ne that it rains in Manchester
more or less every day in the yenr."
Extract frsn Ed. Msmmeli's Collection
IF Fncis concerning Ashby Coal Field. 4,s.
I.ondon: 1896.
When the mir is apparently stagnant in
Inc valley Of the Thames and surrounding
:nun'ry, strong current is found To set in, |
IN every side of London, nlong the streets
ending from the country, in the morning
This current is no doubt occasioncd by The
arefac,on in the high chimnie,, over so
many thousand fires jus, kindled, and mus,
o the cause of the introduction OF fresh air
. an immense extent, which would not
lherwise flow. This rarefaction produces
ther phenomena, among which, when the
tmosphere is in ght state, and clouds
re passing at u height which does not al
Nv them TO condense und fall in rain, these i
ccuniulale IN passing over London, and '
ther remain as dense fog, or drop in
nall rain all dny long, scarcely clearing S
ice ; the country a, long distance having e
'ry little rain" Il
The bad philosophy of supposing the air IA
light on these occasions ns tn let the "
,uds on passing sink down in il ever al
,nd.n, does M, iuvalidalc the evidence Of 81
= principal fact. al
From these remarkable facts alone think in
will be acknowledged that there is some h
between great fires and rains
her thnn mere coincidence, even if that 81
remained mystery. Humboldt "
knowledged this in the cnse Of Volcanoes c.
hen he speaks of the mysterious connec- W
n between Volcanoes aud rain, aud SAYS %
at when Volcano bursts out in South 81
,neriea in n dry season it sometimes chan
IS il to u rainy one. But now when it is Il
by tue most decisive evidence, X
2 evidence of experiment, that mir in as CT
nding into the atmosphere in column, as ii
must do over great ire, will cool by di- ol
lnisbed pressure, so much that it will be- d
y tn cnndense It's vapor into cloud as soon fo
ii shall rise about us many hundred yards n
the temperature Of the nir is above the I
W. point in des,ees of Farenheit, it a. $,
cunts to a very high probability ,ha, great ii
es have sometimes produced rain. The tt
eat fires and even volcanoes should not il,
ways produce rMn is manifest from the a,
that AS they break out acci- c.
ntnlly, they may sometimes occur when IN
state Of the atmosphere is uufavorablc, i'll
d even adverse to rain. First, il they u
ould break out when there is current Of
!, either near the surface Of The earth, or cl
a considerable distance above, of some til
engih, the ap-moving column would be W
cpi by it, Oh, Of the perpendicular, befnre Y.
loud Of greai density couit be formed, ia
. thus rain would be prevented.