Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1866-06-21
4 TEXAS y0RTHER.
Where It Comes from, and What
Il IL Like.

Where & Come s From. and What
Il il Like.
A letter written in Texas gives the following &C
count of tn, peculiar wind storm Of that region,
known as the "Norther:''
There is no country free from disadvantages
The "Norther" is one OF the serious disadvantages
of Texas. The wind Is a kind of storm; prevail
ing in Texts from November till the middle of
April, just as the Monsoon blows six months in the
f lst indies. But it Is not n continuous wind. Its
average duration is two or three days, sometimes
going down in twenty-t0ur hours. II is usually
preceded few hours by the lulling of the south
wind; heavy. oppressive. sultry of the am0s-
phere, and locks Of wild geese usually flying to
the southwark.
After the appearance OF these promOnitory symp-
TOM, you Look TO the northwlri, discover gray
mist shrouding the prliries, perceive a strong sui
phurous scent, or o4or ike the burning of pine
straw while your attention is likewise directed to
a low mHrmurins sound; like the roaring Of an ad-
jacent sea. You next see the post oak branches
and their attached moss ia motion; sudden gust,
cold as ice; hurryingon Of overcoats AMI blank
cts; few shiverngs, and the Texas Norther is on
you like panther. The rate of the wind is about
fifteen miles an hour, its temperature usually about
IL deg. Fahrenheit, AMI is occasionally accompan
led by rain.
Such IS the collness of the Norther and the sud
denness OF its arrival that the mercury very often
goes down from - or - degrees to the winds
own temperature. During is continuance, both
men and aniInlls show a remarkable degree of
thirst and there is tsngling sensation of the skin,
tracts probably owing to the irritation ofthe Ozone,
to which the peculilr scent characteristic of the
coming up OF a Norther, is probably also due; the
Ozone itself very likely arising from the contact
of the highly electrified wind with the moisture of
the surrounding e-is. medium. The Norther is a
very dry wind dry th t it drinks up all the ois
ture in lie path, extracting it from the plants, the
ground, the air. While 1t is blowing, As formerly
remarked, all outdoor work is suspended. The
wind is SO intensely keen and intensely cold, that
exposure to it for any length of time might subject
you to serious disease, and often does. The inhab
liant OF the praries, therefore, takes to his log
cabin, his pipe his pleasant reyeries; the wagner
to his camp; the soldier to his tent; the cattle and
horses, sheep AMI goats to the south side of the
clump of pos.-o1ks-thus slgaci0usly nterposing
trees and woods as 4 wall between them and the
icy northern blast 50 fercely rushing down upon
them. Having continued two DAYS the Norther
usually goes down in the evening, mildly rs
sucking doge.' or an infInt falling to sleep, The
wind then drifts aroun1 10 the east and Isl before
morning, generally in the south.
The causes of these storms, so fatal to what
might otherwise be the splendid elm ite OF Texls,
have received some attention from the scientific
Professor F1rshey's theory is a. follows: A cata-
ract of air occurs over the Rocky mountains to
equalize the exalted temperature of the atmos
phere OverhIngns the great plains % the westward
as well as the Mexican Cult. This atmospheric
current flows over the Rocky Mountains from the
west, rs Niagara rolls over its rocky precioces and
runs down the prairie TO the Gulf just as the air
rushes down chimney to cool the air OF your bed
room. Having reduced the atmospheric tempera-
ture of the pI.ns the Norther ceases, and the up
per AERIAL current with which il is IDENTICAL pursues
its ordinary TO the eastward, without break
ing through the lower strata OF the ATMOSPHERE
In proof of this Prof Forshey adluces the fact,
that the temperature of the Norther as Just stated
IL deg. Fs,hr., is the that of the upper at
mospheric region from which this singular storm
is supposed to come. The gray mist. which al
ways heraids the immediate approa sh of North
er, Is evidently the result Of the condensation of
the air, very often at 50 degrees, parting with its
caloric. which goes to supply the Norther. The
Northers vastly disagreeable, nor can you have
any real idea OF one I'LL you experience il. Only for
them, the want of water. absence of rain, Texas
would be paradise indeed Yet they appear to
have their uses. say il on the authority of Prof
Forshey, that few il any severe cases of pulmonary
consumption have been known to orr gnate within
the scope of country embraced by the Northers,
which comp-ehends not only the whole of Texas
but part of Mexico likewise-for heard of twenty
day Northers prevailing at Vera Cruz.