Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1867-07-12
Editorial notes on st. Croi,

I the FREE fnEss, cuncerniue thtt hilte.tha :
island, its climate, productions, modes Of liir,
[ &c In the few brief articles which | propose
to write. DO not expect, by any means, 20 cx-
/ hsust the subject At best all that have sai I
or shall say will amount to no more than very
imperfect steich-but a sketch which l hope
I will give some entertainment and instruction 10
those for whom it is male. Tie topic Of the
present article is 1hs lbtorplogg aat Ci-
mate Of 81. Cr0r.
It is not easy for one who has liyel wholly ia
a climate where the extremes of heat anil COLI
experienced every year differ by from one hun
drel and ten to one hundred and twenty ie-
grees, sometimes even more in thus Autuie,)
on Fahrenheit's scale, to realize how different al
most everything must be where the whole
variation in the temperature from years end 20
years end does not exceed sixteen or eighteen
deerces-wherc the heat Of the air at sunrise on
any one morning does not differ from that of
any other morning at sunrise in the whole
year, by more than SIX degrees, AMI where the
neon tile heats vary as little. Yet such is tie
case at St. Crcix. Ofcourse 1t must be under
stood that speak CT the temperature Of the air
in the shaic. whore there is free circulation
and no cxtraoriiusry influences To- aG,c; the
thermomet,r. Tie direct rays Of the sun or the
reelection from hot street or the sides Of buili-
iurz heated by the sun, VIII raise the temp.sl-
ture excessively, as well in St. CTo;z as any
where else.
Very careful meteorological otservltious have
been male at St Croiz for d long rcri5I Of
years by Mai. AyuErw LANG, q practical as,ro-
nomer, whose rcrIeucc IS On sLaly hil o..
overlooking the town AID haIbor q. Christian
s,ed. and 81 a height Of 40 ,et above the level
of the sea. Maj Lang gave me. as the moan
u.saal temperature, SD 2, the i1sa; icing
81 and the lowest q. e. This makes ;he en-
tire variation for the whole Of the y1lr-aud
/ iJr many years il succes-iou-ouly l57 Maj.
Lang toll me that once. AMI oniy ouss, he saw
the temperature a. low as fG7. OF course,
Fahrcnheit's scale rs referred TO. From the
best, though very imperfect observations which
/ could make at my boarding house. which was
in town AMI ty the sea shore, the extreme range
,bcre was from about 700 90 s57 The lif
ference in aId,ady. uuyI rrvtauIy some effect
from surrounding buildings, viii account FOR
the difference bl,wccn the observations aal
| those at Maj Laug's residence
The creates; cold experienced in ST Croix
varies but about one isyrse from the aruals heli
Of the month Of August in Burlington; and
the h.5l,.i heat in St Croix, in the shale, hl's
considerably below what We ezperieace here al
most every year during she middle part Of our
hottest summer days. From ss to n3
from u O'Clock 10 2P. NJ, Is experienced here
almost every year. though not for many lays.
But ii we pass from the shade into the sun
shine in 81 Croix We find great difference
For some reason the direct rays ol the sun seem
10 le FAY more penetrating in their effect on tL'
human system iu ST. Crasx thln they are here
even though the temperature ia the shade D.,
the same, anil the height Of the sun above ih'
horizon the same IA the t~o places l canna
account for that. except on the superstition that
the atmosphere Is more transparent there tht'
here Tie fact Is beyond question that viii
the came temperature in the shade -il q 20 -.ul
height Of sun above the horizon. ia Che tw
places, while here one might not l.el tie sun
rays to be oppressiycly hot, ;Loc they vca.
seem to penetrate the system like hot neoll1'
Yet when the full blaze Of the SUM rays woul
be hardly cudurable. if the slightesi cloud come
over. or the shade Of tree or building inter
yenes. the person feels an instant relief TIL
white population Of St. Croix carry umbrellas
great deal to screen them from the direct ray
of the sun, As vel as for protection from Oh
dashes ofrain which often occur with harily
moments fore-waruirg Even the blacks, VII
certainly bear the heat better than the white
do not 60 about much bare headed. somcthin
in the shape Of a ha, or cap ioT tic males, an
the universal cotton shawl or kerchie! wreath'
about the head f1r.,he females, are in g.ncr
use among them.
An extendel discussion Of the causes Of Il
remarkable uniformity Of temperature Of vhi'
/ have spoken voulI 60 beyond my limits.
brief. it is attributable to the low latitude Of Il
island-atout 177 IL north,-ani the cons
ouent smaIl.lilerenee in the length Of the dsJ
j. from sun rise to sun set its small $40 AMI b
d ipr surrounded with an ocean which j. ilwa
warmed with a tropical sun to the atssu-e
&C any mountains high czOugh to form dePositor
-s Of cold-and to the steady influence cfthe n
trade wind, which for most Of the year is gent
tanning it night AMI day. II, from any cans
g this wind wholly dies away ior iew days, o.
ID especially if instead Of it there is ever 60 sla
Is set Of air from the Soaih, as occasionally hl
peps a conpllint that " TIE weather is ''
le bo, is heard on every hand. Contran"i
le if the wind veers to tie north anl holds th
N fr two OF three days, and is little freshcr Ii
usual, tie people SPEAK OF It as - uncomioriai
cold," though perhaps i'll neither case does
Il thermometer shog an actual charge Of temps
ture Of more than three OF four degrees
on slight lowering Of the temperature, when
a northerner recently come TO the island, would
on only refreshing change, will produce ple'
~ full crop Of colds, .. inauenzls,' &c, an
If the permanent residents. Even s'Fans'i'
.,. customed to the great ami rapid changes Cd
Il, northern climate, having his skin hAbiu
moist with Precipitation while at st. 'f
needs to be careful 10 avid the draft ci d mol
IN, erIv Wind at an oIen. window. 1t rll s
;on produce a chill, fron sweeping OF The mois'
the though ii he will move aside out Of the dram
md will Immediately hnI that the air Is v
, a enough.
-rly Ihc change of Barouciria pressure oi 'h'
st 81 Croi1, is also very slsht Ma