The New York herald., 1869-04-22

cries and the vast capital invested in them
from ruin.
Something About tho Weather and tho
Latc April Showers.
Gay as an Illinois prairie in full blossom
was Broadway yesterday with its numberless
spring moths and butterflies, fitting up town
and down and in and out of the inviting shops in
full bloom with the latest fashions. The night
before, after heavy and lowering settling
down, had brought us some Of those genial
and generous April showers which bring forth
May flowers, and so the morning came upon
US bright, fresh, radiant and exhilarating as
sunburst in June among the lovely mountain
parks of Colorado. Those showers of Tuesday
night were the remains of great storm cloud,
broken UP into series Of storms and showers,
beginning west and drifting enthusiastically
to the Atlantic coast, and these general rains
doubtless resulted from great meteorological
reaction caused by the northern lights of
Thursday night last.
AS the great northern meteoric visitation of
three years ago was followed round the globe,
north of the Equator, by fearful succession
of tornadoes, floods, earthquakes and volcanic
eruptions, so on smaller scale, and more
directly from it's direct fusion with our atmos-
phere, the electrical fluid of the northern lights
of the 18th was unquestionably, we think,
the immediate cause of the general
rains and atmospheric disturbances which
have followed over the northern section
of the United States, at least from the great
plains Of the West to the Atlantic Ocean. For
example, on Sunday afternoon last they had at
Chicago one of the severest and most extern
sive spring storms that have occurred in that
region for many years, extending west beyond
the Mississippi. In one place an unfinished
Catholic church was blown down into per-
feet wreck; in another place hailstones fell
es big as hens eggs; in another house was
struck by lightning, and at Dubuque tornado
swept over the city, blowing down some and un-
roofing numerous buildings. On Monday they
had heavy rains and floods In Canada East
at St. Louis they had terrific hail storm; in
central Indiana storm of fierce hail, wind,
lightning and thunder, and at Nashville, Tenn,
extending to Chattanooga, tornado which
carried away the roofs of houses and blew
down walls, trees and fences. At the same
Nme destructive foods have prevailed through
but the New England States. Such things, we
know, occur over all these regions to a
greater or less extent every year with the
return of the spring or summer season; but
still, we have no doubt that all these late vio-
lent storms may be directly charged to the
general atmospheric reaction resulting from
the great luminous cloud Of electricity which
came down into these latitudes on Thursday
night last from the icy laboratory of the aurora
borealis beyond the Arctic circle.
1t may here be remarked that while west Of
the Alleghanies, and especially in the vast
comparatively level region extending from
Illinois 10 the Rocky Mountains, tornadoes are
common things, we are, with q small exception
now and then, exempt from these visitors east
Of the Alleghanies and the hilly districts on
their western flank. The reason Is that
vernal or summer storm, in passing over a
level country, gathers strength in its march,
while by intervening ranges Of hills or noun
tains IL is broken up. The destructive tor
nadoes of the West India islands gather their
strength in sweeping over the Gulf Under the
same free scope the circling wind which is
known as the tornado on the Illinois prairies
creates the waterspout in the Pacific Ocean
and the moving pillar of sand in the African
desert Some useful lessons may be drawn
from these facts. As In the earthquake dis
tricts of Central and South America the
Inhabitants do not indulge in the building of
lofty houses, SO in the prairies and great plains
of the West the settler should provide against
the tornado by building his house low and
strong, and with q cellar, as his secure citadel,
though his house be blown off to the level of
the ground.
AS for these April storms and floods, the
damages thereof are but a bagatelle compared
with the general good to the growing crops I;
and even the tornado, with Its special dlsas-
ters, is general blessing In the publication
Of the air. Hence, In summing up, we think
that this spring opens with fair promise of q
good season for corn, beef, wool and cotton,
provisions and clothing, and that throughout
this great country we have seldom had q more
genial or beautiful April, so far, than this, for
many, many years.