Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-05-03

much farther north than on the east coast
just as England owing to the Gulf S'ream i
much warmer at a certain latitude than th'
same latitude on the west side of the Attain
tic. Those storms that follow the Blacl
Stream, that bring the name by which th,
Equatorial Current is known at Japan, gen
Grated in the Pacific and China seas, pas
over to our own Pacific coast very often, and
not finding impossible barriers in the Rocky
Mountains, tear over them, sweep dowr
their eastern slopes. and out into the broad
smooth valley of the Mississippi and it,
tributaries, where it meets little more op
position than on the seas. These, as we'll az
those from the south, visit destruction on the
lakes, especially the western ones, Superior
Michigan and Huron.
Great oceanic storms are found to nave a
rotary motion, the wind blowing round and
round the center, which is comparatively
still for space Of twenty or thirty miles
wide, with the barometer very low. The
motion of these storms Is we'll illustrated by
what befell the brig Charles Heddle, so ia
nous in the annals of entomology. In the
Mauritius hurricane, from the 22d to the 9th
Of February, 1915 this brig wascarried round
and round the cyclone, at an average distanc
OF fifty miles from the centre, scudding th II.
teen hundred miles in five days, and YET
found herself afterwards only three hundred
and dity-four miles from the port from which
she had started as the storm had made five
complete revolutions with her The same
general laws are claimed 10 govern storms on
the land, 80 tLat their movements can be vel
determined though there is this difference
that the storms over the face Of any continent
are somewhat subject to the confguration of
the land, being changed more or less by the
deep valleys or high mountain ranges.
These tracks and movements Of the great
storms ofour Continent being quite well deter
mined, tits not hard to forecast them. With
the aid Of the telegraph, signals, bulletins,
and daily prints, it is comparatively easy to
let those most interested know Of their ap-
proach in time to avert much Of the con
sequences
\ system such as would naturally be sug-
gested by the experience Of European ma
tions, and by the established facts of our
storm tracks, i beng organized and put into
operation throughout the country. Those who
have read the letter Of the Boston Journal
correspondent concerning his trip this winter
to Prof. Huntington in hls Mount Washington
home, viii remember Searglnt Adams being
spoken ofas telegraT her, and as also belonging
to the Signal Service. That is the corps which
government IS using in part for storm signal
service. Thirty stations are already estab-
lished on our continent. and others will be
soon. 1t reported that Mount Washington
Will be one Of these permanent stations.
Gen Myer j. at the head Of this Signal
Service. lie appears to be adding enthusi-
asm 70 his official routine Of duty, making il
Of great value to our sbipmasters and mer-
chants. kilograms have speeded ahead of
the swift winged storm, and warm ed the
Periled seaman. Ltves and cargocs have
been saved. y station was established at
Chicago last fall, and during the sixty days
before navigation closed, several coming
storms were signallcd to those about to sail !.
and shpwrccks prevented. Of three cap
tains, on a certain time, two set out. and
while the one That remained in Milwaukee
was safe in harbor during the storm, both
the others were wrecked. Soon we shall
not be cxcellcd, if we are now, in complete
ness Of arrangement, by European nations,
though we have been at work only months
while they have years
Great gain viii thus accrue to our com
merce through increased safety, lowering Of
expenses, and less loss Of life Prof T. b.
Maury has two exhaustive articles on this
subject in recent issues of the Scyl5ncr's from
which We have taken many of these facts.
The articles are valuable and will richly re-
pay perusal. The Professor gets enthusiastic
in view Of the practical worth Of storm signals
Hc predicts that the time is not far distant
when their value viii be SO apparent to all,
railroad men travellers farmers, &c, that
every country village viii have its storm
signal, to give directions to the tiller of the
soil