The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-08-06

into which the storm will pass, ana occa s,onaliy
even give premoni,ion Of IT'S breaking up INTO two
portions, eacn drawn in different directions.
The more violent wiuds generally follow IN the
rear ana on the south side OF the advancing area Of
lowest pressure those That precedc the PROGRESS OF
that area may often be more dangerous, howe ver
because OF the accompanying ram fog, sc. Ihe
latter winds are preceded Dy the cirrus aud threat
enng storm clouds; the ram that accompanies or
follows tnese generally abatcs, ana thus gives warn.
Ing oil the strong cleariny-uD Wiads.
1'ne rapiditY OF progression OF the area oi cloud
ana ram varies nom hitecn 10 SIXTY miles III an
hour, the actual velocity varying win influence
oil moisture az explained III previous section.
Ihe average velocity or the currcnls whca deter
mine tue general direction OF tue progress OF the
nucleus Of the storm, varies from twenty to forty
miles h0ury, anu rarely reaches The ngEcc limit.
me changes that are now thrice daily reported
from Mount Washington frequently afford inuica-
tons OF the movement of the great polr or equato.
rla ar currents. and hence Afford sure Fremont
tions OF q change III the general character OF the
weather, and with great frequency iorcshadow the
storms that pass directly over that region.
IL IS 10y increasing the mountain stations and by
auulhG such balloon CbseryalIous as can be made,
ana specially BY the study OF the forms, changes
motions. height and velocity the clouds ana OF
hope eventually 70 arrive at full knowledge OF the
nnper regions OF the air. wnere the severe storms
are propagated.
INSTRUMENTAL rNDIc.rIoss.
IL should always be remembered that changes in
Weathsr generally give sgus of their coming, FOR the
Instruments are affected before the wird actually
pesns 10 oow or the ram to fall: thus they may e
SAID 70 enable us to feel tue pulse cf the atmos-
phere. 1t must not he forgotten that the length OF
tne which passes between the frs, appeara ace o( n
change OF weather and It's actual setting in are
not the same. IT Is much greater wnen south
west wind is gong 10 succoed.a northeast wind
IMAM when The opposite change T. ahous to take
place. II tie barometer rises steadily above MS
mean height While the weather gets goitier and
The air becomes drier, northWesterly, nortuerly
hortheas'ery winds, or less wilma, less ram or
snow may generally oe expected. TN the con-
trary, IL tue barometer ialls Wnlle The weather
gets warmer aad The air becomes damper, wind
and rain may be looked Tor from the southeast
south or southwest
the deviations rom these general principles,
NhlCh are noticed, correspond 10 tue VARIOUS
I, changes o. weather
IL the weather gets warmer wnie the barome-
ter is nigh and the wind northeastery. we NAV
look for u SHIT OF gind t. the so1tE. on tae
other hand the weather sometimes becomes
colder wnie tue WIND is southwcsterly and the
barometer low ana then we may look Tor
sudden sq,ail, or perhaps n storm from the north
west The most striking executions TO tie
rules are those noticed b. AdEIra FitZrOY.
They occar with northeast WINDS, which
sometimes bring rain, or see,, or snow espec-
ally during gales, although the barometer may
be high ana rising. on the other hand wncn
the wind IL northeastern and light ami the
a barometer begins 10 iali rain may ser m before
the wind changes 10 east or eas-Southcasf
Besides these rules Tor the III Instruments, there
Is a rule aboqt The way In which tae Wind
changes winch Is very important u IS well
known 10 every sailor, and Is CONTAINED In the
following couplet.-
Trust Il not. for back 1t will run.
The wind usually shifts win the sun. -
RON lett To right IN the northern hemisphere.
\ change In thus direction Is called veering
Thus an east wind shifts TO west through
southeast, SCUM ana southwest, Hnd q west
WIND shifts 10 east through north vest north
Is AMI northeast. II the wind shifts the opposite
way, W., IRON WeSt TO southwest, south and
southeast. the changes called backing. ana il
seldom occurs unless when the weather is un-
settled.
such are some OF the principal laws which
having been tested IN the severe cruciDle Of
thirty years acute and precise observation are
unanimously accepted by meleoroogists all
the word.
To Eedaeld, Reid. Ferret, CONN, Esry. rns.
ROY, Blocget, Buchan, Buys, Ballot and many
others ofequal merit IN meteorology tue world
chieny In deotesl for tins knowledge
The laDors Of the Chef SIgaal Ui,iccr and hts
assistants FOUND ~ their commencement thus
knowledge scattered aud dis ointed.
1t cannot reasonably De expected that m the
snort space or tlme since our Weather Bureau
was organized under General Nyer. exact lnei-
lie lgence or uDlaing correctness OF lore astS
II be furnished AeteOrO!Ogl u yet Nnt q science
o. "prOHanlltles." not al CcrtalntiPs. IL IS vet
III its infancy, and t cannot be severely iudgci
as the oder sciences, In which everything can
DC Instantly ana easily tested in tue laboratory
ly manual experiment.
Although the signal onice IL not chargcable
10y law with doing anything more than an
I, nOanciug the approach Of the most dangerous
storms, lIs bulletins OF the general weather are
universally sought aitcr ana respected and It's
sphere oi influence aul usefulness IL every day
widening. Its prospects OK increasing certainty
IN us processes or investigation anG It's pup
lshed storm warnings are continually iInprov.
ing. There seems To have been no haste TO
ont or act upon crude aud iiiiclfu theories
OF the atmosphere. II ITS chez has nad Tu move
forward IN tue dark DC appears 10 have felt hIs
way very carefully. be has evidently emulaied
the wisdom which led 10 the selection of the IA
nous lines or Torres Ncdras. IN the old Peninsu.
lar campaisn-a position from winch Inc occu-
pant cannot be forced % retreat aud wn.ch gives
him every facility for an advance.