The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-07-11
THE WEATHER ON MOUNT
WASHINGTON.

which wintered on the summit Of Mount
Washington, N. H.;
Professor Hitchcock states that the eli
mate Of Mount Washington corresponds
with that Of the middle Of Greenland.
The summit is in the Arctic zone, and the
animal and vegetable life corresponds
with that Of Labrador and Greenland.
During their stay the coolest weather eX'
perienccd by the expedition was about
inv TO tilty.live degrees below zero. On
the coolest DAYS il was difficult to keep
the little house warm:
1--WE have the stoves Of a red heat the
thermometer hangs exactly live feet from
the stove; ten feet from the stove ut the
floor to-day the temperature was only
twelve degrees, and Ut tue same time was
sixty.five degrees in other parts OF the
room"
On day early in February, Mr.. Mel
son, while sdIciRg Of piece Of pork, in
the "vestibule," for the SUNDAY baked
beans" irOze his fingers. lie was there
but five minutes. He says ut was like
cutting into block Of gypsum to saw oil
that piece Of pork" The butter was
kept in tubs in the outer room, and was
so hard that il was cut only by the use Of
chisel and hammer! The valleys were
full Of clouds:
enlarged with frost as they are, ocCa.
siOnally sweeping over the summit, they
completely cover one In moment, hair,
beard and clothing. When the face Is ex-
posed it feels like the touch Of hot iron.
To breathe this frosty air IS very unpleas.
ant A full inhalation produces severe
coughing ft!"
FURY OF THE GALES.
The wind blew pretty much all the
time, and frequently with terrific force.
The seVerest storm was on the 10th Of
December, and Is thus described:
1--WE have had probably as severe q tor.
nado as will visit us during the winter
The velocity OF the wind was recorded at
seven o'clock in the evening, and II was
nlnety.twO miles per hour Aller that
time 1t was not safe TO venture out with
the thermometer, unless We wanted to
take an air line passage to TuCkerman's
Ravine; for the wind kept increasing
until toward morning, when II blew ter.
rifle hurricane. Mr.. Huntington and Mr.,
ClOugh, both having had considerable Of
this Kind Of experience, say II must have
blown, at the highest point, one hundred
and ten to one hundred and twenty miles
per hour. We expected at any moment
to have the building come down about our
heads, and were prepared to make an
effort for our lives, having put hard tack
In our pockets, and armed with axe and
saw, ready, in case we found II necessary,
to cut our way out, getting also some oil
our thickest blankets ready for use, and
preparing with considerable excitement
for any emergency. The wind roared
terribly, as Il inspired with the power and
spite Of all the furies, and the wild rage
was so deafening that we were obliged TO
shout to our utmost in order TO be heard.
"Messrs. Huntington and Clough were
both very cool, although believe they
thought the chances were more than even
that we would have quarters elseN here
before morning; and Mr.. Smith, the gen.
tlemOnly meteorological observer sent by
the government to this station, was quite
jolly, Offering such consolation as this II
we were blown down into Tuckerman's
llavine, II would be for the "beneilt Of
commerce." and so, of course, all right :
Morning brought us little relief, by re.
duCing the velocity Ofthe wind 10 eighty.
four miles per hour. The mercury was
10 deg. below zero, and the barometer,
the lowest recorded so far, 22.70G. This
remarkable fall will not happen often, but
when 1t does, we shall keep housed"
Another severe storm occurred on the
22d and ed Of January. It's roar and the
noise ofthc ice thrown against the build.
ing like showers Of grape.shot kept all
wide awake during the long night.
"Durlng the storm of the 4th and 9th of
February the cold exceeded In intensity
anything we had the whole winter. The
gale began on Thursday, the I'd, quite sud.
denly, and reached It's heighth on the 4th
about midnight, when the velocity Of the
wind was estimated at one hundred miles
per hour, and the barometer was 22.404,
the lowest recorded. To II was added the
most intense cold ever experienced short
Of artic regions, the thermometer indicat-
Ing 80 below zero at three o'clock Sum-
day morning, the 9th.
MEASURING THE VELOCITY OF TIE WIND.
The work OF measuring the velocity of
the wind was attended by great difficulty
and considerable peril:
AT two =. NJ, wind seventy.twO, Pro-
lessor II. measured the velocity. lie had
TO sit with a line around him, myself at
the other end indoors, as an anchor; even
then II was almost impossible for him TO
keep his position. Temperature, 81 deg"
The thermometer, the instrument used
for measuring the velocity Of the wind,
consists essentially'of four hemispherical
cups, having their diametrical planes ex-
posed to passing current Of air. They
are carried by four horizontal arms at.
tached to vertical shat, which Is caused
to rotate by the velocity Of the wind. DR..
Robinson found That the cups, and COnse.
quently the axis TO which they are at.
tached, revoive with one.third Of the
winds velocity, which Is here measured
by q simple arrangement of two wheels,
working In endless screws, and by means
OF two indices, shows, on inspection OF the
dial, the velocity Of the wind. The outer
or front wheel, which revolves once for
every five miles, Is furnished with two
graduated circles, the interior circle being
subdiVlded 10 miles and tenths OF miles,
while the outer circle Is divided into one
hundred and one parts, each part being
equivalent TO five miles, so that il meaus.
ufes five hundred and five miles of wind
The stationary index, at the top Of the
dial, marks on the inner circle the mum.
Der Of miles-under flve-and tenths, that
the wind may lave traversed, in addition
10 the miles shown by the traversing in.
deX, which rGvolves with the dial and in
dictates on the outer circle the transit of
every five miles.
METEOROLOGICAL RECORD.
Tables are given comprising the obser.
vations taken during a period Of six
months from November 12, 1870, to MAY
IN 1871 Tim 1nxvnsl Nnt,, - a., -, 500, Il,