Middletown transcript., 1871-07-29
sronM-wAR Rsssosis raaE 0LD.H SInE

The attempt to prcsags great weather
phenomena is nothing now.
From timo immsmorial civilized society
has sought after . plan for averring the
violence Of the storm and Tempest q aux.
iously as il has sought 10 resist the dead
y approach Of the pessilspos aud the
plague.
Tho Great Plague Of Londsn, histori-
rians tell Us, carried o6 in year about
90. 900 persons This was, however, in
the rude and uudsvsloped condition Of
medical SCIENCE, when the metropolis Of
England had but few hospitals. and every
victim was left in bis own house TO spread
and speed the march Of the contagious foo.
Appalling as such mortality seems for the
year 1865, amidst the wrctched and squal-
id dcns Of tho London poor, it has been
overshadowcd in modern times bys great
er calamity. On the 9th Of October, 1864.
the storm which swept over Calcutta do
stroysd, in single day over AZ. 900 lives.
Yet this is but one Of . largo number Of
similar occurrences rivaling in magnitude
the great Indian disaster.
To give forawarpiug Of approaching
tempcsts on tho coasts q the Adriatic, the
Italian and old Roman castles, - describ.
cd By an antique writer. had on their bas-
tions, pointed rods. to which, as they
passed, tho guards on duty presented the
iron points Of their halbcrds, and whenev-
er they perceived an electric spark to fol-
low, they rang an alarm bell, 10 warn the
farmer and the fisherman Of an approach
ing storm. II is interesting to note that
this ancient Italian custom was widely
spread over the earth in former ages. And
il is no. difficult to connect il with those
olden towers (not only in Ireland. Scot
land and Spain, but in Africa and the
East, Upper India and China in which
the use Of a similar conductor may have
been one among tho many objects Of those
relies Of the past.
But, as the title OF our article shows, n
new element Of SCIENCE has boon iptroduc-
cd--the electrlp ,siegraph--au invention
whose mission Of usefulness is destined to
unlimited enlargement
In November, 1854. while the Anglo
French fleet was operating in the Black
Sea agains, tho stubborn walls Of Seba.,o-
pol, the tidings flashed across the wires
that mighty tempest had arisen on the
western coast OF France, and by the warn
ings Of the barometer, was on its wny east
ward The telegram was sen, By the
| French Minister Of War, M,rshal Will
liant. from Paris, and reached the allied
fleet in good Simc to put to sea before the
cyclone could travel the five hundred
leagues Of its course, and dispcrse or de-
stroy the most splendid navics that ever
rode those waters. The storm came with
fatal punc,rality to the predicted hour.
The Crimea. shaken. ravaged, scourgcd
by its fury, presented everywhere scene
Of havoc aud ruin in the allied camp more
fearful than the fire Of all the Russian
fort, combined could have inflicted. I, is
perhaps not too much to say that but for
,ha, telegram and its timely storm warn
ing, the congregated navies far from home
and shattered to pieces, could not have
sustained the besieging armies. ann tho
event Of the grea, Eastern war might have
been different from wha, i, finally was.
So happily. in this instance, did theory
ttoo often despiscd) blend with fact, tha,
the French War Minister said, 1T ap-
pears that, By the aid Of the electric tole.
graph aud barometric observations. VIC
may be apprised several houre or days Of
ercnt atmospheric disturbances, happen
ing at ths distance OF 1000 or 800
leagues
Less than three years after the occur
renee Of the famous Black Sea storm"
just mentioned, there appeared for the first
time, and in nn American paper formal
proposition for the establishment Of gen.
cral System Of daily weather reports by
,clcgrSp!, and the utilization Of that great
invention for the collection Of meteorolog.
c changes at n central office. and the
transmission thence Of storm warnings to
the sca-ports Of the American lakes and
our Atlantic sea board.
Since great storms" says Mr.. Thorn
us B. bu,icr. in his work on the Atmos-
pheric System and Elements Of Prognos-
tication.' 'have been found to observe
pretty well defined laws, both us respects
the motions Of the wind and tho direction
Of their progress, We may often recognize
such storm. in its progress, and an,ici-
pate changes which may succeed during.
the mex, few hours. When i, is possi-'
bic to obtain teegraphic reports Of the
weather frsm sesorhl places in the
valley Of the Mississippi and its tribu,a-
rics, we may often predict the approach 4
a great storm twenty -four hours before NJ
violence is ieli at New York"
On the coast Of the kingdom Of Italy
mariners are forcwarnod that a storm
threatens them by red flag hoistcd on
all tho towers and lighthouses Of the priu.
cipal localities. ranging from Genoa to
Palermo. aud thence up along the Adriat-
ic. On the most dangerous points Of the
coast Of England, where the fishing. boats
and small craft that perform the service Of
the coast are exposed to formidable gales
even during the most promising season.
barometors put up by the Meteorological
Bureau are at hand 70 warn tas ssamcn Of
bad weather.