The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-02-05
Frost and Frcscoes---The Cold Weather
and Its Phenomena.

The cold of the last two or three days has
far surpassed any similar term during this
winter and few recent years show greater
depression Of the mercury for the same
length of time. Saturday night was notably
severe, and those who slept with an open
window at the foot of their bed sacrificed
comfort to ventilation. They escaped the
Scylla of asphyxia and skirted very near to
the CharybdiS Of congelation. They woke
up, jumped out, and shut that window, and
rctrcatcd to bed again. And when they rose
ut last they found the thermometer standing
ut fifteen degrees below zero.
Yesterday was a bitter cold day. The
west wind was not especially sharp, but the
air was laden with moisture, which became
IN instantaneous conductor of the terrible
cold. The churches were not crowded; the
number of f,ir-wcathcr Christians who hug
ged their stoves was very great.
MOCK SUNS AND RAINBows.
The atmospherical phenomena of yester-
day were much more striking and beautiful
than those Of any other day Of the year. At
3 O'Clock the sun glowered sullenly in solid
bank OF cloud, and during this season of
moodincss two mock suns as large and near
" as brilliant as the real sun came out in the
sky to the right and left, some twenty de-
grccs distant and horizontal with it, and
these We're suspended in most brilliant
halo which encrcled the sun, the lower edge
of the rim dipping below the horizon. At
the same moment there burst through the
clouds twenty degrees still further of an
other large halo, containing, however, no
frightened, and took on all the tints of iris,
F,o,,, IL 10
twin rainbows painted in all the glories Of
natures most delicate touch. And above
them all came the corona, the segment Of an
inverted bow almost directly in the zenith,
resting upon the outer halo, and exceedingly
brilliant Mt the point of tangency. This was
far brighter than the other bows, and lasted
longer. Finally the sun sank, the fog lifted,
and the iris, the parhelia, and the corona
melted away. 1t was sight not to be wit
messed many times in life.
.''- THE CAUSE.
While the phenomena lasted there was no
rain or snow falling, but the air was very
cold and very heavy with CONCEALED moisture.
The halo and its accessory glories are caused
by the sun shining through bank OF ice
cIystals-a cloud frozen up. These crystals
always form in hexagonal prisuls, and the
refraction of light through these when all
circumstances are favorable creates the twin
haloes, the twin parhelia or mock suns, and
more rarely the gorgeous rainbow-crown
over all. TO explain this clearly would re.
quire an essay on the laws of optics, fol-
which the Ecentng Post has no room.
The same beautiful mock-suns reappeared
this morning at s O'Clock, though far less
vivid and picturesque.
COLD.
The ordinary thermometer this morning
indicated fourteen degrees below zero at
o'clock. The precocious thermometer lin
favored locations) marked sixteen to eighteen
degrees. BY s O'Clock this had changed
to about eight or nine degrees; but at noon
the persistent mercury still Stopped around
below zero, and manifested no intention to
do any more climbing. Pedestrians do more
running than they have done this year
before; horses trot briskly in coat OF
silyery mail; icicles hang to every beard
and, finally, the bricklayers are once more