Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-04-12
METEOROLOGY.
Exposition Of the Origin of AfmO-
spherie Changes-Interesting Infor.
nation about our Local Storms
The Cyclone. etc.

A lecture was delivered last evening in
the Christian Church, by Judge j. w.
Tucker on the subject of atmo-
spheric changes. He said, after
having been introduced sby Elder 2. S. Fall,
who called attention to the fact that the
interest in meteorOlOgy was not only wide
spread but growing, that the civilized world
was indebted TO those Jealous men of
science who within the last twenty-five
years had eliminated great truths from
the forces of nature and who had reduced
that which they had discovered to some
thing like a system. Their discoveries were
practically useful; had economical labor
and time; multiplied the means and
added to the comforts Of life; and
had effected beneficial influence upon the
morals of mankind generally. Superstition
had been dispelled. When an eclipse Oc
cured we knew that no evil genius was
| trying to put out the sun, although among
some uncivilized nations at the present
time this was unfortunately believed. He
knew thatEhere was an apprehension, among
Some, that the theories of some men of
science, based on their belief, which in its
| turn was based on what they were pleased
to call their discoveries, would undermine
| the foundation of the Christian faith. But
he regarded this as q ground
less fear. True science could never be ar
rayed against revelation. The God of ma
tUre was the God of revelation. A theory
might appear in conflict with revelation but
| theory in itself was not revelation. 1t was
sometimes only after ages had rolled by and
competent scientists had made observations
and come to the same conclusion that man
kind accepted that which at first was only
theory as truth and revelation, if it were
such. He remembered that some years AGO
geology encountered opposition, but it was
not now in conflict with Genesis. There
was nothing to fear from true science
and all ought to encourage the Jealous Ell
deavors of those hard lab0rers in the higher
realm, who are endeavoring to unfold great
natures most interesting mysteries. All
| he proposed noticing in the present lecture
were the points of popular interest III the
science of meteorolOgy. 1t would require
a course of lectures to be more explicit.
| There was no science that was less COM
plete, to within a short time past, than that
| of atmospheric changes; into which there
had been less research, and out Of which
there had been eliminated less information
| of general, practical benefit. Twenty years
ago all man of ordinary intel
lect could say about "a storm was
that it come composed of rain and wind,
etc. After having explained the situation
| of the meteoric belts through which the
earth passes twice year, and that is popu-
| larry known as the season Of aerial pyrO-
| technics, he called attention TO the fact that
this sphere is surrounded by all ocean Of
atmosphere, at the bottom of which we are
| living, as fish exist in the water, and that
rests heavily upon us and all things else
| here, at all times. This atmosphere was
| constantly searching for moisture. 1t liter
/ ally drank it out of the stone walls. So
penetrating was it, that it evapOrated fluid
| medicines on a sandy, hot desert,
| that were in glass bottles with
ground glass shoppers covered with
| sheepskin that was tightly tied and
sealed; and after the bottles, too, had been
packed in saddlebags and loaded on mules.
! Thus it was that millions of tons Of water
were drunk up. If this atmosphere was Of
equal temperature all over the surface Of
the earth, and all through it there would be
quiescence, and the result of this would be
that it would become putrefactiOus. But
as it was not of even temperature every
| Observation-Disclosures occurred. What caused
these disturbances Heat. Where did
tn heat come from? The sun. He incl
IDENTIFY cited the fact that there were vari-
GUS and even conflicting theories as to how
the sun came 10 have heat to impaTt to us,One
Of which was that it is supplied from pho
tOsphere of meteors that surround it,and eX-
planned the action of light and heat here.
Although the sun was not nearer to the
equator than it was to the poles of the earth
nevertheless the equator was hot while
the poles were cold. Thus it was that
winds were constantly passing fIom the
North and the South poles towards the
equator. known as the trade winds.
The effect of tina heat at the equator was to
cause an expansion of the air there;
and in the ratio of its expansion so 1t be-
come lighter, and as it became lighter, the
heavier or cold air forced the lighter air up;
and this lighter air carrying moisture up
with it, and the moisture becoming con-
densed. clouds were formed and rain en-
sued. The same principle was applicable
to local storms. There were various in
fiuences which caused sections OF airto be-
come heated and light; the hot air to as
cend as the cold air rushed IN and
storm 10 follow. 1t was
this that the Signal Bureau at Washington
had studied, and now with the aid OF the
barometer, to weigh the atmosphere, the
thermometer to ascertain its condition, and
the telegraph, those lines were discovered
which were the boundaries of light or
heavy atmosphere and HE area and ap-
proach of storms could be predicted. 1t
was like conducting a military campaign.
The chief officer had his map. Almost
simultaneously receiving dispatches frSm all
parts of the Union, he noted where the
lines of the positive and negative forces
were, and then he computed that at a
given time there would be conflict. If a
lady had a barometer and properly
studied it, she could readily tell whether it
would be advisable for her to go out on
picnic in the morning or not. The num-
Der of lives and the quantity OF treasure
which had been saved since the Signal Bu-
reau had made its meteorological reports
was immense. He had previously called
attention to the fact that by reason OF the
motion of the earth from east to west, per-
SONS and currents of air were detected in
a particular direction, and now coming to
the cyclone, he commenced with the
currents Of air that come up in
steady streams from the north and
south poles towards the equator. mat
from the north pole was detected to the
right and that from the south pole to the
left; so when they reached the equator, as
they sometimes but not invariably did, they
commenced to revOlve. The air as it be-
came hot assembled and stillrevOlving, foated
off, attracting colder currents and thus Great
ing increased connection. Sometimes the
cyclone was only a 100 miles in diameter.
Again, 600 or more. He remembered
one, in 1888, the diameter of which extend
ed from Charleston, S. C., to New York.
While it destroyed shipping in Charleston
harbor, it unroOfed houses in New York
CITY. He then went into brief exposition
of positive and negative electricity, prOduc-
ing thunder and lightning, and heat as
never unlOst element. The lecture con-
cludel with an amusing and appropriate
anecdOte.
HELP the boys at Masonic Hall.