Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-01-01

| ii P. NJ. on Christmas, and from the west it
reached Albany and New York at A. NJ. on
| Thursday. The little snow that fell in Mont
pelier must have mostly come down between
seven o'cl ok in the evening AID the last
named hour, but the storm was much Sc
verer in other parts of the State, south and
west of US.
As we are in the storm line j4st now, the
following relative to "great SHOWS" from
the Tribune, may not be uninteresting:
When the roads are blocked with snow and
railroad travel is suspended except perhaps
at titfuI intervals, amid binding storm and
drifting heaps that make walking almost IN
possible, we are APT to think that the present
rs an experience of unparalleled severity.
/ But meteorological laws hold good In the
wi dest storms, and the weather of the day
is but the counterpart of that of other days
now half forgotten. And then as now, like
causes produced like results. We may never
be able in the slightest degree to control the
weather but We are fast learning to toretel
it 4 kueSledge of tdcts is the first step to
science of laws. There has been more
actual progress made in this branch Of in
veetigation within few years that there had
been previously in many centuries. We are
no longer subject to the reproach OF not
knowing as to tie wind, 60 Whence it cometL
or whittier it goeth." That, s. Old Proba-
lbflities " tells us every morning. The next
stsp in order is 10 demonstrate why these
gzeat movements Of the atmosphere take
4plece and this is 5Iready half within our
grasf.
1t is one Of the finest evidences OF the way
in which mems minds are now opening to re-
ceiVe the facts of science instead of the un-
tested evidence of the senses, that prompt
credence has been given to the paradoxlcal
statement that " nOrth-easters y come from
the South. Ii is difficult to believe at first,
while facing up Broadway, that the storm
which dasles in your teeth and whistles
around your right ear is not the product of
the Purltanc waves and bitter Atlantic winds
that are only kept by historic rocks from
washing away New England But the truth
is that IN winter the ocean is warm COM
pared with the land. Warm currents sweep
through it from Equatorial regions, and the
fact tudt it does not freeze IN these ATTITUDES
is evidence that 1t presents warmer surface
0 the air above than does the dry land
Down on It's broad surface all day long the
sun is drinking up invisible PARTICLES and
suspendIng them above 1t, gradually accumu-
!ating till the air can hold no more. Mean
while IN winter the cold dry breezes of the
northwest are freezing every skating pond,
stlheninL the soil and making the thermome-
ter an Object of unusual interest. The e's
never big snow till there's ice to bear it, y
say tile weather wise. Take some of the
most notable snow storms and try them by
the rule. Ii will be found that they were
usually preceded by intense and long con-
tInued cold. This was the case in December,
1885, rendered memorable by New York 5
n, at fire, when all the hydrants were frozen.
lie SNOW storm which followed that g cold
spell was perhaps the coolest ever expert
enced here. The storm of Jan. is, 1852,
which gave ole week OF sleighing with the
good Old omnibus slelshs, over bank OF
solid snow breast high from the Battery to
Union tquarc-the finest - Sleighing Carni-
val - New \ oTk ever saw-was preceded by
intensely cold weather The snow OF Jan
), 1856, called : the biggest since 1885,
was preceded 10y clear weather. 50 cold that
the thermometer went considerably below
70 in Boston. Just before a great snow
orn in the early part OF January, 1864,
our persons were frozen to death In Phlla-
4elpbla, and the thermometer sank in St.
Louis to the unparalleled point OF "a degrees
lie Ow zero.
We might largely multiply these examples,
but it 10 not necessary. " hen the inequali-
" of temperature between land SO cold and
a SEA 30 CON aratIveiy warm has accumulated
condition OF sufficiently unstable equllibrl-
um in tie atmosphere, tnat which oVerhung
the sci comes rushing over the land. "Norlh-
casters, as Is now well known, start on their
long curves from tropical seas. Striking our
cod land winds, they precipItate their own
moisture. rs 1t freezes into snow in falling
tie moisture gives OUT It's latent heat Will n
It las brought, perhaps, from the Equator
rs the snow falls, consequently, the air uSu-
ally grows warmer.