The New York herald., 1874-07-11

"OLD PROB." INTERVIEWED.
It takes nearly third OF century to bring for
ward the only circumstance which would justify q
man walking boldly into the Weather Bureau OF
the greatest country on the face Of the earth and
asking ''Old Probabilities" as Rufus Choate did
the careful witness thirty years ago, "What do on
think OF the new comet9' Yet your correspondent
had the audacity to PROFOUND this fearful conun-
rum to the unknown quantity who in
forms you by daylight OF each day whether
you ought to take your umbrella your cane you
go out walking Everybody has speculate0 about
the coming and the going OF "Old Codger." SO
when met "Old Probabilities" face to lace asked
the questlon:-
''Does this intruder, known as Monsieur Coggia,
Interfere with or influence in the slightest degree
your weather representations p'
Immediately his snuff-c0lOred bandanna was
drawn from his pocket the southwestern END
nared into the form of comets tail, and 1t was
fearful to hear the ire Of the weather predictor.
He assumed at once that the comet was exclu-
Bively the property Of the weather Bureau, and
before launching into the depths OF science re-
minded me that 1t was against the rule to talk to
the man at the wheel" took the hint and heard
OLD Probabilities through and this is what he
TALE OF THE WEATHER CLERK.
"Our comet has been treated OF so fully that 1t
might seem superfuOus to attempt to add much to
what has already been written, were it not that
we have lately come into possession OF SUFFICIENT
ee%era and Of oogsas comet IN "a 70
justify few words Concerning the possible iniiu-
ence OF the present visitor upon the weather and
meteorological phenomena In general.
"A new comet having been discovered the first
thing an astronomer does Is to compute the posi-
ton or its orbit and to identify It, II possible, with
some one Of the three or four hundred comets that
have been mathemattcaily investigated and possi-
bly, with some one of the much larger number Of
which we have only frsgmentary information.
The present, third comet Of 1874, has been vsi-
discovery, and the path that its nucleus
has pursued in its orbit around the sun
mas oeen more or less carefully stndied oy
however, not only differed, but whose predictions
have disagreed considerably with subsequent ac-
curate observations, result, however, that Is not
In the least to be attributed to any failure OF the
law of gravitation or to any error IN the calcula
figures that have been puSsSed 81 i have BEEN @ n
tenaed Only as mrst rqos appfGximamaon. an0 one
ties Of the assronomers. M 0r 'ne l"neu'A'e ne'eSS
RELATIONS BETWEEN THE EARTH AND THB COMET
1T must. however not be forgotten that, owing
between the position OF the earth in its orbit and
that Of the comet in Its orbit, the nucleus Of the
while in reality both bodies were moving at the
enormous rate OF between l.OOO,O0O ana %OO000o
1r. Tetjssn, Of Berlin seems to have been most
1ortunate. The predictions made by him as to
the position OF the nucleus are now IN
error Slightly less than one degree OF the arc &C
cordlng to observations made at washington, by
which quantity the comets nucleus appears north
Of It's predicted place: APPLYING, therefore.
slight correction to Mr. T1etens calculations,
wMcn were mace nearly montn age, we snail ar.
rive at results that can only be In error by small
quantities that insignificant, and which sensi-
bly, CONFIRM the calculations OF Mr. Hlnd, OF Lon.
don, as published three weeks later.
TAIL OF TIE COMET.
ut Is, however, win the tall rather than the
nucleus that we nave now 70 40, IN 80 lar ndeed indeed
rs 1t Is possible TO separate one OF these BODIES
from the other. The structure and chemical con.
stltutlon of cOmeCs TAI evl0enty depend
@R1h ~ the 1ne nncen Muh as eee sne sp9
cerning the powerful enect OF intense SOAR neat
upon such comets as appioacn near 10 thst Dody,
and, indeed, these considerations are IN place IN
the case OF such comets as tnat T. OF lS4S whose
nucleus to w1tnn toO OF mes les
but very little escaped grazing the surface OF that
tremendous orb; Dut III tne case OF the present
comet, which, when nearest tpe sun, is scarcely
more distant than the planet Venus we evidently
must have presented peculiar conditions II the
heat received directly from the sun Is to play an
important part IN the Iormatlon OF lts talL In rel
erence to this conspicuous appendage three plau-
sible hypotheses may be entertained-either
that the nucleus may De gaseous only
or may De an easily vaporlzed solid or
liquid, whose vapor, rising up under the
cent gas; Or second, the existence Of al resisting
medium in space may be invoked the friction
between which ana sne nucleus M may give rise to
the heat required LOT the evaporation OF the
gaseous matter composing the tail or third, the
frequent impact OF tne myrlads OF meteorltes mat
comet as It rushes along may sufce to produce the
heat needed for the 0rmation Oh its Driliians tail
WMle tnere are reasons ior oelievinx enat each OF
the three preceding supposltlons muSt, as occa-
sion serves be invoked as tne proDaoie expiana-
ton OF the origin OF tne neas tae is DeeVea 10 oe
necessary on the otner hano IN any case, IL seems
Impossible not TO attrloute q very mga deeree OF
volatnty 10 tne SOHO or l9uu mater iormink si'e
nucleus. AS rule the growth OF the tau OF a
comet taxes piace AT the expense oi the nucleus
Tbat OF tne great comeI oi ioll nau, ac-
c0rdlng 10 SIT william HerscneL uameter
Ot 42S miles ~ tne tlne OF a!s gIeatess priancy,
wnlie D0natrs Gomez III 1898 aat uianecer r, o., oi
5000 miles IN the early part OF lts course whcn
subsequently dlminisned 10 4oo miles. Inc GOMEZ
az pLesent VISIBLE IN Tue noItnerh heavens ueiomRs
since it is at present less than 1000 miles In diam
eter III VIII De seen therefore tnat the orlllancy
OF comet Id no wise depenoent
upon the size OF tue nucleus since Tue
three whose oiInenslohs we nave Just given are =