The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1875-05-05
What This Cold Means.

From the 81 Louis DehlOcnl.l
The science Of metcorology is making
ut lpast M remarkable progress MS any
other. The wonderfully verified prelliC-
lions Of the Signal Service have already
become 40 familiar that they excite no
surprise. Professor TiCe, whose very in
teresting contributions we have publish.
ed, has demonstrated the possibility Of
predicting periods Of atmospheric distur.
banCe months or even years before they
occur. And now comes DR.. Hopper, OF
the 81. Petersburg Physical Observatory,
pointing TO the fact that carly in the stlIh-
mcr Of 1874 lie predicted, after series
Of most comprehensive observations,
taken In vnriJas parts Of the globe, that
there was every reason to expect In 1873
d phehomennlly COld year. That hin pre-,
licliof was not n blunder oil Of itS are
ready to bear testimony; but tile theory
upon which IL was based il the more In!
teresting bccdnsoit seems ia Sdnie sense,
to supplement, AMI OH n broad scale To-
sustain, the theory Of Professor Tice, that
eleetric1tcurrditsf 0pntfoL tO,Ggrent en-
tent the atmospheric phenomena. ~
II Is not newitlea that certain changes
in the spots Of the sun, which occur peri.
mlically, are associated with periOdic.
mAximn in the range Of the magnetic
needle. Professor l.Oomis, IN This work
published III 1868, points otit the fact that
observations Extending back nearly
century indicate q maximum In the range
Of the magnetic needle every len Of twelve
years" which corresponds with the rela-
live frequency Of solar spots, and Of
atlrornS, and thAt these maxima them
selves exhibit farther pefiodlCity, with
intervals OF Iifty.Cight to sixty years, at
which the greatest variations Of the
needle and the most frequent autOras
occur. The first Of these periods CORES.
ponds to ono revolution Of Jupiter, and
two OF Saturn. Professor LoOniis sup
poses that electric currents around the
sun are affected by the position Of the
planets, and in turn affect and disturb
the electric currents around the earth.
Now, Dr.. Hopper finds that In the mean
annual temperatures Oi each zone there
are indeed eleyen.year periods Of max.
imum and minimum; that under the
tropics the maximum heat occurs about
a year before the maximum Of sun spots. !
but north Of the tropics about two OF
three years after the maximum Of spots,
Also, he finds that the period Of time lie. |
tween the minimum and succeeding max.
imum Of spots il shorter than the period |
between the maximum and succeeding |
and that the extremes Of heat
and cold follow similar law, This, In.
deed, is shown by LOOMS elaborate
tables.
The ancients were not 80 far wrong
then, In gazing At the stara and trying to |
foretell future events from their motions |
II the periods Of Jupiter and Saturn affect
The electric condition Of the sun, and II |
lun's condition governs the electric cur.
rents Of the earth, and thus produces, ac-
,ording to DR.. Koppet, extremes Of tenn.
peratufe, and according to Professor Tlce,
'ast maelStroms Of polar air and violent
and electric perturbations, II
may not be long before science will snatch
heir secrets from the starry heavens, and
'oretell the weather with the sameminute.
ness and certainty with which II now
predicts cclipses and the movements Of
'omets.