New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-02-10


winter, but hereafter We are to Lave even
less. A Baptist minister in Kentucky has
discovered the origin Of storms and OF cold
weather, and has invented a method OF con-
trolling the one and practically abClishing
the other. If we suffer from any further
areas Of depressed barometer, or undergo
any future movement Of storm centers, it
will be our own fault.
According TO this ingenious me:eorologist,
there are TWO hostile currents of air per-
petually striving for the mastery in our
northern hemisphere. These are the trop-
ical current, blowing from the southwest.
and the polar current, blowing from the
north. The former, which is warm, flows
near the surface Of the EARTH and the latter,
which is cold, flows ordinarily above it.
This is somewhat at variance with the &C.
cepted theory that heated air asceHds, and
cold air rushes down to supply it's place,
but no great discoveries can be made with
out oveIthrOwing preconceived notions. Sir
Isaac Newton, previous to undergoing that
memorable confusion from fal ing apple,
must undoubtedly have believed that apples
usually fell upward, else how are we to &C.
count for his astonishment at suddenly dis
covering their tendency to fall downward :
1t would have been folly for him to have
denied the truth of gravitation simply be-.
cause it conflIcted with his previous theory,
and, in like manner, we ought not to reject
the scientific Baptist's assertion as to the
relative position Of cold and warm currents,
merely because it conflicts with an older
theory.
The two currents flow peacefully in their
respective paths in summer, but in winter
the warm current frequently strikes against
the polar current, and the two dam each
other up. The result is that at the point of
contact two vast piles Of warm and cold
winds are heaped up, and neither of them
is able to move. There is maritime snec-
dote Of Dutch sea captain, who, when
tacking ship, is alleged to have braced
round bis head yards and his after yards,
but to have forgotten to haul his maintOp.
sail. As q consequence, he remained hove,
with his maintODsAil to the mast for several
weeks, and when ut the end of that time q
friendly captain, noticing his signal of dis.
trese, came to his aid, the Dntchman iu-
formed him that he had become damned
betwixt two winds," and wanted to be
towed out of SO uncomfortable locality.
In the light Of the scientific Bap:ist's re-
cent discovery, it is possible that injustice
has been done the traditional Dutch skip
yards properly, but may actually have been
caught between q tropical and polar cur
rent. If so, he deserved sympathy in.
stead of ridicule, and was really the orin-
ginal discOverer of the curious fact in
meteorologv which has just been rediscov-
cred in Kentucky.
date result Of such a collision between the
two currents OF air as has just been de-
scribed. After the two winds have strug-
gled against each other Tor more or less
time, the pslar current makes hole through
the tropical current, and spills vast quanti-
ties OF cold and stormy weather through
the opening. II is obvious that if We could
drain off the cold current into any one par.
ticular locality, it would not break through
and freeze other localities. Now, this is
precisely what the scientific Baptist pro-
poses to do. He asserts that an explosion
ot gunpowder will always create a vortex,
INTO which the polar current will flow from
Ill directions Thus. if battery of cannon
we're fired, without intermissior, say in
Northern Maine. all the cold and storms
which now occur in other parts of the cOun-
ry would be drawn into the vortex above
he battery. Perpetual winter and cease
ess snow storms would render Maine unin-
,abltable, except by the men in charge of !
Re battery, while cloudlese summer wo:,,:: J
lever Cease to smile upon the rest of the |
continent.
The d:scoverer Of this priceless process Of |
.cr trolling the elements is anxious that the |
government should at once send battery !
u tfteen-inch guns to the Aleurian Islands,
nd dump our whole winters supply of cold |
md stormy weather into that valueless re-
'ion. Ii this lie done, he pledges himself |
hat tine polar current will always flow to
he Aleutian Islands, and never back itself |
10 against the tropical current and form
torn centers in the United States. The |
ost of the undertaking would be mere
rifle in comparison with it's value. II would,
however, be necessary to guard against an
explosion of gunpowder, except at the
esignated dumping. ground. The small boy
lust be made to understand that he can not
reate winter in the back yard with horse
stol, and the patriot must be forbidden to
ring about storms on the fifth of July by
ring crackers on the fourth. We have
My to secure the Aleutisn battery against
ry competition. and we shall rid ourselves
orever of ice and snow, and Of areas of de-
re ssiOn and nomadic stOrm-centers. The
abors of the Weather Bureau will then 70
onger be needed, and instead of probsbili-
les We shall have the continued certainty
+ sunshine, warmth and caim.-Nelc York
ines.