, 1876-09-16

"U0NA "a OA@A a AObdeOtJ II ~Oo9IuS ia
ly by degrees.-This is, in few words, the
principle explained by Tuxen in bis work
"Luften Og Havet," and in several
modern Weather Guides.
Let us see how far these principles
were borne out by the Hurricane Of the
18th & 18th inst. in this island.
It will be remembered that the whole
Of August and the first days of Sep
TENDER presented in this Island pecu-
liar phenomena in meteorological respects.
August throughout was very warm,
sultry and misty the dry thermometer
showed in Christiansted 1,6 above the aver
age stand Of the thermometer for August OF
the 8 preceding years while the proper
tion OF the humidity Of the air was consld-
erably less. The barometer too show
ed very marked differences in Au-
gust this year to. August of the past
years, and it had a decided tendency to fall
at times when it should rise ; on two
particular days the oscillations were very
rapid in the course of few hours. The
lowest barometric stand for August In
the 3 previous years was 28.425; this year
the lowest easurement recorded was
28.375 on that day too the thermometer
was high. There was OF course no rains.
Gains OF q most painful nature were ex-
perlenCed for days +; at times however those
deadly Gains were oil Ola sudden Interrupt
ed by stiff b%reezes, jumping in the space
OF a very short time round several points of
the compass. It will be remembered
that the earth too graduated an immense
degree OF heat.-The same features contin-
ued in the first part of September, only
with this difference that there was q still
greater tendency in the barometer to play
the truant and fall when it should rise we
had also at intervals some light. showers in
September. Fine, white clouds, forming
long stripes, high up to the North. were
noticed. 6
These features together with other
appearances of the clouds and general
meteorological phenomena forced the i'm
pressioa, hat q great atmospheric distur-
bance was approaching and that the
contest would be severe, when it did come.
On Tuesday afternoon 4 O'Clock tho
barometer was noticed to be 0.5 below the
ordinary stand for that hour, Us 2 at the
time) and it had a decided tendency to
fall still more. The thermometer was at
the same time low,-O.O4 below the
usual stand (23.6). The dampness
was also increasing. The wind blew In
fttul starts from the North aud
East. The clouds were seen driving fast
before the wind /; several strata were
noticed, the upper ones moving in an
opposite direction to the lower Ones
The barometer continued falling +; at AZ
o'clock it was 28.1O8 at 5 26.I07 ; the
thermometer fell also, but less visibly ! at
s O'Clock it had fallen to 90 4 the wind
rose more and more and variable from
N. E. to E; dense black clouds
rolled up in the South East, aud the upper
strata were blown along OF a rapid rate the
sea also rose and Showed some swell even
in the harbour. There was evidently an
atmospheric disturbance approaching, but
whether rain or wind, could not be foretold.
At 6 o'clock however appearances seemed
more decidedly to foretell the approach
Of o atOTm from the North. The baro-
meter had then by degrees fallen in all
0.05 Is tenths of a line) below the standard
at 4 o'clock and had a decided tendency TO
fall still more, but gradually the Their.
mometer, after rising somewhat, fell
again ; the wind had hauled over to the
North East and dense black clouds rolled
on with i~mpetuous force F.; the South East
presented one large dense mass of black