Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1879-11-27
The Indian Summer.

The Indian Summer
The delicious season popuIarly
called +" Indian summer usually ap-
pears about the 1st of November in this
latitude. Climatologists tell us that the
area of Typographical extent not only
covers the northern parts of the United
States and Canada, but also the far
northwest, 1t is certainly a very char
acteristic and periodical phenomenon
in all these high American latitudes, as
it is in central Europe, though proba-
bly, in less marked degree; and there
are reasons for believing that it exerts
its softening influences up to the Arctic
circle, tempering the first waves of
winter cold that descend upon Arctic
America. But it does not appear to
lavish its charms on the far south or
lower latitudes of the United States,
where, indeed, they are not so much
needed. Although it is often prolonged
into December, when calm, hazy at
mosphere fills the sky through which
the sun, shorn of his strength, sinks
day after day, like a globe of fire, the
Indian summer, at the provincial OBJ
servatory in Toronto, Canada, has been
occasionally recorded as early as the 9th
of October. The average date of its
distinct appearance there, deduced
from fourteen years observation, is
October 27.
Search for explanation of this phe-
nomenon has not escaped scientific in
vestigation. AS either pole of the earth
is turned toward the sun after the vernal
equinox, the solar effect increases in the
direction of that pole until the thaw of
the winters accumulated ice sets in,
when an interval of cold occurs,
caused by the rapid absorption of
solar heat, and thus the frequent
"cold spells'' of the later spring months
have been accounted for. When, on
the contrary, either poleis turned away
from the sun after the autumnal equi-
nox, the converse process takes place;
the higher parts Of the continent are
chilled, and the ensuing condensation
of the vapor in the air liberating its
heat raises the temperature, and thus
an interval of fine and comparatively
warm weather or "second summer
follows. This simple explanation Of
Indian summer first advanced by Ad-
miral Fitzroy, is corroborated by the
fact that the increase of temperature at
tending it is in the higher latitudes of
America, where it is described as some
times "oppressive"-just where, Of
course, the earth's crust in October is |
undergoing the most rapid refrigera- |
tion, where ice is forming and c0nse-
quently the heat of condensation is |
most freely liberated from clover at-
mospheric strata. The heat generated |
by condensation is familiar to all who |
reflect on their sensations when q show |
er is being formed in the clouds by this |
process on sultry day. Were it not
for the comparative dryness of the air
in the interior Of the continent, or rath-
er, if twas moist enough at this sea-
son, the cooling Of the soil would pro-
duce cloud and rain, instead of the
:. dry fog" as Indian summer is tech
nically called,
The phenomenon in question has, it
would appear, been more the theme of
poets than ofphysicists. But, of minor
in a meteorological point of
view as it may seem, its further study
and investigation might furnish clue
to the explanation Of some problems of
our climate which are yet unsolved.
The fine particles Of dust which often
fall on vessels in the open Atlantic,
near the Cape Verde Islands, when sub
iected TO the microscope, have proved
tallies on the winds, serving to fix
the direction of the trade Winds"
from the African coast, and thus to
clear up one of the great questions of
ocean meteOrology. Many not less
striking examples of seemingly unim-
oortant phenomena leading to impor-
5ant discoveries abound in the history
Of science. We may, therefore, apart
from the consideration of its general
hope that the signal service
will be able to give some attention to
The beautiful feature of our autumnal
1.-THE explanation of the phe-
above given holds good, and
81 Indian sumner is consequently an
expression or Indication of the cold
forces of terrestrial
radiation going on within the
polar circle on the eve of win
Ter, it would seem not irrational to
might not full "Indian sum-
ner" observations in the fall of the year
furnish meteorologists with one valua-
Die clue toward foreeasting the charac-
.er Of the coming seasonP Such q re-
jult realized would dopbly repay all the
abor and cost Of the necessary re-
philadelphia Ledger. @
A PARTY Of forty-seven persons, j
lmong whom there are twelve married
couples and fourteen children, have