The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1879-03-28
Pennsy1vansa's Phenomenon.
WHAT THE sUPERsTITIOUs THOUGHT OF
THE SUPPOSED SULPHUR SHOWER.

A Reading special of the 23d to the New
York Sun says The fall of yellow sub
stance on the eve of st. PatrIck's day,
which was at first supposed to be sulphur,
is still the uppermOst topic here. The
shower extended over an area OF about two
hundred miles, including The counties OF
BeTks, Lehigb, Carbon, Schuyikill and
Luzerne, and that the ''yellow snow came
to stay with us awhile is shown by the fact
that quantities of 1t can yet be seen stick
ing to the stones aud bricks along the
principal streets. Many theories are sd-
vanced as to what the substance really Is.
Many persons still claim that it is genuine
sulphur, while Others aver that il Is the
pollen of pine trees, waited on the wind
from the pine forests of the Southern coun-
try. Those of the former opinion are
mostly of a superstitious turn, and believe
that this sulphur Is sent as warning tOT
rs 10 turn from our wicked ways, and
hereafter walk more circumspectly. They
say that the sulphur was found in the
greatest quantities in front of the doors of
the uurighteous, especially keepers Of Sd
looms. They scout the idea that II is pol
len, and ask where SO much of that article
could come from. These people, with
blauched faces, asked each other if this
was an omen that the world was coming 10
an eud in the near future.
The savants of this region have been
paying particular attention to this matter
since 1t fell, aud many opinions are Offered
as to what it really Is. DR.. Trail Green,
Professor of Chemestry in Lafayette Col
legc, Bethlehem, writes as follows IN refer
euce to the shower of sulphur: Ill is not
surprising that the yellow substance OBJ
served on the snow on Monday vas suppoS-
ed by many persons 20 be sulphur. 1t
certainly resem bled it very mucn. Those
II Is.f. IoA
never read description of it, may be sur
prised when they are Informed that the
yellow which they saw was made up Of
beautiful little plants well known 20 DatuT-
alIsts, belonging to great class OF the
vegetable kingdom, ALgF, some of which
exceed N length our UallesJ trees, while
others are so small as to be invisible to the
naked eye excepr when collectedFn masses,
as Is the case with the little plant which
came to us in our late snow Storm. Many
were pleased to see the yellow snow re-
solved by the microscope into beautiful
oval bodies, to observe them enlarged MID
way between the terminal points, and then
see them divide and become TWO, multiply
ing by self division. This little plant car
rles on the various functions which are OBJ
served III higher plants, such as collecting
aud digesting its food, SecTe:ing peculiar
fluid with which the cell IS filled, and per-
forming all the facts which belong TO liv-
ing organism. No one who sees it with
the help Of a microscope would ever imag-
lne that 1t Is birthstone, or any other InOr-
gauic substance. 1t belongs to the botan-
ical genus Pr0t0coccus, or simplest plants
The PrOt0cOccuS NjUalts, or red snow
was observed by Saussnre on the Brayan in
1860, and on St. Bernard in 177S by Capt.
Ross in Baifin's Bay. and by Parry and
Franklin in their northern voyages
Pliuy also speaks OF it, aud ascribes the
red color to the age Of She snow, but he
did not see the red color in the microscopic ic
field, and, it may be, had only heard Of it.
This species may remain in a state OF dor
maut vitality for many years. 1t is in this
state that the little plants are waited about
in atmospheric currents, and being brought
down by the rain into pools cIsterns, etc,
they may present themselves where none
have been previously known to exist, and
there, under favorable circumstances,
they may undergo very rapid mul.iPica-
ton. So with the winter spores which
we have Just seem
DR.. =. NJ Zeigler Of this city, DR.. Eryine
Of Mauch Chunk, and other scientific men
ue-eaJOuts. agree on this subject and give
the same explanation Of the phenomenon.
Many of our people tired various expert
menis on the substance. They found il to
be without taste or smell, and when lighted
with a match would burn readily, and was
Of \ sticky, greasy nature.