Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1879-07-03

4. .
From all parss OF The surface Of the
earth, is land and waters, there is q
process Of evaporation constantly GO
ing on. These wstery vapors asceEd
high into The atmosphere, where they
are condensed and float in the form Of
clouds. Fog j. only condensed vapor,
which forms cloud near the surface 81
the earth. and differs from other clouds
only m ifs altitude. Cold, or the
absence Of that heat which produced
the vapors at the surface Of the earth,
condenses in this high region Of the
atmosphere, forming clouds, which be-
coming heavier than the atmosphere oi
this altitude, descend towards the earth,
and would lie upon IFS surface as q
body Of fog-cioud we're IL not tor the
warm ascending currents Of yapor and
air, and BY the inclosed air IN the little
minute globules, or vesicles, composing
the water Of clouds, so that they float
something like balloon in the air.
Water exists in the form Of minute glo-
bules filed with air, and this air. to-
gether with that which fills all the in
terstices oi the water globules when
aggregated together in body Of water,
Is what sustains the air-breathing life
OF whatever lives IN the sea or the wa
ters OF the earth.
In the tropical regions, under the
more vertical sun, the warm vapor and
rare6ed air ascend to great altitude,
where a current of air sets in towards
the poles, condenslng and driving the
vapory clouds north and south Of the
equator. These winds and clouds fall
lower with the temperature as they aP-
proach the polar regions, till they reach
the surface of the earth, where all is
frost and ice; and the suspended 'vapor,
which is but little elevated above the
surface of the earth in an arctic sum-
mer, is condensed into snow and ice,
and falls in this form. From the poles,
again, there sets in a current OF wind
towards the. equator. along the surface
of tSe earth, but in consequence OF the
distance, and the rotary velocity of
the earth, these winds fall little be-
hind, so that in the north temperate
zone they blow from the nothwest, and
at the equator from the west, and from
the southwest in the south temperate
zone, under The denomination OF trade
winds.
AS we have noticed, the rarefed air
at the surface Of the earth rushes up
ward, forcing the vapors to a great
height, amounting sometimes TO $4,000
and even to 26,O00 feet, over the. val
ley or PLAIN Of the temperate zone;
and at other times the thunder cloud
sinks down as low as 1000 and 5000
feet. The upper end Of the ascending
column Of moist and heated AIR is con-
densed as il reaches the colder regions,
thus forming high perpendicular col
umn Of cloud and partially conducting
material for the play Of atmospheric
electricity. The upper portion OF va
por thus condensed, falls down into lis
lower end, or base, towards the earth,
forming thick, dark cloud under great
pressure as il gravitates towards the
earth depositing IFS contents inthe form
Of rain, snow or ice. t
II is q settled fact that .he upper por.
tion of the nimbus, or storm cloud, is
negatively electrified and the lower
part positively. The frequency and
intensity Of the electrical discharges
from storm cloud depends upon the
length of the column, or, as it appears
10 the eye, its thickness and breadth.
III we consider the wind, driving the
clouds in different directions, and one
into the other, and the different cleo
trical conditions they are in together
with the electricity Of the earth, moon
and sun, which influence them, We
have all the agents employed in pro-
ducing thunder storm. The i'm.
mense number Of discharges OF light
ming from single field ofthunder cloud,
and their continuance for some hours,
as is frequently the case, indicates a
supply of electricity which is found in
the floating Of clouds over new regions
and the continued rushing up OF new
portions Of warm mosst air, filed OF
charged with the electrical element.
The electrical discharge passes through
the air with tremendous velocity, rend-
ing the atmosphere, and leaving void
space, the sides of which rush together
with the same velocity, and striking,
make the report called thunder. The
rolling may be ascribed to the rever.
beratiOn OF the sound among the clouds
and adjacent elevations Of land. Clouds
collect and retain electricity as we'll a.
the earth. and the air is the medium oi
electric communication between them.
Where there is perfect vacuum there
is no conducting medium, consequently
no electrical current can pass through
IL. This demonstrates that planetary
space is not vacuum, but filed with
air. and there exists throughout all UNI
versal space no vacuum, as the sun and
all the planets and heavenly bodies at
tract each other. Electricity is the
agent or force of all kinds Of attraction
and repulsion. and .he air is the only
medium where there is space.
In thunder storms the electricity is
discharged from the clouds and induc-
ted into the earth, and the earth also
discharges electricity and Inducts il
into the clouds, so that we have these
two sources ofelectrieal discharges dur.
ing one Of these storms. A discharge
Of electricity, or lightning, which fire.
quently does great damage to property
and life, may, as we see, proceed from
the clouds or earth beneath Manv IN