The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1879-03-29
rho shower nf rnlIon.


A Reading correspondent ofthe New York
Sun, writing under the date of the 2Sd inst,
says: Tho fall Of yellow substance on the
eve of St. Patrick's Day, which was at
first supposed to be sulphur, is still the up
permost topic here. The shower extended
over an area of about two hundred miles, in
cluding the Counties of Berks, Lehigh, Car
bon, Schuylkill, and Luzcrne, and that the
"yellow snow came to stay with us awhile
is shown by the fact that quantities of it can
yet be seen sticking to the stones and bricks
along the principal streets Many theories
are advanced as TO what the substance really
is. Many persons still claim that it is gem
uine sulphur, while others aver that it 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 most
ly Of superstitous turn, and believe that
this sulphur is sent as a warning for us to
turn from our wicked ways, and hereafter
walk more circumspectly. They say that
the sulphur was found in the greatest quan
titles in front Of the doors of the unrighteous,
especially keepers of saloons, They scout
the idea that it is pollen, and ask where so
much of that articlecoud come from. These
people, with blanched faces, asked each
othe- if this was an omen that the world was
coming to an end in the near future.
The savants of this region have been pay
ing particular attention to this matter since
it fell, and many opinions are offered as to
what it really is. DR.. Traill Green, Profess
sor of Chemistry in Lafayette College, Beth
lchem, writes as follows in reference to the
shower ST sulphur: at is not surprising that
the yellow substance observed on the snow
of Monday was supposed by many persons
10 be sulphur 1t certainly resembled it very
much. Those who had never observed it
before, and had never read a description of
it, may be surprised when they are inform
ed that the yellow which they saw was made
up of beautiful little plants well known to
naturalsts, belonging to great class of the
vegetable kingdom, AigG, some of which ex-
ceed in length our tallest trees, while Others
are so small as TO be invisible to the naked
eye except when collected in 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 resolved by
the microscope into beautiful oval bodies, to
observe them enlarged midway between the
terminal points, and then see them divide
and become two, multiplying by self-divis-
ion. This little plan. carries on the various
functions which are observed in higher
plants, such as collecting and digestng its
food, secreting a peculiar fluid with which
the cell is filled, and performing all the act:
which belong to Il living organism. No one
who sees it with the help of a microscope
would eyer imagine that it is birthstone, oil
any other inorganic substance. 1t belong;
to the botanical genus Protococcus, or "sim
plest plants" The Protococcus Niua'is, OIL
"red snow," was observed by Saussure CT
the Bravan in 1850, and on St. Bernard
in l77S by Capt. Ross in BalIin's Bay, anc
i Oy Idfry anu FRANKLIN Ill Inelr nofJnefi
voyages. Pliny also speaks of it, and de
cribes the rcd color to the age of the snow
but he did not see the red color in tn
microscopic field, and, it may be, had onl,
heard of it. This species may remain il
a state of dormant vitality for many years
1t is IN this state that the little plants ar
waited about in atmospheric currents, and
being brought down by the rain into pools
cisterns, etc, they may present themselve
where none have been previously known t
exist, and there, under favorable circum
stances, they may undergo very RAPID
multiplication. Sc with the "winter spores
which we have just seea."
Dr.. p. NJ. Ziegler, of Reading, DR.. S.
Erwin of Mauch Chunk, and other scentlli
men hereabouts, agree on this subject, an,
give the same explanation ofthe phcnomen
on. Many of our people tried various eX
pcrmcnts on the substance. They found i
to be without taste or smell, and when light
ed with a match would burn readily, an
was Of sticky, greasy nature.