The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1881-04-01
THE COLUMBIAN, VOL. XIV, NO. IL
COLUMBIA DEMooRAT, VOL. XLvI, NO. Z
have said, an invariable forerunner of

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stormy weather.
"'These three kinds of clouds do moi
always appear in their simple forms
They are frequently mingled together
and four varieties of these derivative
clouds have been distinguished. The
cirro-cumulus consists of little roundish
white clouds, floating at high eleva
ton, and often resembling flock of
sheep resting upon the blue background
of the sky. In winter these clouds fre.
quently appear before thaw. Between
summer showers they accompany in
creased heat. They are common in dry
! weather.
"The GIRO stratus commonly appears
in shoals resembling fish in shape. Its
popular name is the 'mackerel sky. II
is almost sure indication of approach
ing stormy weather. When it settles
down into thin veil, covering the sky,
and making the sun and moon look dim,
it is certain to be followed by snow OF
rain. You will see it in that form fol
lowing those streaks that are now rising
in the southwest and covering the sky
before the storm comes.
'Did you ever see battle in the
clouds? The cirro-cumuli and cirro-strati
are natural enemies. The first named is
a fair weather and the last foul-weath
er cloud. When they meet as they some
times do after summer storm has par.
TALLY cleared, there is a war in the sky.
The cloudy squadrons encounter in mid
heaven to settle the question whether
sunshine or storm shall prevail. If the
GIRO cumuli succeed, the weather will
| clear; if the cirro-strati are victorious,
there will be more foul weather it is a
war of destruction, and the battle usually
ends by the total disappearance of one
or the other of the two kinds of cloud
all assuming the form of the successful
party.
"Cumulo stratus is the grandest of all
| clouds, and so it is the appropriate tore
runner of great storms. If you ever hap
pened to go up hill to the Hudson when
a thunder storm was gathering in the
Catskills you must have seen this cloud
dropping on the mountain tops and hid
ing the great peaks like vast curtain
| Whenever you see these clouds looming
up, you may be sure that a violen,
change in the atmosphere is close al
hand. The cumulo stratus consists of q
layer or foundation of dark colored STRAIT
us cloud nearest the earth, surmounted
by bulky piles of very dense cumulus
not white and smooth like the fair wealth
er cumulus, but rough, dark and threat
ening.
"One of the grandest sights in the
world is the majestic march of the Gu
mulo-stratus clouds across a hilly coun
try district in advance of violent storm
Animals, as well as men, are intimidatet
by the fearful appearance of the heaven,
and show their fear by trembling ant
hurrying to places of shelter. Thes'
clouds commonly make their appearance
first in the northwest, rising black ant
threatening above the horizon. Soor
the rumbling of heavy thunder is heard
and as the clouds approach the zenith
blotting out the sun, titful gusts of wine
arise, followed by periods of oppressiv,
calm. Sometimes whirling motion i
seen in the clouds. Then look out! If
black funnel seems to drop from th
clouds to the earth, it is tornado, an,
nobody can tell what damage it may do
The cumulo-strati foretell a storm sever
al hours in advance. The longer the,
linger near the horizon the more violen
the storm is apt to be.
''The last class or rather sub-class O
clouds is the nimbus or black rain cloud
which spreads over the heavens just a
the storm begins 1t is made up of
mixture of all the other kinds, and al
pears in every storm, but is seen in ii
most characteristic form in thunde
storm. Sometimes it approaches with
a few hundred feet Of the earth, and 6
other times is 1000 OF 5000 feet higl
While it always appears black Or gra
from beneath it is, in fact, ,surmounted b
a snowy white cap of cirrus or cumulu
l have sometimes, in the hills of centr;
New York, seen from an elevated st;
ton the passage of storm through
distant valley. The glittering upper su
face of the clouds then presents beal
tiful appearance, while underneath the
are dark and forbidding, and the pou
ing rain hides the landscape.
son account of the mixing togetht
of the various classes of clouds, it
sometimes difficult to accurately disti
guish them apart. A little practice, ,hov
ever, will enable any observant perso
, to detect the prevailing characteristic
Indications vary slightly for different l.
calities, and some knowledge of loc
| peculiarities is therefore necessary. Al
one who watches the clouds can for
/ many weather rules for himself that
will find at least as trustworthy as Il
{ prediction of Old Probabilities. ~.
SIN.