Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1881-08-04
HAIL STORMS.
What Causc~ Them. Together with Some
Curious Phencmena.

What Causc~ Them. y cSether WIN some
Curious Phenomenn.
The cause OF hail storms has never
been explained in satisfactory man.
ner. The most common theory, how
ever, in regard to them Is Nolta's.
which is that the hail stones are sue
cessivelv attracted by the clouds
charged with opposite electricities. and
thus grow until they fall. But, ii the
hail stones were thus attracted, il seems
much more probable that the two clouds
would be mutually attracted, and
would unite. The sudden irruption of
cold air streams into hot atmosphere
charged with watery vapor, and the
rareiaction and consequent refrigera-
ton of the air produced by rotary
winds, have been called in to explain
the phenomena of hail. Perhaps the
French meteorologist gives the best ex-
PLANTATION of hail. 1t is certainly novel.
We translate it from Il Atmosphere:
Hail occurs during thunderstorm.
when the temperature is very high upon
the surface of the ground. but de-
creases rapidly with elevation. This
rapid decrease is the principal element
III TIC lolIldliOu VI Hall. anu ~ HIS OCCu
known to be as much as one degree in
a little more than one hundred feet.
What, then. takes place in the region Of
the clouds? Those above from ten to
twenty or twenty-five thousand feet
contain, the highest of them, ice at about
thirty degrees Fahrenheit. The lower
clouds contain vascular water above
thirty-two degrees. As rule these
clouds travel in different directions, and
hail is formed when there is collision
and admixture of winds, currents and
clouds, the temperatures of which are
different. The vapor which then re-
solves itself into rain freezes instanta-
neously in so low 4 temperature"
This theory attributes no part of the
formation of hail to electricity. This
theory is generally preferred to that
which attributes the cause of hail
to the unequal distribution of
electricity in the air. Hail storms are
peculiar to no country, though hail
forms only in the summer season. They
are more frequent in some years than
others. and generally the warmest and
finest summers they are more severe.
Sometimes the same locality is visited
for a series OF years; then, again, that
locality is spared for long time. They
are. however, more common in the aft
ernoon than in the forenoon, and rarely
take place at night. Sometimes
they are of extreme violence. and
hail stones of large size are
precipitated. doing serious damage.
Prof. Muncke notices one that occurred
in Hanover, in 1901, in which number
OF hares, cartridges. crows and spar
rows were killed, and persons who had
been surprised by the hail in the open
air were covered with bruises and con.
tusions. DIR. Malcolmson witnessed one
in India, in 1881, in which large birds
We're killed and cattle injured. These
hail stones were flat; one was ten inch
es in circumference, and another
weighed two ounces. They plowed ND
a gravel walk like musket ball, passed
through glass windows, making round
hole in them, but not cracking the
glass. Some Of the earlier writers re-
cord numerous instances of incredibly
large stones. which some scientists ac-
cept with considerable hesitation. 1t is
recorded that at Namarine. 1.7l9. hail
stones, weighing six to eight pounds,
fell. In Hungarian village, Putze-
mischief. May $, 1902. d stupendous
block Of ice, which eight men could
not move, and which weighed LOO
pounds. is said to have fallen, but the
tale may be set down as improbable as
well as that other one that during