The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-08-07
CLOUD BURST, A MISN0MER
There Can be No "ClOud Bursts.
But AL Are Electrical Storms
Gail them ''Electromes" Hereafter
and not CLOUD Bursts"
SALT LAKE CITY,
August 9th, 1881.

IIUS6OsO &AOf SSSG-
In giving an account Of a heavy
local rain storm in the southern part
of the territory, you attributed it to
a cloudburst. Cleudburst is often
used as phrase to account for GER
tain heavy local transforms that fire.
quently occur in the dry mountain
regions of Nevada, California and
Utah, and through the Rocky Noun
tains generally. Ridiculous and
unDhilOsophical as this phrase is,
and however harsh it may CRATE on
the nerves of those that are accus-
toned to consider things philo-
sophically on natural phenomena,
it has obtained an almost uni
VerSal acceptance by the Cali
fornia, Nevada and Utah news
papers. It seems to the writer that
when we reflect on what cloud is,
and how it is formed, and what sus-
ponds it in the atmosphere, and the
cause Of the condensation of the
cloud VapOrs, a more philosophical
phrase might be invented. And
here [ may advance some new ideas
in reference to what cloud is and its
suspension and condensation. Cloud,
as everyone will admit, is water
vaporized by the heat of the sun,
which ascends into the atmosphere.
Right here comes the question
What causes those fine particles of
YapOr to ascend? Water, however
attenuated the particles may be, has
a specific gravity greater than the
atmosphere. And yet these watery
vapoTs ascend to a great height,
where the atmosphere is still more
rare than at the earth's surface.
Here l take the position that the
cause Of the suspension and ascen-
sion of watery vapOr is that it is
charged with electricity, and that all
storms whether Of rain, snow or
hail are an electrical phenomena.
This may be a difficult problem to
solve, but we will adduce some facts
to show there is some consistency in
the hypothesis.
When the sun pOurs its heating
rays upon the moist earth, vapOriZa-
ton takes place and in the change
from water to YapOr, electricity is
evolved charging the vapOrous par
ticles and rendering them buOyant
and lighter than the atmosphere.
They continue to rise, and when
large masses Of these electrically
charged VapOrS accumulate they
form what are called clouds, held suS-
pended in the atmosphere solely by
their being so charged. Clouds are of
two kinds-Visible and invisible. In a
clear, bright, warm day, the Yapors
ascend to the upper regions of the
driven by wind currents
Or electrical attraction, until some
thermal change takes place, and
they are attracted in sufficient mas
ses to become visible. Often the
writer has watched the formation
Of cloud from a small patch TO a
large cloud, by the attraction of in
visible particles to a visible cloud.
Again, he has often watched the
dispersion Of fiOckS OF cloud on a
clear day, which is attributed to the
thermo-electrical change caused by
the suns rays,tO be reformed again,
perhaps, hundreds of miles away.
The ocean is the great source from
which clouds are formed.
4 iAts this point, l take the ground
that cloud is always in an adverse
polarity Of electricity to the earth.
Along the coast Of California the
vapOrS are driven in on the land by
the cool northwest trade winds in
the form Of fog, or, almost invisible
cloud. Thermal charges alone never
produce rain, hail, dew or snow.
unaided by electrical changes.
Hence, when the VapOrs are driven
on the land, the electricity with
which they are changed is drawn
from them by the adverse polarity
OF the electricity of plants and trees.
and the moisture is appropriated to
promote vegetable growth. But
millions Of tons of water are va
porNed on the Pacific Ocean. that
rise to the higher regions of the at
moSphere, and are carried over the
mountains and are precipitated in
ram and snow on the vast plains of
the east; but when thermal and
electrical conditions are favorable.
large local masses of clouds are
formed on the mountain tops. If
sufficiently near the earth so that
the adverse polarity of the earth's
electricity attracts that of the
clouds, the condensed electricity of
the cloud particles suddenly ex-
pands, leaving its molecules of va
por and carries with it the latent
heat with which it was also charged
The vapOr is then condensed to
water and falls, and III its descent
saturates the atmosphere, and as
is a good conductor of
electricity, II. establishes connection
with the earth. BY this means the
for hundreds of miles
IS attracted to this sinple
point OF cOnduction. With it is
drawn the cloud vapors; then. as
he electricity parts from its parti-
lies OF Vapor, the vapor condenses
70 water, and a local deluge is the
result. " Wv
A writer in the Sacramento Union
iays: Il once witnessed one of
hose cloud burstings. 1t was in
ErglnIa City, on the 4th of july.
066. TAe morning was hot and
aim. In the afternoon dense masses
# CLOUDS came heaping up over the