Smyrna times., 1882-06-28
The Recent Tornadoes and Sun
Spots.

Spots
IL there were not a great deal of un-
and contradiction involved |
in the observations hitherto made for
the purpose of determining whether |
the condition of the sun has anything |
to do with the frequency or violence Of |
terrestrial storms, the recent tornadoes, |
and those of April, cOinciding so close
ly as they have done with great solar
Outbursts, would possess very great
weight as affirmative evidence. As it
is, they tend strongly to favor the
affirmative side of the question. Men
of science differ widely in their views
as to which side possesses the prepOn-
derating weight of evidence. Hardly
anybody, however, now disputes the
influence of sun spots, or the cause
which ploIuceS sun spots, upon the
earth'S magnetic condition. The evil
dcnrV t0 prove that influence seems to
be overwhelming and the connection
of the great aurOral display and mag
netic storm in April and the less bril-
liant auroras of the present month
with solar Outbursts is conceded. On
the other hand, the evidence of the in
fluence of sun spots upon the tempera-
ture and general meteorological cOndi-
tiOnS of the earth is unsatisfactory.
The trouble is not so much the difficult
ty of perceiving what at least seem to
be indications of such an influence, as
Of recOnciling the contradictions that
arise, Observers i'll some parts of the
world have noted u slight increase of
terrestrial temperature during the max
imum periods of sun spots; others in
other parts of the world have found a
slight decrease of temperature during
the same periods. Prof. Young thinks
it would be fair to say, on the whole,
that there is n very slight balance of
probability in favor of the view that
years of sun-spot maximum are n de-
gree or two cooler than those of sun
spot minimum; but he adds that the
mex investigation may carry the bal
ance to the other side.
There is better evidence of the con-
nectiOn of sun spots with the frequency
of great storms; but here, as in the
other case, contradictions have arisen,
and the whole subject is in an unsettled
condition. DAe great source of the un-
certainty that attaches to the question,
perhaps the principal one, is the frag-
mentary nature of the observations.
They are mostly merely local, and ex-
tend over too briefperiods. Atpresent
there is not sufficient means of cOnnec-
ting such observations so that they
will show what the effect of the sun
spot maXima is upon the earth taken
as Il whole. From general point ot
view, contradictory results from local
observations need not be looked upon
as conclusive evidence against the eX-
istence Of the suspected influence, both
because of the comparatively small por-
ton of the earth's surface covered by
the observations and because the very
contradictions observed indicate some
disturbance, which, like many other
forces of nature, may manifest itself in
different forms according to local cir
cumstances, although, could our view
embrace the whole of the phenomena
we might find the general results to bC
uniform.
This subject is yearly attracting moro
, attention, and the observations made
last year and this year may go far to
ward solution ofthe puzzling question
OF course, if we could be sure thai
, cyclones and other great storms ar,
more likely to occur during periods o
, sun-spOt maximum, that knowledge
might be of some use in guardin,
! against them; but it is not likely tha
t this study will ever be of any grea
f service in furnishing storm warnings
} The knowledge to he acquired is of ;
2 much more general nature though no
\ the less interesting or important Ol
o that account.
t 1t is noteworthy that the recent disas
( ferrous tOrnadOes in the West indicat
e the existence of some atmospheric con
0 ditiOn favorable to their formation
4 which extended over wide region G
s country, and which, under the influ
: ence of favorable local circumstance:
n produced cycloniG eGeOts nearly simu
II taaeOusly Iii places widely separated
4 Thus the tornadoes of Friday nigh
d and Saturday morning visited St. Louis
O Leavenworth, and Kansas City at aboU
e the same hour. At o'clock on Satul
3 day afternoon, southern Illinois wa
swept by tornado; but the cyclon
V which did its fearful work in low
IS between nine Q'Glaok aud midnight tn
IS same evening was moving in the dire
IN ton OF Illinois, so that the latter mu
5. have been different storm. At moo
l. on Sunday tornado struck Bay Cit,
n on Lake Huron; while still earlier O
e. the same day Dubuque was vlslte
1. EARLY on Saturday evening, sever
ID hours before the Iowa cyclone burst,
whirlwind visited Saratoga County,
or nf IL
a were felt in New Jersey, New Yor
Id and the Eastern States ut about Il
y, same time, There thus appears
have been q general advance of Il
5e stormy weather from the west eas
a. ward, although the storms and cyclol
ee burst out here and there, and pursu
ne their course independently of al
at general movement of the storm are
es. and separately from each other. Loo
u ed at from above, the county swept
N. these fearful storms would have pl
re sented broad region of atmospbel
HS disturbances marked here and there
lie Whifling storm centres bearing,
sst some respects, q likeness to the oil
in. ters of nuclei which form in disturb
ee regions on the suns surface.
in tits also worthy of remark, inasmu
for as the increased electrical influence
the sun during its peTiaas of spot ma
mum Is recognized, that in the reoC
of great storms this display of elect
er- forces was very remarkable.-N US
nts -
ro- The judgment for $4,000 VIII
TAX Major Harold obtained against I
nu1 New York Elevated Railroad COmpa
,nm oI for injuries received, ip New 70
ing three years ago, has been affirmed
ohs tRe Court Of Appeals. Tke afhoun
ing large enough TO give a wholeso
5psl warming to the rapid transit compar
I'VE that no intensity of vigilance aud
the thoroughness of pFeeautlon for
safety of passengers can be cOnside