The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-02-10

hlul y We OulCAeilnk III American Ag icultuFtgt.
Those who have longest and most care
fully studied and recorded the weather,
know best, that beyond two or three days,
no predictions can be made possessing the
slightest reliability or that can be taken
into account making our plans. There
may be lucky guesses, as there may be
woiul failures in guessing.
Everybody has full liberty to guess what
the weather will be at any time in the fu-
ture. But when anybody undertakes to
label hisguesses for weeks or months ahead,
predictions" and to issue them as guides
for the farmer, or the traveller, or the cloth
ing dealer, he, in the language Of Shakes
peare, "Writes himself down an ass"
When he undertakes toget money for doing
this, he shows himself swindler on a level
with other quacks.
But for one or two, or even three DAYS
ahead, the weather may be foretold, two
thirds OF the time with great certainty, the
other third with more or leAs doubt. And
not only can this be done by the trained
observer at the signal station. but it may be
attempted with good success by any intelli-
gent person who has access to the daily wea-
ther maps, or even TO the full daily report.
II would be great gain to the community
if our daily papers would give MS these re-
ports in full us they are sent out, instead
OF cutting them down to mere indications"
for their own vicinity, even il they had to
lessen the space given 10 horseraces, base
ball matches, dog.fghts and police courts.
The whole theory Of foreteIling changes
in the weather, with the aid OF the tele.
graph, is based upon the fact that our
weather changes come as general rule,
from the west and not from the east; that
the great wave Of barometric pressure,
which We name high and low, and whose
alterations produce our storms, move across
the country from west to east, and almost
never in the opposite direction, so that for
our weather tomorrow, we look to see
what it is to-day 10 the west OF us, with
very little interest as to what is going on to
the eastward. Thus in New England, n
q northeast snow.storm is often telegraphed
as coming from the southwest from New
York, or even from Virginia, or the Caro-
linas, or even from farther south.
The pressure Of the atmosphere in the
temperate zone varies about one pound
per square inch, and Is indicated by the
barometer, varying from 90 inChes(low) to
81 inches (high) as the extremes, the ordi-
naryvariation being only about hall asgreat.
Now the storm.centre is or near the place
Of low barometer, where the pressure Is
least the air from all sides rushing toward
this with rotary motion, which in very
severe storms is named a cyclone. Some.
times however, the areas Of high and low
barometer extend In long lines across the
country from north to south, but moving
from west to east, as in many Of our "cold
waves, neutrality-suspicious. from the lakes
to the Gull, The greatest fall OF min OF
snow is usually little in advance Of the
storm-contor, while the barometer Is falling
When the center is passed the barometer
begins to rise, and clearer weather may bt
expected, generally with northwest winds.
These stOrm.centers, or "areas Of low ba
rometer," or "low pressure" oitenest make
their appearance little east OF the Rocky
mountains, very often In Dakota, and ther
move with more or less rapidity toward thu
Atlantic, generally due east. Occasionally
a storm.center develops in Texas ant
moves northeast More rarely cyclone.
make their appearance in the West Indies
and follow along the course Of the Gul
stream, the outer edge sometimes reaching
the Atlantic coast, very rarely extending
! inland.
Out Of 100 storm.centers noted durini
1879 one moved north, three southeast, 2
northeast, and o. nearly due east. Thei
!, velocity varies from 20 to 40 miles per hour
so that either storm.center or cold wave
travel from the mountains to the sea /,
from two TO FIVE days, then passing of upol
| the ocean, frequently taking northeastern
direction after reaching the coast. Some
t times storm may be detected from II
2 course, or spend its force midway, or n
r crease in severity, as it moves eastward. j
i is these possibilities together with the VI
+ rying velocity Of the wave. which render .
: dependent on the. telegraph for It's record {
i, daily or even hourly progress, and whic
+ sometimes contradict the best founded Or,
/ dlctions. But with all these possibilid,
j. Of error, so to 90 per cent Of the prediction
r. are verified, and upon perhaps 70 per ceI
n our reliance may be almost perfect, !