Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1883-02-01
WAVES AND BILLIARDS..

WAVES AND BILLIARDS..
Some years ago, about the tim,
when Saratoga waves were coming in
TO fashion a new meteorological phe-
nomenon was invented under the name
of Manitoba wavo. Whether it was
because the region about Winnipeg &
was just then corning to be known and
the land speculators merely took up
an old wind and rechristened il for he
purpose of advertising the attractions
OF the new country, or whether the
beneficent breeze that came down from
the northwest to temper the heats of
summer really became first known to
observers at that time, it would be use
less now TO inquire II is enough for
us TO know that the Manitoba wave
was for some time just as we'll estab.
lished in the list of regular atmospher-
ic exhibitions as the trade winds or
monsoons. But somehow the waves
grew unsteady, and the public lost
confidence IN II. IL came to pass that
there would be a good start from Lake
Winnipeg, and the weather reports
would lead us TO expect bath of cool
air all the way TO the tide water of tn q
Atlantic; but the wave would either
get warmed mp in the progress. or il
would tuln OF i'm some other direction.
possibly TO avoid breach oil the neu-
trality laws by crossing the frontier
ward and ascend to the region of per-
petual frost: anyhow, it got into
habit OF deceiving and Disappointing
some millions of people who were
cree ping into the shade and tanning
themselves in anticipation of n relief
that never came. If this had happen
ed only once or twice the wave might
have baen forgiven on the score that
all weather is i'm its nature attended
with more or less uncertainty, but the
promises or the waves were broken so
n.Gny times that it fell into disrepute
and bacGme byword and reproach
TO all the winds that blow.
The next aspirant for popular favor
was the blizzard. This came in mid.
winter instead Of the dog days, and
WAS supposed to have its home some.
where in the region of Dakota. 1t is
reckoned a purely American produc-
tion, although it may spread over the
line into the distant regions OF the
dominion. The bl Zlard travels TO the
eastward when it goes forth on pill
grimage, and It's visitation includes all
lands and people that lie i'm its path !
There has on some occasions i'm the
past been II prevailing idea the bIizz-
ard, being in nature pronged and di-
visible, las separated when it reached
the western shore of Lake Michigan
and gone around the state instead of
passing over it, one fork of the storm
finding its way along the track of nav
igation and jumping from Mackinac
over into Canada, and the other veer-
ing around through the northern por-
ti.ns of Indiana and Ohio, leaving the |
happy lower peninsula entirely un-
touched. Recent experience, howev-
er leads us to believe that the theory
of bifurcated billiards which, to speak |
straddled Michigan without touching
il, is erroneous one. Since Sunday |
last the blizzard has been felt, even |
here, and in the futnre no well inform
ed citizen hereabouts will maintain. as |
many of us have done in the past, that
this state is exempt from the climatic
variations of heat and cold wind and |
wave" to which the neishboring re-
gions are subject. a thermometer be-
low zero takes the poetry out of a good
many things. Amongst the rest it dis
abuses us of the fine theory that Mich
igan has the temperature of perpetual
spring in January Detroit Post and
Tribune.