The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-03-10
THE PROPHECY.
The Prophets Classification of Storms-His
Previous Predictions.

The Prophets Classification of storms-His
Previous Predictions.
In a pamphlet recently issued, Mr.. Wig.
gins c~lassiies storms in three great divisions,
viz: First-class storms, second-class storms
and third-class storms, The intensely cold
weather and heavy snow OF January he con-
siders a third-class storm; the billiards. of
February are scheduled as s~econd-class
storms, and the boomer that comes this
week is, in his mind, to be to all intents and
purposes a first-class affair. This, he says,
will originate in the northern Pacific on
the morning of the 9th; will strike this con-
tinent from the southeast all along tho
Atlantic coast on the afternoon of the 10th,
and will travel westward south of the 45th
parallel, and returning from the Rocky
Mountain range will cross the meridian of
Ottawa over the great Canadian lakes at noon
of the 18th. No vessel. whatever, her sea-
worthiness, should be out of harbor in any
part of the world. The navies of all nations
should be in safe harbors not later than the
9th. Danger from lightning everywhere
within the tropics. Great tidal wave in the
Gull Of Mexico, the bay of Bengal and the
China Sea. The thermometer will range five
degrees below zero all over Canada from the
9th to the 11th. The storm will continue,
with varying intensity, to the 10th, when :
general rain will begin and Continue for
forty-eight hours. Unusual foods iu the
maritime provinces.
Virgins then gives in full the Kind aai
ings he has sent to the official authorities iu
different parts of the world, and tie cor
respondence he has had with otheF weather
cranks on the subject. He quotes much OF
the ridicule which has been heapeo 3p0u aim,
and proceeds to demolish his critics in an
article of several pamphlet pages. He paws
his respects at length to General Hazen, and
falls back upon the transit of Venus, which
he claims afforded the most positive proof
of the scientific reliability of my theory of
continental storms" without explaining Just
how or why.
His official announcement of the storm
that is coming is as follows: On the 22d of
September, 1882, | made the following an
nouncement in the Ottawa Citizen:
"a great storm will strike this planet on
the 9th of March next. 1t will first be felt
in the Northern Pacific and will cross the
meridian of Ottawa at noon Is o'clock
London time) of Sunday, March IL, 1888.
No vessel. smaller than a Cunarder will be
able to live in this tempest. India, the south
of Europe, England, and especially the
North American continent will be the
theater of its ravages. As all the low lands
on the Atlantic will be submerged, 1
advise ship-builders to place their
prospective vessels high up on the
stocks, and farmers having loose valuables,
as hay, cattle, ETC., to remove them to a place
of safety, | beg further most respectfully to
appeal to the Honorable, the Minister of
Marine, that he will p~eremptorily order up
the storm signals on all the Canadian coast
not later than the goth of February, and thus
permit no vessel to leave harbor. If this is
not done hundreds of lives will be lost and
millions worth OF property destroyed"
HIS PREVIOUS PREDICTIONS.
Accordingly on the 10th of October l wrote
to the Honorable the Minister of Marine,
asking him to order up the storm signals to
protect seamen from the March storm, and
said that to prove the truth OF my predic-
ton ! would name two heavy storms that
would precede it in the winter of 1888, one
to begin on the 10th of January and the sec
ond the 9th of February. The first-named /
did not make public in Canada, though re-
ported in the New York press, as it would be
mainly a South American storm, in which the
forces would not extend beyond the 10Th
parallel of north latitude, so that
only the reflection of the storm f,Om
the Rocky Mountains would he felt in
49, HoA6h a BOiltSN ~ tlldl IL
would be followed by a general snowfall
throughout North America. This storm
came exactly as predicted, passing over the
New England States, over New York, Wash
ington and Minnesota lin which it appeared
as an immense blizzard, and, in fact, all of
the States south of the Forty-fifth parallel,
on the very day named, viz, 10th of January.
In the United States and Canada it continued
for ten days, and was one of the heaviest
snowfalls ever known. The atmosphere over
the entire continent was thrown in an I'M
mense whirlpool.
The storm of February will be even more
violent, as it will be specially a storm of the
Northern hemisphere, and will be of six days
DURATION, ending-in the greatest probable
itv--in a general rain, In eastern Canada the
wind will blow from the northeast The di-
rection Of the March storm will greatly re-
sembie that of January both in direction
and GOODNESS.
Being unwilling to bear the responsibility
of treating my letter with contempt, the
honorable minister submitted it to Charles
Carpmael, Esq, chief signal officer OF Can
ada, and asked his opinion. Mr.. Carpmael
replied at length, and said: 1--WE have no
reason to anticipate any violent disturbance
between the 9th and 18th of March" and
Mr.. Wlggins's letter Is perfectly absurd"
So say Mr.. Vennor and General Hazen.
| have never once predicted a storm that
did not arrive within a few hours of the
time named. and the following, which | a-
curately foretold months before they &C.
Cured, should be sufficient to establish my
reputation, viz; The storm which began in
the Atlantic ocean, June 25, 1881, and blew
from the southwest-the direction / had
pointed out-over the continent; the storm
of Sept. 10, 1882, in which the Asia and II.
M. S. Phoenix were lost; the storm of Dec.
10, 1882 (~foretold in the Ottawa Citizen in
July last), SO disastrous in newfoundland,
and the storm of IAN. 10, 1883. The great
storm OF February and the greater one Of