The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1883-03-16
THE STORM PROPHECY.

We have given some space in this issue to
weather items from the North Atlantic coast,
covering the days on which Professor 4.
Stone Virgins, L. l.. D., Astronomer of the
Canadian Finance Department, Ga somewhat
queer title), predicted would occur The great
est storm there had been on this continent
for one hundred years. II is not altogether
wise to decry every alleged new discovery,
however absurd and impossible il may ap.
pear to The uniniliated. There are too many
things now in actual existence as essential
agencies Of industry and enjoyment for which
tie discoveries were at first hooted TO make
1t safe to say anything is impossible, and
when scientific man, with University al
phabet and an official title a foot long after
his name, alleges months beforehand that
certain planetary conditions will produce
certain meteorological agitations of extraor-
binary violence on certain days named, al
though we may not credit him, he is at least
entitled TO be fairly judged by the results.
The prediction which Mr.. Virgins caused to
be addressed TO President Arthur and spread
to the world was as follows:
OTTAWA, Nov. q, 1S82-On the sd of Sep
| TENDER last announced through the Cana
dian press that great storm would occur in
March next; that 10 would first be felt in the
Northern Pacific, would appear in the Gulf
| of Mexico on the night of the 9Th, and being
detected by the Rocky Mountains, would
40 fra, fb.
| Sunday, March IL, 1888. No vessel. what
| ever her dimensions, will be safe out OF har-
| Dor, and none Of small ton nagc can hope TO
survive the tidal wave and fury of this tenn
pest. As the wind will blow from the south
east, the planetary force will be sufficient to
| submerge the lowlands on the American
coast, especially those bordering on the Gulf
of Mexico and washed by the Gulf stream,
| while the air currents for several hundred
miles along the east side of the Rocky Noun
tain range, owing to the great atmospheric
pressure in those regions, will spread uuiver-
sal destruction. The New England States
win also suffer severely from the wind and
| floods. No point outside Ct harbor in the
whole area Of the Atlantic, especially north of
the equator, will be place of safety, for this
will be pre- -eminently the greatest storm that
| has visited this continent since the days of
your ilustrious first President. In view Of this
event, therefore, / take great liberty in rep
resenting TO your Excellency the advisability
of ordering all United States ships into safe
harbors not later than the 9th of March, till
this storm be passed. sl a..# t
The time designated has passed. Profess.
or Virgins asserts his prediction has been
verified. It is true there has been violent
weather along the coast from Boston north
ward and heavy gales are reported from the
English coast. But have these verified the
prediction above? We think not. The date
Of his predicted storm covered the change Of
the moon and the high tides Of the northeast
coast at a time when In eight out of the past
ten years violent gales have prevailed there
and which 1t was reasonable TO presume,
from the coincidence ofhigh tides and gales,
would be more severe than usual But out
side of that limited area has the weather
anywhere reported been severe for March
Has not the American continent had every
Wucio SASeP.iohahy nnc AhaiSh "eathei, ahu
have not we of Montana been trebly blessed |?
Had great storm prevailed as predicted and
Virgins published his theory Of determining
II by planetary influences as he promised, his
theory would have been entitled to respect
full consideration and perhaps incorporation
into meteorological science. As 1t Is, his ju-
risdiction seems at least limited to the Cana
dian coast, and 1t is somewhat unfortunate
that the usual local March gale prevailed
there with so much severity. We fear Wig
gins, who might possibly have dropped on
some great law undiscovered by others, will
have TO be consigned to limbo with Proctor,
the comet collider, and hereafter we will
have to take weather rs II comes from the
Signal Service Corps.